Some drivers simply refuse to take any responsibility for their bad behaviour on Burnaby roads.
Like speeding through school zones.
Burnaby RCMP detailed what happened during the first few days on local roads after schools were back in session.
A whopping 92 speeders were caught roaring through school zones on just the second full day of school.
Officers issued only a handful of tickets and sent the rest of the drivers off with a warning, according to the Burnaby RCMP.
But spokesperson Cpl. Mike Kalanj warned that police will be out enforcing school zone speed limits “on a regular basis.”
“As kids get used to their own back-to-school routines this September, we are also asking drivers to adjust their own driving habits,” he said in an email to the NOW.
He noted the 30 km/h school zone speed limit is in effect near Burnaby schools from 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. after the City of Burnaby extended the hours back in March.
You would think that these new rules would be universally praised because they work to protect the lives of children.
You would be wrong. Matt wrote in with his deep thoughts on the issue, which include somehow blaming the city for the problem because of where they put schools. Matt thinks too many Burnaby schools are on “main roads” that are too busy for schools.
“It represents poor planning by the city and their development commission,” Matt writes. “They get paid to think about this well in advance. The problem is they can't think one year, let alone 100 years into the future! You can't predict the future but you can certainly plan for what's going to evolve within the society … why is it city politicians can't design a road or a school on a single little plot of land in a portion of a city?
“If there's that many people speeding by, it tells you many things. First, the school's in a horrible spot. They should be on side roads parallel to a main road. So that they don't cause traffic jams and issues and have kids running out in front of traffic. But they don't think about that they want to put a school on a main road and have kids running out in front of traffic.”
This, of course, is a ridiculous argument, mainly because many Burnaby schools are not on what I would consider "main roads." Most are located on residential roads and not main thoroughfares. People are expected to drive slow on these residential roads, as opposed to Canada Way, Lougheed or Hastings.
The main point is that these schools were planned and built decades ago when the community was much smaller. I think most have held up well as the city has grown.
And it’s really bad to put the blame on a location and not the drivers themselves. If a driver is paying attention, then they will see the school signs and slow down. It’s not some shocking surprise as they race by.
Drivers have to be more responsible when they are going past a school. It’s as simple as that.
- With additional reporting by Cornelia Naylor
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
