Author Topic: Drive Slow, THINK OF THE CHILDREN! (Read 960 times)

SOB · « **on:** June 15, 2004, 04:25:31 PM »

http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=81587

Quote

School zone speeds to be enforced round-the-clock

Some question wisdom of the new statewide law for school crossings

DENNIS THOMPSON JR.
Statesman Journal
June 8, 2004

It doesn’t matter if it’s at night, during the weekend, during school vacation or during a holiday.

Oregon drivers soon could face a speeding ticket if they zip through certain residential school crossings without slowing down.

Starting in July, the 20 mph speed limit for school zones will be in effect 24 hours per day, year-round, at many Oregon crossings.

The change will affect crossings on streets adjacent to schools where the regular speed limit is 30 mph or slower.

“It’s going to mean at all times, no matter whether it’s 2 in the morning or it’s Christmas Day,” said Doug Bish, traffic services engineer for the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Currently, the speed zones in Salem and Keizer are in effect only when a yellow flashing light is displayed, usually before and after school hours.

Keizer mother Martha Sierra reacted with disbelief.

“I don’t see any point of doing that 24 hours a day,” Sierra said as she shopped in Toys “R” Us with her two children, ages 2 and 6. “It will take more time to try to get where you want to go.”

Permanent speed zones will be established at crossings next to about 30 schools in Salem, said Terry Hockett, a signal-operations engineer with the public-works department.

City workers next month will begin installing signs noting the new speed limit. The signs will cost taxpayers about $3,000.

Salem also handles street signs for Keizer, but it has not been determined which speed zones there will be affected.

The new speed limits are the result of Senate Bill 179, a law passed by the Oregon Legislature last year.

Sgt. Jeff Barnes, head of the Salem police traffic division, said the zones will be enforced at all times but particularly when children could be expected to be at school.

This includes most daylight hours as well as during evening events.

“The primary focus is going to be during school hours, when there is a risk to students’ safety,” Barnes said. “But we’ll be enforcing any time kids could be at the school, any time of the day.”

Keizer police also will focus their attention on school hours and times when children will be at the school building, Capt. Jeff Kuhns said.

“Although it’s the law, our officers are not going to be out there actively looking for violators at 3 in the morning,” Kuhns said. “But you have to keep in mind that it gives the officer a reason to stop a car to see if everything else in the car is on the up and up.”

Salem will continue operating the flashing lights before and after school to provide additional warning to drivers, said Mark Becktel, the city’s transportation services manager. But the zones will be in effect regardless of the flashing lights.

The change in the law was prompted by senators who found the current on-and-off system for school speed zones confusing to enforce and inadequate to protect children’s safety, said Troy Costales, manager of ODOT’s Transportation Safety Division.

“They felt if we were serious about protecting out kids, we need to do something that’s set up so the driver knows the situation and doesn’t have to guess,” Costales said.

The approach sounds good to Mike Miller, current principal of Leslie Middle School and incoming director of elementary education for the Salem-Keizer School District.

“The reality is, our schools are used by kids as recreational areas even on days when school is not in session,” Miller said. “Kids may come and play on our ballfields or hang out with friends. School facilities are used by student groups beyond the school day.”

West Salem parent Heather Barnes made a face when told of the new law but could see its benefits.

“I wouldn’t like that, but I guess people would get used to it,” she said. “For me, I would know to drive 20. I guess I’m afraid of getting a ticket, is what it comes down to.”

Becktel said the city will start getting the word about about the new law during the summer in preparation for the next school year.

“We didn’t ask for it. It was given to us. It’s state law,” Becktel said.

“We are hoping the next legislative session modifies the law. To us, making people slow down to 20 miles per hour at 2 in the morning is not reasonable.”

How incredibly retarded. Apparently the big yellow flashing lights that indicate you're entering a school zone are confusing, so speed limits are dropped to 20 whether it's 2pm or 2am. While I could understand extending the times the lowered speed limit is enforced...hell even if you did it from an hour or two before to an hour or two after school I could understand. But this is just stupid...I think some of those invading dip****s from Kalifornia managed to get themselves elected to our senate. I like the quote from the cop too - we won't be handing out tickets for it at 3 am, but we'll use it to stop people so we can poke around in the hopes of finding some other law they might be breaking. Nanny government nonsense. Lazs, hand me a shotgun, it's time to kill some zombies!

