ACT school zones differ from NSW in that they are in force from 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday. Photo: TCCS.
The numbers have been described as “staggering”: more than 1000 motorists caught speeding and putting children at risk in Canberra’s school zones.
Both ACT Policing and Access Canberra monitor school zones across the Territory, with police receiving numerous complaints from the school community about drivers breaking the road rules.
“Some of the numbers we’re seeing are pretty staggering for this time of year. In the first five weeks of the school term, we’ve had over 50 motorists detected speeding [in school zones] by ACT Policing,” ACT Policing Officer in Charge of Road Policing, Acting Inspector Mark Richardson, said.
“We’re fast approaching the number of motorists booked for the entirety of 2023.”
Of the 107,000 motorists picked up by Access Canberra mobile speed vans in school zones, 961 have been caught going faster than they should.
That includes a top speed of 71 km/h in the Alfred Deakin High speed zone – more than 30 km/h over the posted limit.
ACT school zones differ from NSW as they are in force for the entirety of the school day, from 8 am to 4 pm.
Act Insp Richardson said there was no reason for such an uptick in offending in school zones.
“We can’t really put our finger on it. Maybe [motorists] are still thinking about the beach and what happened over the summer, but they don’t seem to be paying a great deal of attention behind the wheel,” he said.
“We’ve got really young kids who are really vulnerable because they don’t have that same attention to detail as other pedestrians. They’re quite unpredictable. They can run out from behind cars, and obviously, the faster you’re going, the harder it is for you to stop.”
Speeding has been identified as one of the main factors behind serious and fatal car crashes.
A child was almost hit on a crossing just last week and speeding isn’t the only driver behaviour worrying police.
“Concerningly, we’ve had reports of cars not stopping at school crossings when there are school children attempting to cross … [that’s] really dangerous and really quite stupid,” Act Insp Richardson said.
“People are driving on the wrong side of the road to get around cars waiting to turn into school pick-up zones, and it’s just crazy driving behaviour.”
Expect to see more mobile speed vans around school zones to combat a rise in speeding offences. Photo: Supplied
In response, both ACT Policing and Access Canberra will ramp up enforcement operations this week to remind motorists about their responsibilities in school zones.
Access Canberra Parking Operations and Traffic Camera Compliance director Christopher Seddon said educational opportunities would also be provided in areas where offending seemed particularly prevalent.
“There is one school that we have had a large number of speeding motorists [detected], so we’ll keep deploying to that area to keep educating motorists,” he said.
“[The speeds are] very surprising and disappointing.”
Afternoon pick-up is a more concerning time for officers given the higher volume of cars present to pick up kids, students riding home on bikes, or walking to the bus.
Act Insp Richardson’s main message was that motorists should take their time in school zones no matter the time of day.
“At the end of the day, if you’re a couple of minutes later to your destination, it’s not the end of the world.
“But if you hit a kid at a school and injure a child or kill a child, you’ll feel like it’s probably the end of the world.”
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