Latest News• Add My News • Search Old News Gippsland › Latest news › Latrobe Local NewsBack to school blitz on No Stopping zonesDrivers disregarding ‘No Stopping’ signs in the vicinity of schools are being targeted by Council’s Local Laws Officers as children return to school after the holidays. $100 infringement notices are being issued to offending motorists, following a number of concerns about safety made by school crossing supervisors and schools during the previous term. Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Graeme Middlemiss, said that while the number of drivers who disregarded the No Stopping signs was minimal, those who did, placed the lives of schoolchildren at risk, and Local Laws Officers would not hesitate to issue infringement notices if breaches were noticed. "No Stopping signs are placed where safety is compromised if someone parks a vehicle or stops at that spot. Usually the reason is that vehicles stopping in a No Stopping zone, even for a few moments, are likely to obscure the view of other motorists or pedestrians, or obscure any pedestrian’s view of oncoming traffic where they need to cross the road," Councillor Middlemiss explained. "A number of School Crossing supervisors are concerned at the small but often consistent number of parents who stop in No Stopping zones on a regular basis, who either don’t consider the consequences of their actions, or in some cases simply don’t understand that what they are doing is placing someone else’s life in danger. "We are now giving due warning that Local Laws Officers will step up monitoring these areas and will issue infringement notices where necessary. "Some drivers who are caught, are actually quite upset at receiving a fine, because, they argue, ‘they only stopped in a No Stopping area for a few seconds to let passengers out’. It needs to be made clear, that even stopping in No Stopping zones for a few seconds to allow passengers to disembark, places someone’s safety in jeopardy," Cr Middlemiss stressed. "Some motorists confuse No Stopping areas with No Parking zones. Motorists may stop in a No Parking area briefly, to pick up or drop off people or goods, so these zones can be used to drop off or pick up schoolchildren. If you are not picking up or dropping off and you stop, you are considered to have parked, even if you stay in the vehicle. The maximum time you can stop in a No Parking zone is fifteen minutes," Cr Middlemiss said. "I’d ask all parents who drop off or pick up their children at school to examine their driving and parking habits to identify if they are compromising the safety of their own children or other children. "There are cases where children clamber from vehicles that pull to a stop in the middle of the road; where children climb out of parked vehicles straight into the path of passing traffic, and cases where parents drive too fast through school crossings, ironically perhaps because they are running late to drop off their own children at another school. "There are also cases where the driver’s mind is on a hundred other things and they’re simply not taking into account that road conditions have changed because of a sudden influx of young people coming out of school. The answer to increased safety for children near schools is all to do with drivers being ever vigilant and thinking about the potential of their actions. It’s about responsibility," Cr Middlemiss said. "It needs to be stressed that imposing fines on those who flout the law by stopping in No Stopping zones is an exercise in creating a safer environment around our schools. Council would be extremely happy if local Laws Officers could say that no fines had been issued for stopping in No Stopping zones, because there were no breaches of the law, and children’s lives were no longer being endangered," Cr MIddlemiss concluded. Photo: Local Laws Officer Steve Wright and Neil Fowler demonstrate where the view of children crossing the road can be obstructed by vehicles parking in a No Stopping zone. Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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