Drivers have been failing to stop for children and crossing guards in marked crosswalks and the Sooke School District is sounding the alarm.
In recent weeks, SD62 said there have been three near misses involving crossing guards in the Westhills neighbourhood near PEXSISEN Elementary School and Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School. In all three cases, crossing guards had their stop signs out and were in crosswalks.
In one case, a driver, after ignoring the stop sign, told the crossing guard they legally didnB次元官网网址檛 have to stop or obey the crossing guard. This isnB次元官网网址檛 true, according to Cst. Andrew Matheson, a spokesperson with the West Shore RCMP.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very explicit in the Motor Vehicle Act, itB次元官网网址檚 driversB次元官网网址� duty to obey the direction of all flaggers, that includes crossing guards. They also have to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk at all times.B次元官网网址�
Kailey Sutherland works as an education assistant at Pexsisen but started also working as a crossing guard to make some extra money with inflation increasing living costs.
B次元官网网址淚t can be pretty scary for a lot of these kids and for myself, itB次元官网网址檚 a high-traffic area, we have everyone coming from Sooke, we have all the truckers all the logging trucks, Fridays are the worst time. ItB次元官网网址檚 terrifying at this point.B次元官网网址�
Sutherland added people might be unaware of the fact there are two new schools, meaning a lot of kids are walking through the area, particularly now the weather is warming up.
Mark Panneton walks his daughter Samantha home from Pexsisen most days and has noticed several near misses recently, mostly with crossing guards as theyB次元官网网址檙e the first ones to walk into the road when helping people cross.
B次元官网网址淭hese folks are really helpful trying to get the traffic to stop but there are trucks and cars that ignore them and blow right past,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e seen them have a few near misses with people just not paying attention to the bright, high-vis gear even theyB次元官网网址檙e walking into traffic.B次元官网网址�
Panneton says he has noticed the school district and the city have put in a lot of resources into the area in the past few months but said more traffic calming measures may be needed.
B次元官网网址淕enerally if people could take a few extra minutes, breathe and slow down, and be respectful of the school zone that would be great.B次元官网网址�
Matheson said police were out Tuesday morning doing enforcement and make it a priority to try and be in the area.
B次元官网网址淐rosswalk and school zone safety is essential for pedestrians and motorists. It is critical that motorists follow the rules of the roads to ensure that our students and all members of the community are safe while using marked crosswalks, including those with crossing guards,B次元官网网址� the district wrote in the statement. B次元官网网址淥ur priority is that students, staff and community members arrive safely to their destination and we hope that motorists will do their part to ensure that happens.B次元官网网址�
SD62 offered some safety reminders to help motorists be more diligent near schools. They include making eye contact with children and crossing guards so they know they have been seen, stopping for all pedestrians and crossing guards and waiting for them to clear the crosswalk before proceeding, not passing other vehicles at crosswalks, checking for children in crosswalks before turning at an intersection, following the school or playground zone speed limit and avoiding distracted driving.
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