Parking and Driving Safely around our School

Ensuring the safety of children travelling to and from school, walking or cycling, by school bus or private vehicle, is everyone’s responsibility. With a high volume of vehicles and competing demand for limited parking spaces during morning and afternoon pick up and drop off times at our school we are asking for your help.

Mobile Phones: Mobile phones can be a major distraction to drivers. Using a hand-held mobile phone is illegal while driving, even when you are stopped at traffic lights. This includes making and receiving calls and text messaging. You must pull over to a safe place to use a hand-held mobile phone.

Seatbelts / child restraints: The driver of the vehicle is responsible for ensuring that every passenger wears a correctly fitted child restraint or seatbelt. It’s the law for all children up to seven years of age to be correctly restrained according to their size and age in an Australian Standards approved child restraint. Kidsafe Queensland can provide the most up to date information and resources https://www.kidsafeqld.com.au/how-we-can-help

School Zone Speed Limit Signs: Always obey the school zone speed limit which is designed to ensure motorists have a greater chance to react if something unexpected happens.

Bus Stops: Unless there is an official sign saying you can, you must not stop or park in between signs that are marked as ‘Bus Zone’

Yellow Edge Line: Unless there is an official sign saying you can, you must not park or stop on a road with a yellow edge line. In the area of the continuous yellow edge line, you must not stop your vehicle at any point on the road

Loading Zones: A driver picking up or setting down passengers must not stop in a Loading Zone for longer than (2) minutes. Loading zones at schools are clearly signed areas set aside for short term use of dropping off or picking up passengers.

Parking in a ‘No Stopping’ Zone: A driver must not stop on a length of road or in an area to which a no stopping sign applies. It may seem convenient (or quick) to park or stop in these areas but it also endangers the lives of children as it shortens the sight distance between motorists and pedestrians.

Double parking: Double-parked vehicles create obstructions for children trying to cross the road. You must not stop or park your vehicle alongside another parked vehicle because it can cause an obstruction

Driveways: You must not park on or across a driveway or other access for vehicles

Best Practice Tips and Hints:

Avoid 3pm congestion: Organise to arrive 10 minutes after school finishes and have a set pick up place for your children to be waiting for you (check how long the gates at school are monitored for). Make the most of the time walking to or from school to talk about what the day bring or what they did at school

Supervised School Crossing: When approaching a supervised school crossing, pay attention to the Crossing Supervisor. If they display the ‘STOP’ sign at a 45° angle. Stop your vehicle and remain stopped until all pedestrians (including the Crossing Supervisor) are completely on the footpath

Unsafe U-turns: It may take a few minutes longer but please choose safety over convenience for the sake of all children and drive around the block instead of conducting a u-turn during busy peak drop off and pick up times

General handy hint:

  • Plan your trip to avoid arrival at peak times
  • Pick-up or drop-off children via the car’s kerb doors
  • Make sure children have correctly secured their seat belt and drive away safely

Road Safety Awareness

Road Safety Awareness message – teaching confidence and independence

Bicycle safety

Tips for safe driving and parking:

  • Allow enough time to get your child to the school gate safely without rushing
  • Consider parking a few streets away and walk with your children. This is a great way to teach road safety skills
  • Always observe the speed limit signs around our school
  • Please observe and obey the parking signs outside the school – they are there to help keep our children safe
  • Never park illegally across a driveway, on the nature strip, near a school crossing or in a bus zone
  • Never double park – this blocks the vision of other drivers, forces children on to the road and stops the flow of traffic

‘Did you know?’

Did you know? If you approach an unsupervised children’s crossing, you must stop before the stop line and wait while any pedestrian is on or entering the crossing. You must not proceed until all pedestrians are safely on the footpath on either side of the road

Did you know? A driver approaching a school crossing that is controlled by a Crossing Supervisor with a hand-held ‘STOP’ sign must stop before reaching the crossing and must not proceed until the pedestrians and the Crossing Supervisor has returned to the footpath

For more information, visit www.tmr.qld.gov.au