Hey, this is a great sign and it saves money too. By the time you slow down enough to read the entire sign, you're below the speed limit. No need for that $25,000 flashing yellow.
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Handbasket wrote: Geez, I hate to be the fun-sponge..... IIRC, the TV news story on that sign explained that there were two or three schools close together along that piece of road, with slightly different start & finish times. It would cost something ridiculous ($75,000, I think they said) to run power and install a flashing light. So this was the solution.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
Unfortunately, it was still a dumb *** solution. A much simpler, easier, more understood way would be this. Simply determine when the first school starts and when the last school finishes. Put those times up and be done with it.
Besides, the slow drive time should be in effect the entire time the school(s) are in session, not just during the most obvious crossing time.
We live inbetween schools and the easy way around this, is post from one end of the school zone to the other, one speed limit. As with most things where a governing body is involved it was made more difficult then it needed to be. Just slow down regardless of day and time, it won't hurt ya.
School Zones are sacred. I would go 25 mph no matter what time in was.
My neighbor, who is a school teacher, went the normal speed in a school zone because he knew it was an off day for the students. He got a ticket. And no break because he was a teacher. If Simon says: go 25, then you go 25, even if Simon has his head up his behind. O yeah, neighbor went to court on the ticket and lost there as well.
Kind of makes you wonder how many accidents have occurred from someone driving by and trying to actually READ the sign Sure would impede someones ability to actually WATCH for kids.
Some school zone signs are obviously a product of some local official trying to get re-elected. One in our area advises that the speed zone through a rural school zone is reduced to 60 MPH (from the normal 65 MPH). Guess they feel that ANY kid can withstand a hit from a vehicle going only 60 MPH but 65......Just too dangerous.
Of COURSE there would (nor should) be any laws that have silly exceptions (like no school days). That is just asking WAY too much of police officers trying to enforce them. A speed limit that is the law every day except the third Tuesday in alternating months is essentially unenforceable and MORE ridiculous than the one above.
* This post was
edited 02/29/12 07:10am by skipnchar *
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I pass a school that has a "20mph school zone when the light is flashing" sign. When the light was being repaired and not working properly the county put up an additional sign that said "when children are present".
Did that mean that it was only a school zone when the light was flashing and there were children present? They soon covered up the "flashing light" portion of the sign until the light was repaired.
Our local paper did a survey of city, county, and State patrol police departments to get their interpretation of what "when children are present" meant. They got 3 different answers, from the expectation of children being around "school hours?", to a specific distance.
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In Canada we have these signs for the most part. We are taught what to do when we see them when we get our drivers licenes.. I'm sure the sign only costs a few bucks and because there are no words you don't even need to know how to read! Pretty smart eh?
In Alberta they had "Playground zones" and you'd find these at schools and obviously as the name suggests playgrounds or places whree children gathered. The speed limit dropped to 30km in the zone. It was valid one hour before and one hour after sunset (If I remember correctly) You DID need to know when sunset was and the zones were strickly enforced.. Personally, I thought it was a great simple sollution, one sign.. could be used in many scenarios or situations.. easy to understand.. easy to enforce..
On edit.. When I think about the sign in the OP.. All I can think about is.. Who are the people that are in such a rush that they need to speed past the school when the kids are in class? What about the small child that was a few minutes late and needs to cross the road which now has traffic maybe going twice the speed he's used too. OR the driver with the slow watch as others have joked about. I can see a lawsuit in the near future because of this sign.. The person who made the decision for that sign needs to give their head a shake..
* This post was
edited 02/29/12 07:27am by five'er *
There is a sign like that where I drive frequently, but it has normal times like 7-730, 3-330 and flashing light. When I drive through that school zone, I simply slow down to 20mph if I see any signs of children. I dont care what time it is or if the lights flashing, I drive 20. I will admit after my son was born 18 months ago, my awareness and appreciation for school zones has greatly increased.
Then there is the other extreme. Tempe has always had a bad problem with ASU students jaywalking (and still does). A few years ago, a jaywalking student was killed by a drunk driver doing 45 mph in a 35 mph zone. The "solution?" Make every stretch of main road near ALL schools a 35 mph zone 24/7. If that wasn't enough of a traffic bottleneck, the city didn't rephase the traffic lights for years.
Jim,Rosemary, Sandy wrote: School Zones are sacred. I would go 25 mph no matter what time in was.
My neighbor, who is a school teacher, went the normal speed in a school zone because he knew it was an off day for the students. He got a ticket. And no break because he was a teacher. If Simon says: go 25, then you go 25, even if Simon has his head up his behind. O yeah, neighbor went to court on the ticket and lost there as well.
Oh so its a revenue thing. They would have written on the ticket what code you violated. Look it up and see what it says.
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Several states I've been thru just have the flashing sign on twice a day - when students are arriving and when they're leaving. Makes sense to me. Bugs me to see limits - some as low as 15 mph - when there isn't a student in sight.
And I've been thru a couple of school speed limits where you can't even see a school.
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IIRC, the TV news story on that sign explained that there were two or three schools close together along that piece of road, with slightly different start & finish times. It would cost something ridiculous ($75,000, I think they said) to run power and install a flashing light. So this was the solution. 
Sure would impede someones ability to actually WATCH for kids. 
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