Council officers will be out in force to monitor driver safety in school zones as thousands of Brisbane students head back to the classroom next week, with 60 schools at the top of the hit list.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner warned parents and road users to keep road safety front-of-mind, when term three starts on Monday, 13 July 2020.

“In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Queensland is slowly returning to some normalcy and that means traffic has picked back up on our roads. This isn’t just a reminder for parents to be vigilant, we want every motorist travelling around schools to have a heightened awareness of their driver behaviour,” Cr Schrinner said.

“School drop-off and pick-up can be hectic during peak times and the last thing any parent wants to see is someone to get hurt, so I urge all road users to slow down, park safely and don’t rush.

“School zones are in place for a reason and drivers should be prepared to feel the full force of the law if they are caught speeding by police through these areas.

“Council will be kicking off parking enforcement across 60 schools, with high visibility vehicles patrolling school zones. These schools have been chosen based on parking complaints within school zones over the past few months.

“We’re investing heavily in initiatives that encourage drivers to take the foot of the accelerator and our Slow for SAM signs have a proven to be a great visual reminder to stick to the speed limit,” Cr Schrinner said.

Council has invested $2.9 million over the next four years into rolling out 100 Slow for SAM signs over four years across school zones from this term. They have been successful in reducing speed, with motorists slowing down on average 8.3 kilometres per hour.

There are 177 Slow for SAM signs currently rotating across our suburbs, with 25 currently in school zones.

Cr Schrinner said Council was also working with schools, by providing them with the tools they need to keep their students safe as they travel to and from school.

“Education shouldn’t stop at the school gates and I encourage parents to make sure they lead by example as they drop off and pick up their children and talking to their children about road safety at home.”

“We’re also investing a further $4.35 million into school safety initiatives this financial year including upgrades to paths and intersections across Brisbane schools and continuing to work with schools to develop traffic management plans.

Council’s school safety initiatives include Safer Paths to Schools, the Enhanced School Zone Signage program, Traffic Management Plan Improvements, Active School Travel, School Traffic Management Plans and Safe School Travel Infrastructure.

For more information, visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or call Council on (07) 3403 8888.