School Drop off in bike lane
Since the start of the school year I have noticed a significant increase in the number of parents illegally dropping of their kids in active bike lanes this year. I was wondering if anyone else had noticed this.
One particular location which has been a problem this year is in the bike lane along Grand Junction Rd outside St Paul's College, Gilles Plains where there are always cars dropping off a kids in the morning when I go past. Apart from the hazard for general cyclists, they would be a hazard for any students riding to the School.
In this case, I intend to contact the School in the first instance to ask them to let parents know that they should not be dropping kids off in a bike lane as it is both illegal and creates a hazard. I will also let them know that if it continues, they will be reported to police with possible fines and demerit point applying.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Michael Warner on -
Applying if the police decide to take on the PR nightmare of fining people who are taking their kids to school, that is. It's another attack on Australian Families (tm)!
-
Permalink Reply by David Bowler on -
That's why I intend to ask the School to let parents know first to give them a chance to correct their behavior.
At the end of the day though, cyclists have families and motorists who deliberately break the law and put them at risk for their own convenience should not be allowed to continue to do so without consequences.
-
Permalink Reply by Michael Murray on -
I've seen them with speed cameras in school zones where the traffic is almost certainly parents. That's an attack on families and revenue raising!
-
Permalink Reply by Michael Murray on
-
Yes definitely. I regularly inflict the Advertiser readers comments on myself and I find it a complete mystery that some people who comment there can't see that if you don't want to pay a fine you just have to drive less than the speed limit!
I have seen the police in school zones with speed cameras though so I don't see any reason they would hold of booking in parents for parking in bike lanes.
-
Permalink Reply by heather on -
Yes Michael. I find it strange that some drivers go on about speeding fines being revenue raising. Such tunnel vision about their 'rights' to drive how they like, that safety messages about speeding are totally blocked out.
-
Permalink Reply by Gus K on -
Maybe after contacting the school the police could come down and move parents on without fining them as a way of saying next time you will be fined.
-
Permalink Reply by heather on
-
I see cars parked in the bicycle lane on Stephen Terrace outside a school.
-
Permalink Reply by Clayton on -
David, you can bet your bottom dollar that the schools take the safety of their kids seriously. My kids go to Marymount College and Sacred Heart College and both of the schools have in their information books lots of information about the drop off zones, parking situations around the school including times of restrictions and the locations of the bike lanes. They make regular appeals in newsletters for families to abide by all of the restrictions for the safety of all. They also have teachers on duty at pickup zones to encourage people to do the right thing. This is also regualry enforced by the Holdfast Bay Council Rangers who take digital pics of offenders and send them fines in the mail. Although, on more than one occasion I have seen Rangers park their car in the middle of the bike lane with their door open to get out and take a picture of someone stationary in the bike lane waiting to get into the pick up zone!! Go figure!!! A lot of these places are very poorly designed and in the end cars just line up on the road completely blocking the traffic lane but leaving the bike lane free.
-
Permalink Reply by Michael Murray on
-
Same thing here from Pembroke where our youngest goes. I really liked the reminders that you are not to park in the driveways of the houses neighbouring the school!
I think you will find the school will try and sort it if you contact them. It can't be that safe for the kids who are being dropped off.
-
Permalink Reply by Teddles on -
I don't really know Grand junction rd that well, all I know it's busy. Does the school have ample parking spots or are people trying to save a few minutes ?
I personally would turn a blind eye to parents dropping of kids in a bike lane, its a tough call due to the fact that I am involved in a drop of a few times a week (not in a bike lane though). The other side of the coin is that it sucks when you ride down a very busy road and some clown is parked in the bike lane and you have take a deep breath and duck around them, Marion rd sucks sometimes .
© 2013 Created by Gus K.
