'Just drive': police remind Thunder Bay, Ont., motorists to take extra care on first day of school
Police will be enforcing traffic laws in school zones as students return to school Wednesday
Thunder Bay police have some advice for motorists as they take to city streets on Wednesday, the first day of the new school year.
"Just drive," said Thunder Bay police traffic Sgt. Gordon Snyder. "Just pay attention to what you're doing, keep your eyes on the road."
Police will be increasing traffic enforcement as the school year begins, Snyder said.
"Traffic volumes increase quite dramatically," he said. "Not only do we have the school buses and the crossing guards out there, but we also have many parents dropping their kids off to school, and we have children walking to school, as well."
"There's going to be a big uptick in the amount of people that are out and about."
Motorists, Snyder said, should take extra care when on city streets and roads.
"Expect to take more time going to work," he said. "Expect that there's going to be more traffic, expect there's going to be more stops, expect school buses to be out and about."
Stop for school buses
Snyder said in Thunder Bay, motorists must come to a complete stop when approaching a school bus with its light flashing.
"We don't have any divided highways," he said. "If you are approaching a school bus from behind, or from the front, and it is stopped with its lights flashing and the stop bar out, you must come to a complete stop."
"It doesn't matter if it's a two-lane residential street, or it's a four-lane road."
Snyder also had advice for motorists encountering crossing guards. The rules, he said, are simple: if a crossing guard is helping students cross a roadway, vehicles must remain completely stopped until the crossing guard is off the roadway.
"We don't want the situation where people start to creep forward," he said.
Other concerns are distracted drivers, and speeders, Snyder said.
"It's 40 km/h maximum for a reason in school zones," he said. "We're going to be heavily targeting that, and if you're doing more than 40, than there's a likelihood that you'll get a ticket as a result."