Discussions

Winnipeg drivers were complaining they got tickets on labor day Monday.  
 
Many said they shouldn't get tickets when there is no school.  
 
Wow that would be complicated for everyone. Do they just mean stats? or Teacher days? or Parent Interview days?  
 
Monday to Friday starting September to June is very clear. There are signs everywhere. And it isn't like this hasn't been the first year that this was in place.  
 
I say too bad you got a ticket. Pay it and be glad it wasn't a greater fine than it is. Personally I would like to see double fines like they have in construction, The higher the fine the better. I don't know but it is probably true a few of these were going way faster than the 50 as well.  
 
And really a teacher got a ticket. She should know better than anyone.

Would you like to get a construction ticket when nobody was working? Same principal. It is nothing more than a cash grab as where are they during normal school hours? Not patrolling that school zone. That is the issue.

Actually an election issue in Winnipeg, with one of the more vocal Mayoral candidates saying they would end enforcement on holiday weekdays:  
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4801768

In Lethbridge the signs state except holidays. Not sure about the rest of AB.

You really have to pay attention to those signs...they are different hours and days depending on what town you’re in

I know this would never happen. But simple fix is for Province (better yet Canada wide) set school zones max speed 30km/h 24-7-365 There is no issues of when is it a school zone. It always is a school zone. Yes at midnight there should be no kids playing in and around the school area, but it is the speed limit.  
 
Although i'm not sure why Monday to Friday September 1 to June 30 is hard to figure out. Furthermore I am more concerned hitting a child in a school zone on a weekend or through the summer then I am at 9:30am on a Wednesday in November, when they are all in their classrooms.

i wish they'd do what i've seen in the states.  
 
bright, flashing blue light on top of the sign. if it's flashing, you drive 30. if it's off, you drive 50.  
 
that way it can be turned on for soccer games held at schools, kept on til 5:30 which is when the after school program ends, turned off for holidays, turned on for after school functions or anything held in a school like brownies cubs etc. no confusion regarding stat holidays or when the speed limit is actually in effect.

crunchy1885 said "i wish they'd do what i've seen in the states.     bright, flashing blue light on top of the sign. if it's flashing, you drive 30. if it's off, you drive 50.     that way it can be turned on for soccer games held at schools, kept on til 5:30 which is when the after school program ends, turned off for holidays, turned on for after school functions or anything held in a school like brownies cubs etc. no confusion regarding stat holidays or when the speed limit is actually in effect. "

I like that idea in the states.  
 
What I really don't understand is I never seen any injury statistics for Brandon to warrant reducing the speed limit in school zones.

A kid got hit by a bus driver right by riverheights school just last year. If you look for injury statistics, you will find them. Reducing the speed limit in school zones it common sense. Smh

if law enforcement wants to ticket that is fine. Place one cruiser in a zone at one time and enforce the posted law. Yesterday at one point I saw three...yes three... cars patrolling one school zone. It was not only a school zone but also right now a construction zone. Convenient yes. Some serious double dipping by police and obviously a cash grab. How is that active policing? How are those cars patrolling. Remember perception is important and frankly this leaves a bad taste in a lot of mouths.

RyanW2008 said "I know this would never happen. But simple fix is for Province (better yet Canada wide) set school zones max speed 30km/h 24-7-365 There is no issues of when is it a school zone. It always is a school zone. Yes at midnight there should be no kids playing in and around the school area, but it is the speed limit.     Although i'm not sure why Monday to Friday September 1 to June 30 is hard to figure out. Furthermore I am more concerned hitting a child in a school zone on a weekend or through the summer then I am at 9:30am on a Wednesday in November, when they are all in their classrooms. "

My hometown of Swan River does this. The school zones area always in effect. Much easier than trying to remember when and if you should slow down. Although, I personally am always extra cautious and slow down a bit around school zones. I don't want to be the reason someone has to bury their child.

And on the other side of the coin, Calgary council will debate next week reducing the speed limit to 30 on all residential streets. 6 if 14 councillors have already spoken in support:  
https://beta.ctvnews.ca/national/canada/2018/9/4/1_4080102.html

I like the idea of flashing lights or just having the rule apply at all times.  
 
