Safe winter commuting tips

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/11/2023 (819 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the arrival of winter snow in Winnipeg, it’s a perfect time to refresh our habits and consider safety around our community schools.

Here are a few quick tips and reminders about driving near our schools and best practices for those of us coming and going all winter long:

• Snowbanks will begin to rise around the boulevards in front of many schools where parents drop their children off by car. Some students climb up and down in unpredictable ways, in sometimes slippery conditions. Others will walk alongside traffic, some hand-in-hand with parents, others independently to get around the growing snow piles. In both instances, passing drivers and fellow parents coming and going must exercise caution and be alert, staying mindful of speed and slippery conditions affecting both vehicles and those on foot.

• Some parents will be parking further away for pickup and drop-off, extending the area around schools where motorists must stay mindful that numerous kids and families will be walking.

• Visibility will be impaired in heavy snowsuits, balaclavas, scarves, and coats. Those walking should be more mindful of their decreased peripheral vision, and motorists should not assume they can always be seen.

• School buses will be picking up and dropping off students in increasingly narrow and rutted residential streets and facing similar challenges around snowbanks. Be cautious!

• Some students will continue to arrive by bicycle independently or with their parents. Be mindful of them, and those on bicycles remember to be collaborative with other road users, including kids on foot.

• Several schools assign teachers and staff to help direct traffic and maintain order in hectic school zones. Those Louis Riel School Division staff spend extended periods outdoors in the cold at the busiest time of day. Be respectful to them and thank them for their work!

• Keep an eye on crosswalks on major routes where students and families will hurry through the cold in the middle of rush hour.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to your school administrators, 311, or elected officials to notify them of specific unsafe conditions and situations, and consider how to effectively and respectfully advocate for the safety of everyone in our community.

Have a safe winter!