Sûreté du Québec (SQ) police officers will increase their presence at schools across the province from August 28 to September 8 to ensure compliance with road safety regulations and to urge caution.
“Hundreds of thousands of students will be returning to their schools across the province over the next few days. “The presence of school buses, pedestrians, cyclists and border guards will inevitably increase traffic on the road network,” says an SQ press release.
The SQ recalls that “in a school zone, if the offense is committed during school hours, the fine will be doubled”. This period starts at 7 am and ends at 5 pm, every day from Monday to Friday, from September to June.
All road users, including cyclists, are obliged “to stop more than five meters when approaching a bus or minibus whose red flashing lights are on or whose stop signal is activated,” SQ also reminded.
Parents dropping off their child at school should be careful to do so in a safe place to avoid “careless maneuvers such as double parking and U-turns”.