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Sections & Units
Our Mission:
"To optimize public safety
in the City of Calgary"
Traffic Section
Traffic Education Unit
AMA School Safety Patrol - Give Our Kids a Brake!
More than 7500 Calgary school patrollers joined thousands of others across the province when they changed patrol procedures May 1, 2002. They now stay at the curbside while assisting school children in crossing the street.
The new patrol procedures incorporate the point, pause and proceed method to cross the street. That is, when patrollers are at the curb, they first look for a safe gap in traffic. They then point their hand or sign to indicate pedestrians wish to cross the street. While holding their signs, patrollers pause to ensure that all vehicles are far enough back and/or have come to a complete stop. When it is safe, they allow pedestrians to proceed while continuing to check for traffic in all directions.
New procedures safer for patrollers
"As traffic volumes in Calgary have increased, it was recognized that the previous procedures needed to be reviewed," said Sergeant Rick Preston of the Traffic Section Education Unit. "The AMA School Safety Patrol program has always been extremely safe, but this procedure is even safer for school patrollers."
There are 192 schools and more than 7,607 school patrollers in the AMA Calgary region and over 550 schools and 17,000 patrollers enrolled across the province. There has never been a serious injury or death in a patrolled crosswalk since the program began in Alberta in 1937.
The major partners in the Calgary region School Safety Patrol program include the Alberta Motor Association (AMA), Calgary and area school boards and the Calgary Police Service.
Failure to stop nets $138 fine
"The new procedure has been widely and successfully used throughout Alberta and in other provinces," said Calgary Region AMA School Patrol coordinator Colleen Sim-Copeland.
"It is now more important than ever for drivers to remain alert in school zones," Sergeant Preston said. The speed limit in school zones is 30 km/h every school day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parents can help increase traffic safety near schools by parking only in designated locations when dropping off or picking up their children.
Failing to yield to a patroller when their arm is extended is an offence that carries a $138 fine and three demerit points, compared to a $69 fine and three demerit points for failing to stop for a pedestrian. The Calgary Police Service will implement a Selected Traffic Enforcement Program beginning May 1st to monitor and reinforce driver compliance at patrolled crosswalks and school zones.
Opportunity to review safe crossing practices
With the launch of the new procedures quickly approaching, organizers hope people will take the opportunity to consider their own habits and review street-safety lessons with children. Points to consider include:
- Patrolled crosswalks reflect only a small percentage of crosswalks that children need to use every day. Children also need to be taught how to cross streets safely when patrollers and/or adults are not available.
- Parents should review Point, Pause and Proceed with their children. Remember to stress the importance of checking each lane of traffic before entering it.
- It is important that all adults model safe pedestrian behaviours.
- Studies have shown that some of the most serious underlying problems regarding school zone safety are not related to the dedicated volunteer work completed by School Patrollers. The more serious traffic safety issues include aggressive driving behaviours, adults modelling poor pedestrian safety habits and parents parking their vehicles in inappropriate locations.
For more information on road and driving safety, visit the Traffic Safety section. For more on the new patrol procedures, visit the AMA School Safety Patrol Web site at www.ama.ab.ca.
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