The way we have the zones now is a little strange. It shouldn’t be enforced on holidays. I’d fight the ticket. School was not in session

Never been said "A kid got hit by a bus driver right by riverheights school just last year. If you look for injury statistics, you will find them. Reducing the speed limit in school zones it common sense. Smh "

Was the driver speeding? Going over 30km/hr? Ever day it seems someone gets hit on our roads, not in school zones. Is it common sense to reduce the speeds in town further to prevent pedestrians from getting hit? In Brandon has the incidents in school zones decreased before the limit change? Wouldn't it be common sense to i:nclude playground areas and parks like other provinces do? Places like the downtown skatepark.....shouldn't it be 30 too?  
 
Not that I am against going 30. I just want it to be for a reason. Like I said, education of teaching kids not to jaywalk would go much further and ticket parents who encourage their children to cut between cars and run to school or drop in middle of road and cut off traffic to cross. Is the root cause of school zone injuries speeding or unsafe crossing? Just curious.

Never been said "A kid got hit by a bus driver right by riverheights school just last year. If you look for injury statistics, you will find them. Reducing the speed limit in school zones it common sense. Smh "

The only bus/pedestrian accident near Riverheights that I can find record involved a city bus and was not in a school zone. The bus was well under the speed limit of 50 kph and the student ran out of a walking path directlt in front of the bus. There is no record of a serious injury accident or fatality in a school zone that I can find any record of for since long before the reduced speed zones came into effect. So, if no accidents occurred, where is the common sense approach?  
 
I agree with Fishing Guy that education, not enforcement, is the key here. It is only an emotional response to say it's for the safety of the kids with no demonstrable need ever provided. Show the statistics please, if I am wrong, to show that the reduced speed school zones have actually accomplished anything other than bringing in revenue for the city.  
 
There is a budget line in the police budget that shows ticket revenue. It is clearly a goal to create revenue from tickets and not just "educate" poor drivers.

Adam posted what I was going to say with Calgary is considering lowering speed limit on residential streets to 30 km per hour. I would suggest Brandon should lower the speed limit on most residential streets to 40 km per hour. One probably isn't going 50 on some streets as it is even with ideal road and weather conditions.  
 
In the meantime, can we get pedestrians of all ages to press that pedestrian crossing button including the ones in at median if the street is a 4 lane!

Adam said "And on the other side of the coin, Calgary council will debate next week reducing the speed limit to 30 on all residential streets. 6 if 14 councillors have already spoken in support:   https://beta.ctvnews.ca/national/canada/2018/9/4/1_4080102.html "

That is ridiculous! Why don't we all just push our cars, we couldn't get up to enough of a speed to harm anyone by hitting them!

When I see people calling it a cash grab.... if you don’t speed, you won’t have to pay a fine. Pure and simple. Easy logic.

One way the city has the tickets and fines reduced is by doing all of the road construction around town. I think 26th by JR Reid was a hot spot to catch speeders. Now you have to take a detour and cannot soeed through. Maybe they should leave it like that for the school year.

Pawprints said "    Johnbisonbear said "    Adam said "And on the other side of the coin, Calgary council will debate next week reducing the speed limit to 30 on all residential streets. 6 if 14 councillors have already spoken in support:   https://beta.ctvnews.ca/national/canada/2018/9/4/1_4080102.html " That is ridiculous! Why don't we all just push our cars, we couldn't get up to enough of a speed to harm anyone by hitting them! " Is that you have not, nor know anyone, who has been hit by a car, regardless of the speed.   Johnbisonbear, I would suggest you stand out on a street, have someone hit you going at a mere 10kms and then see what you think.   My friend's sister was hit by a car on Garwood Drive, years ago, and the little girl hasn't been the same since.   So ya, I would definitely support 30km on RESIDENTIAL streets!!! "

Actually I have been hit by a car when he was driving out a business driveway and was yapping to his friends he left behind all the while advancing towards me. He clipped my hip that required a trip to the hospital and also put a whole in my new jeans saved for school days. My hip has not been the same ever since and I'm talking many many years ago.  
 