Gunslinger · « **Reply #1 on:** June 15, 2004, 04:27:34 PM »

why dont they just make the speed limits 20MPH there instead of calling it a "school zone"?

SOB · « **Reply #2 on:** June 15, 2004, 04:28:51 PM »

Hell, why don't they just make all speed limits everywhere 20MPH. After all, children don't just cross the street near schools.

FUNKED1 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 15, 2004, 04:29:24 PM »

Your tax $ at work.

VOR · « **Reply #4 on:** June 15, 2004, 04:31:42 PM »

Makes about as much sense as a football bat.

Pongo · « **Reply #5 on:** June 15, 2004, 04:44:45 PM »

love the cops that ticket you at 0800:15 going 50 km/h in something that has been a 30km/h school zone for 15 seconds(on their watch).
Hope your watches are in sync. I fought one of those and won a few years ago. Guy just pulled me out of the stream of trafic and ticketed me. My dash clock ticked over to 8am while he was walking up to my truck.
The day I went to trafic court about 15 blond woman were lined up to contest tickets my cop had given them. They looked like a bunch of pretty sisters. Not a good day for that trafic cop.

capt. apathy · « **Reply #6 on:** June 15, 2004, 07:26:55 PM »

leaving it open "but not going to enforce it" at night? basically what he says is we left it this way so we can get around your rights to unreasonable search and seizure. if a law is to ridiculous to enforce it's too ridiculous to be on the books.

hopefully they don't plan on changing the Portland system (probably will since it's state law, but they only mention Salem/Kaiser) unless the hours are posted here if you can see a kid the school zone speed applies

Blooz · « **Reply #7 on:** June 15, 2004, 07:27:09 PM »

Ahh, revenue.

New York will probably be next.

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #8 on:** June 15, 2004, 07:33:13 PM »

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Originally posted by VOR
Makes about as much sense as a football bat.

I'm stealing that idea and will make billlllllliiiiiooooonnnnnnsss s!
-SW

rpm · « **Reply #9 on:** June 15, 2004, 08:08:02 PM »

Quote

“Although it’s the law, our officers are not going to be out there actively looking for violators at 3 in the morning,” Kuhns said. “But you have to keep in mind that it gives the officer a reason to stop a car to see if everything else in the car is on the up and up.”

Typical traffic cop. He's not smart enough to make detective so he will take his frustration out by circumventing the constitution to pad his arrest record.

bigsky · « **Reply #10 on:** June 15, 2004, 08:32:30 PM »

LOL, i dont miss Oregon. sounds like a gun control law; does nothing to help anybody but some people FEEL good about getting the law on the books. somebody with a few bucks will get it shot down sooner or later when they get a speeding ticket at 3 am and fight it up the courts.

LePaul · « **Reply #11 on:** June 15, 2004, 08:34:37 PM »

The coolest thing I saw happened a few weeks ago. Friend is a cop, the supervisor or whatever rank he is (Captain?). He's sitting in the parking lot chatting and one of his officers goes speeding by...like 35 in a 25. He went after him and chewed his bellybutton

capt. apathy · « **Reply #12 on:** June 15, 2004, 08:43:06 PM »

but did he write the ticket like he would've for you and me? should have.

my last ticket was $250, wish theyd of just chewed me out for that.

NUKE · « **Reply #13 on:** June 15, 2004, 10:51:20 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by SOB
Hell, why don't they just make all speed limits everywhere 20MPH. After all, children don't just cross the street near schools.

The state dosn't trust you enough to pump your own gas, yet allows teenage retard pump monkeys pump it for you. Oregon is a pretty state, but very gay.

capt. apathy · « **Reply #14 on:** June 16, 2004, 01:19:43 AM »

it's not that they don't trust us, we just figured out that it ends up costing the same regardless. and this way we don't have to stand in the rain or go out smelling like gasoline. plus it's a good first job for a kid.