There were no major issues with school zones in Abbotsford for the first day of school Tuesday, police say.
Police put out a reminder over the weekend that drivers be mindful of school zones, as they came back into effect after summer months, dropping speed limits down to 30 km/h near schools during specific hours on school days.
RELATED: Police urge drivers to watch for kids on the road as they head back to school
RELATED: Back to school: ICBC says nearly 400 kids injured each year
“I’m sure that we’ve pulled over some people; I don’t know how many we’ve pulled over,” Sgt. Judy Bird, Abbotsford Police Department spokesperson, said.
“We usually try and start with a soft reminder. There wasn’t anybody crazy excessive (speeding). … I’m very happy that it was a completely easy first day of school. That makes things good for us.”
Hello- you behind the wheel! Kids are heading #BackToSchool2018 TOMORROW!
-Slow down in #schools zones (in effect 8 am – 5 pm);
-Slow near bus stops & watch for children;
– Red flashing lights & stop arms = school bus🚌 has stopped to load/ unload children= you must 🛑! pic.twitter.com/eM2DQiXlLu— Abbotsford Police Department (@AbbyPoliceDept) September 3, 2018
RELATED: Police issue more than 30 tickets first day of school in 2013
Bird said she would not be able to find numbers for how many people were pulled over for speeding in school zones Tuesday, nor could she say how many tickets were handed out.
“Yesterday most of the patrol members and traffic members were out — not to catch people, but to raise awareness. We sat in school zones with our lights on, chatting with kids and parents to be a visible presence — NOT to find out how many people we could write up,” Bird said in an email.
Bird noted that Abbotsford police’s regular patrol, along with the traffic enforcement unit, were out in full force Tuesday, reminding people to take it slow in school zones.
“Take that extra few moments to get to where you’ve got to go,” Bird said.
“Sometimes you need that reminder that those parking lots are going to be full, and that can be frustrating. So we have to be patient, and our patience will hopefully spread to other people in their behaviours, because it is challenging, the school drop-off, for some parents when they are rushed.”
Report an error or send us your tips, photos and video.
Dustin Godfrey | Reporter
@dustinrgodfrey
Send Dustin an email.
Like the Abbotsford News on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter.
