Police in Gatineau, Que., say officers handed out more than 100 tickets to drivers following a nearly three-week blitz in school zones. The operation began on Aug. 31 and ran until Sept. 18, police said, as students across Gatineau returned to classes after the summer. Police say officers issued 105 tickets for speeding in school zones, six for failing to obey school bus traffic lights, and one for using a cellphone behind the wheel. Police also conducted 336 monitoring checks near 79 schools in the area to “maintain a preventive presence and address reported issues,” a news release said, translated from French. Over the days of Sept. 8, 9, and 10, police officers collaborated with local student transportation authorities to monitor conditions along several school bus routes and watch for risky behaviours. This resulted in eight tickets to drivers for things like failure to yield at a crosswalk, failure to wear a seatbelt, violations of school drop-off zones, and distracted driving. Gatineau police spokesperson Patrick Kenney told CTV News Ottawa the targeted operations also enabled police officers to engage with citizens and share road safety messages in the vicinity of schools. “Safety in school zones is a shared responsibility. Vigilance, adherence to traffic signs and signals, and safe behavior contribute directly to the safety of children and the entire community,” police said. Drivers are reminded to slow down in school zones and obey posted speed limits, yield to pedestrians and cyclists, come to a complete stop at stop signs, and obey school bus signals and school crossing guards. Do not stop your vehicle in prohibited areas near schools—even for a few seconds—and respect designated drop-off zones. Students are reminded to cross streets at crosswalks and other designated locations only, make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street, and stay alert to their surroundings.
