Barrie police issue 25 tickets on first day of school in safety zones

Barrie police issued more than two dozen tickets on the first day of school Tuesday, targeting drivers in community safety zones.

Police say one of those charges included failing to stop for a school bus.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device 
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

Officers remind motorists they will be out in full force to ensure road safety.

"Everyone realizes that school is back in right now, and safety is a shared responsibility," said Const. Dave Edgar.

With students back in school, the message from police is familiar and clear: drivers will not be given any breaks.

"With school back, every community safety zone you go into everywhere there is a school, essentially, is going to be 40 kilometres per hour from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.," the Barrie police officer noted.

On Wednesday morning, the Barrie police traffic unit conducted radar in school zones.

"You see a lot of things like improper passing, failing to stop at a stop sign, and even running through red lights," Edgar said.

A recent CAA study found that most parents are concerned about the speed of vehicles in school zones, with 77 per cent supporting the idea of dropping the speed limit to 30 km/h.

The City of Barrie is taking additional steps to deter speeding with its photo radar cameras. 

"Right now, we have two cameras that are in operation, and we have council direction to add at least a couple of more, and we’re hoping to do that before the end of 2024," said Michelle Banfield, with the City of Barrie.

The automated speed enforcement cameras are relocated to new school zones periodically. Drivers can expect to find the two cameras along Wellington Street West near Hillcrest Public School and Grove Street East near Eastview Secondary School this month.

Since the mobile radar cameras were installed last December, the City says 9,300 tickets have been issued.