Back-to-school: Be aware

To ensure a smooth and safe return to school for children, the City of Westmount would like to share these few recommendations:

• Don’t double park; this will block the visibility of children and vehicles.
• Don’t allow a child to exit a vehicle that is double stopped; it could be extremely dangerous.
• Always pull to the curb side when dropping them off.
• Don’t load or unload children across the street from the school.
• Park a block away and walk your child to school.
• Shut off your engine while using the school drop off zone. Remember that these drop off areas have a 10 minutes time limit.
• Carpool to reduce the number of vehicles at the school when possible.
• Be alert, some children may be unpredictable and ignore the risks of traffic hazards.
• Always stop for crossing guards holding up a stop sign.
• Take extra care to look out for children in school zones, near playgrounds and parks, and in all residential areas.
• Give yourself extra time in the morning due to the increase in traffic during the back-to-school period.

Public Safety officers will also patrol around schools drop off areas during morning peak traffic times to ensure that children are safe.

We wish all students a happy and safe back-to-school period.