Monday, February 22, 2010

NO STOPPING!

Okay... Do we all know what message a road sign saying 'NO STOPPING AT ANY TIME' means?

Does it mean you can stop, just as long as you ensure your four-way hazard lights are flashing? Or maybe it means stopping is permitted as long as you remain in the vehicle? Maybe the sign only applies to everyone else but you??

Dah!

NO STOPPING AT ANY TIME... means exactly that. NO STOPPING. Period. Why is that so difficult for drivers to understand. Certainly they understood what it meant when they answered the question on the driver's exam (unless they got it wrong).

It's bad enough to come across someone stopped in a NO STOPPING zone on a roadway and being forced to decide the safest way to maneuver around them, but when I see this happening in a 'school bus loading zone', I am totally ticked-off!

Since I drive a school bus, I know the importance of safety in the loading zone much more than parents who are stopping in it do!! Extreme caution and great care must be taken in the loading zone. That's why the area is reserved for BUSES ONLY.

Remember, a school bus loading zone is designed for the protection of children within the designated area regardless of whether they are boarding a bus or not. Unauthorized vehicles stopping to drop off students in areas designated for buses only puts everyone in the zone at risk!

On a personal note, I applaud parents who put the safety of all children first by parking their vehicles in the appropriate area before escorting the children by foot to the door.

And SHAME ON PARENTS who refuse to adhere to safety measures set out by the Ministry of Transportation in regards to 'no stopping' in bus loading zones simply for the sake of convenience. For you it's just a matter of time before you are caught and fined for the infraction.