Children will be heading back to school on Tuesday, Sept. 6, and officials are reminding parents and all other motorists to watch out for youngsters and obey the rules of the road, especially around schools.

During the back-to-school season, Township bylaw officers will be maintaining a presence at local schools to ensure drivers do not park in No Parking zones. 91原创 RCMP will also be enforcing the 30 km/h speed limit in school zones between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

鈥淓nforcing these laws is not a cash grab, it鈥檚 not done to randomly inconvenience people 鈥� it鈥檚 to keep kids safe,鈥� said the Township鈥檚 bylaw manager Bill Storie.

鈥淚n their rush to drop off and pick up their children, parents sometimes forget that laws are in place to protect children 鈥� all children.鈥�

The easiest way to keep children safe when heading back to school is to reduce the number of cars in the area, said Simon Jottey, whom the Township hired in June specifically for traffic bylaw enforcement.

鈥淚f you live fairly close by and have sidewalks, walk or bike your kids to school,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t may be convenient 鈥� and a habit 鈥� to take the car, but walking or biking also not only cuts down on traffic congestion, it provides good exercise and is better for the environment.鈥�

Those who do drive children to school tend to have many excuses for violating No Parking rules, the most common of which is that they will 鈥渏ust be a second.鈥�

No excuse will be accepted, Storie said. 鈥楴o Parking鈥� signs and yellow curb lines are there for a reason: either visibility is restricted or they are to prevent children from running out into traffic as they cross the street to a waiting vehicle.

He added that cars in restricted areas are still considered illegally parked, even if the driver remains in the vehicle.

He acknowledged that some schools were not built to accommodate the volumes of traffic coming to them 鈥渂ut that does not give people the right to park in restricted areas.鈥�

Ineke Schuurman, the Township鈥檚 traffic safety co-ordinator, urged parents to remember that it鈥檚 not only their child who is important.

鈥淲hat about the child behind you, and the four behind him? It鈥檚 not just about you and your family: it鈥檚 about other children as well.鈥�

Jottey said he has witnessed motorists double park and block off other vehicles while the driver ran inside the school for only a minute. He urged common sense and the need for drives to show respect to others.

The Township and RCMP have vowed to hand out tickets to anyone caught violating traffic laws in and around schools. The fine for school zone infractions is $50.