Traffic mayhem in school zones Author: By MEGAN LEVY Date: 05/07/2006 Publication: Illawarra Mercury
NEARLY 250 motorists have been caught flouting parking regulations around Wollongong schools in just four months, raising serious concerns about student safety.
Wollongong City Council parking rangers will crack down on the crime when school resumes for term three in response to the worrying trend.
Parking figures show that 238 parking infringements were handed out to motorists in school zones from February to May. Motorists were nabbed for offences such as stopping in bus zones, stopping on clearways or disobeying no-stopping signs.
Offences occurred at schools from Dapto to Helensburgh.
Pedestrian safety around schools has been brought into sharp focus this year, with the State Government recently announcing a plan to install electronic speed signs and flashing lights at school zones.
Drivers will also face unprecedented penalties for traffic offences in school zones under the plan, however a date for the introduction of those penalties has not yet been set.
The council's ranger services assistant manager Garry Meusburger said parking rangers were already directed to spend part of their shift at a school each day, however enforcement would now be stepped up. Extra enforcement would coincide with police operations targeting speeding around schools.
"(Patrolling schools) is the most important thing that the parking rangers do," he said.
"The kids really are prone to taking off, often don't think when they run across the road. We have to try to maintain a high level of attention at schools."
He said often parents were unaware of parking rules, and a public education campaign would be launched simultaneously to raise awareness.
Several schools have already included details of parking rules and penalties in their newsletters, while motorists caught parking illegally will also be given the brochure.
"Parents still do the wrong thing. Some seem to be lazy, and sometimes perhaps they don't understand the regulations. We're going to increase the enforcement, but we're also going to increase the education campaign around schools," he said.
Lord Mayor Alex Darling said it was "bewildering" that traffic dramas around schools persist.
"This city has had more than its fair share of pedestrian injuries involving children around schools. Often these have resulted from simple inattention or carelessness of drivers who were only stopping a few seconds," he said.
Road signs dismissed
? 238 motorists were caught disobeying traffic signs outside schools between February and May.
? Motorists were nabbed at schools from Dapto in the south to Helensburgh in the north.
? The most common offences were of disobeying no-stopping signs, disobeying no-parking signs, disobeying no-standing signs, stopping on clearways and stopping in bus zones.
? Fines ranged from $75 to $175. Fines will rise later this year under a State Government plan to curb accidents around schools.
Source: Wollongong City Council