Enforcement Officers keep busy in the first two days of school

Sep 6, 2018 | 11:25 AM

Officers have been out in full force in school zones as students headed back to class Tuesday.

More than 160 infractions were handed out the first two days.

“On September 4th there were 112 infractions written and for September 5th there were 50 infractions, plus one municipal tag,” said Ross Gear, Supervisor for Grande Prairie Enforcement Services.

The most excessive ticket was for a motorist clocked at 70 km/hr in a 30 km/hr zone.

Gear says the infraction numbers are consistent with years gone by, but a lot of the time people just forget school is back in session and that’s why Enforcement Services is out there to remind them to watch the zones.

Motorists seemed to improve from the first day back to the second, with over 100 infractions written on Tuesday, and 50 on Wednesday.

The majority of the tickets handed out were for speeding. Gear says they’re also reminding motorists to check where parking is permitted.

“Some of the parents might be new to school zones too and they might not know where to park, so we want to get that established early and get that flow going and try to help people out so that we have a good season for the rest of the year.”

They’re also looking into a hit and run situation. One vehicle hit another in a school zone and took off. No one was hurt, and the matter is under investigation.

by Sheena Roszell