Rural Women continue campaign
This is the sign Rural Women would like to see on all roads coming out of Takaka and Collingwood to warn drivers they could meet a bus - plus a 20km/h passing speed limit. Photo: Supplied.
Rural Women NZ are continuing their demand for a bylaw to reduce the speed of vehicles overtaking stationary school buses to 20km/h.
Following the recent deaths of schoolchildren in Auckland and Nelson, Rural Women’s nationwide campaign, “Kill the speed, not the child”, has regained strength. They are calling for flashing lights and 20km/h signs to be installed on all vehicles operating as school buses, which is in line with the requirements in other places, such as New South Wales.
Rural Women’s provincial president, Joy Warren of Pakawau, is also asking for signage along all school bus routes throughout Golden Bay. Joy said that the signs may warn drivers who don’t realise that the bus ahead of them is operating as a school bus until it is too late to slow down, and that they may expect to encounter school buses between 8 and 9am and between 3 and 4pm.
“When coming out of Takaka right through to Collingwood and up to Bainham, unless you go round the Pakawau Hall to Mangarakau, there are no signs saying ‘This is a school bus route’. I am trying to get signs—and I don’t want large billboards, just normal signs—on all the school bus routes. The more we get the awareness out there, the better,” said Joy.
Under current regulations, school buses must display an approved “School” sign, or an “active” sign incorporating flashing lights. Currently approved signs do not include the 20km/h speed limit. The New Zealand Transport Agency allows school buses to display signs in their windows stating (for example) “20km/h past a stationary school bus”, but does not permit buses to use the official 20km/h speed limit signs for this purpose.
The Golden Bay Community Board has also taken up the issue and board member Leigh Gamby will approach the local bus company to discuss possibilities. Board chair and Rural Women member Carolyn Mclellan is urging drivers to be vigilant, especially at the beginning of a new school term.
“Many drivers are unaware of the 20km/h speed limit around school buses or are not observing it,... continued from page 1
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“...and people from overseas may not be familiar with school buses at all.”
She commends Rural Women for being proactive about speed limits. “There have been so many deaths on the road, and just when you think the situation improves there is another one…In other countries buses are painted bright yellow to make them more visible.”
Statistics reinforce the case for reducing speed around schools. A child hit by a car driving at 20km/h has a five per cent likelihood of dying. If a child is hit at 70 km/h, the mortality rate goes up to 99 per cent. For every child killed in such accidents, many more are injured, often resulting in lifelong disabilities and health issues.
Surveys conducted with input from Rural Women NZ have shown that many vehicles involved in accidents with schoolchildren were driven at well above the 20km/h speed limit for passing a stationary school bus. Between 1993 and 2002, 12 children were killed and 20 seriously injured, while 77 received minor injuries as a result of school bus accidents. In the past year, 2 children were killed in school bus accidents.
Ina Holst
Rural Women NZ community recommendations to improve school bus road safety:
Talk to your local school and bus company.
Ride your school bus and observe what is happening in your community.
Arrange for advertising signs to fit in the back window of your school buses, if the company agrees to display them.
Arrange for advertising signs to be displayed on bus stops/shelters on the school bus run. Rural Women can supply the artwork.
Talk to your road safety co-ordinator at TDC about funding for sign production.
Contact the Police and ask them to enforce the 20km/h rule.
Contact your local community newspaper, radio, etc, to raise awareness of the 20km/h rule and community initiatives and/or the Police enforcement campaign.