So what happened to your friend's little girl that she got hit? Some kids dart in to traffic between cars but goodness sake the parents need to drill safety into their children's brain!

Really??? We have to wait for a child to get hit and possibly killed before we start acting responsibly. That’s the dumbest line of thinking I’ve heard in a long time.  
 
Like one other poster said “it’s not a cash grab if you are following the rules”

Spades!! said "Really??? We have to wait for a child to get hit and possibly killed before we start acting responsibly. That’s the dumbest line of thinking I’ve heard in a long time.     Like one other poster said “it’s not a cash grab if you are following the rules” "

Not a cash grab if following the rules. Why did it become a rule? Fatalities without using seat belts were climbing, there was an issue, how do we prevent it? Mandatory seatbelt use. We have pedestrians hit almost daily. Why are we not lowering the limit in town to 30 or 40 too? I can't recall the amount of times I see people wearing headphones and not even look and just walk out in the street as their mentality is they have the right of way. I have stopped for people at a corner and they end up turning around not to cross. Jesus blame the motorists now? If there are no injuries or deaths in school zones isn't education doing it's job of educating people to not get hurt?  
 
Punishing someone else for one's own mistakes is the dumbest thinking I have heard in a long time. If it is so dumb why are we increasing the speed limits on the highways? It has been a concern about cars going by school buses when their lights are flashing. How many officers have been tackling that problem....oh wait they are putting in cameras on the buses to capture cars so they can issue tickets later. I would rather see dollars spent patrolling buses and keeping our kids safe instead of sitting in a school zone during no school that day issuing tickets for speeding. That is the dumbest thing I have heard! That is a cash grab plain and simple. You are not making anything safer at all doing that.

Fishin Guy said "    Spades!! said "Really??? We have to wait for a child to get hit and possibly killed before we start acting responsibly. That’s the dumbest line of thinking I’ve heard in a long time.     Like one other poster said “it’s not a cash grab if you are following the rules” " Not a cash grab if following the rules. Why did it become a rule? Fatalities without using seat belts were climbing, there was an issue, how do we prevent it? Mandatory seatbelt use. We have pedestrians hit almost daily. Why are we not lowering the limit in town to 30 or 40 too? I can't recall the amount of times I see people wearing headphones and not even look and just walk out in the street as their mentality is they have the right of way. I have stopped for people at a corner and they end up turning around not to cross. Jesus blame the motorists now? If there are no injuries or deaths in school zones isn't education doing it's job of educating people to not get hurt?     Punishing someone else for one's own mistakes is the dumbest thinking I have heard in a long time. If it is so dumb why are we increasing the speed limits on the highways? It has been a concern about cars going by school buses when their lights are flashing. How many officers have been tackling that problem....oh wait they are putting in cameras on the buses to capture cars so they can issue tickets later. I would rather see dollars spent patrolling buses and keeping our kids safe instead of sitting in a school zone during no school that day issuing tickets for speeding. That is the dumbest thing I have heard! That is a cash grab plain and simple. You are not making anything safer at all doing that. "

Because a human being will always be a human being....not watching, getting distracted, thoughts a million miles away thinking about a love one in trouble or simply has a sense of entitlement (young or old) and feels they can do what they want with no insight or care as to the consequences of their actions. The list goes on!!!  
 
While, IMO, common sense would be the answer to all of these situations, the human race is sorely lacking in that skill set. Whether you are the motorist driving, pedestrian walking or implementing bylaws to protect that distracted human being, it all comes down to human nature. People do the best they can from day to day, moment to moment. Even the those in government.  
 
I for one would rather follow the rules as implemented whether I agree with them or not and hopefully prevent a very human accident. If you aren't in favour of those rules then get involved in the government levels to help implement better rules. It is easy to sit on the sidelines criticizing with a holier than thou attitude. Much harder to try to put rules in place while being human yourself and having to face the backlash of your decisions by those sitting on the sidelines.  
 
As for the increase in the speed limit....that is what the public wants. Government faces incredible pressures trying to make humans happy and voting for them balanced with rules to keep them safe. It is an ongoing vicious cycle. That is how we live our lives.

back to horse and buggy  
 
a lot of people can't drive anyway, lol