Campaign on Road Safety in School Zones

In May, City Council and Public Safety are bringing road safety in school zones to the forefront. They will be visiting a number of elementary schools around Westmount to remind everyone of the dangers of the road and to remind drivers and parents to choose safety first. The team will be present at the following schools:

• Westmount Park School, May 10, 7:45 to 8:05 a.m.
• Villa Ste-Marcelline, May 11, 8 to 8:20 a.m.
• The Study, May 12, 7:40 to 8:05 a.m.
• Akiva School, May 17, 4 to 4:20 p.m.
• Saint-Léon-de-Westmount School, May 18, 3 to 3:20 p.m.

This initiative echoes the City’s back-to-school safety messages. To ensure the smooth and safe drop off and pick up of our children at school, we remind motorists of 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.

During morning peak traffic times, it isn’t uncommon to find Public Safety officers patrolling around school drop off areas to ensure the rules of the road are being respected. Our children’s safety is everyone’s responsibility!