Rural "school zone" signs.

[slofox]

Of recent times I have noted a proliferation of "school zone" signs in rural areas. They're an orange light sign that says "school zone" and has the wee pic of two kids walking plus a couple of flashing lights.

I presume this is just a warning sign with no legal restrictions on a par with the 40km/hr zones we have in urban areas.

Can anyone confirm that this is the case - maybe our resident LEO's might care to comment?

Any info gratefully received. Ta.

[Stirts]

While the lights are flashing, the area you are driving/riding through is legally a 40km/h speed zone and enforceable by law.

Oh and here is some more info...

School speed zones will operate:

•35 minutes before the start of school until the start of school
•20 minutes at the end of school commencing no earlier than five minutes before the end of school
•10 minutes at any other time of day when at least 50 children cross the road or enter or leave vehicles at the roadside.


Factors required for the successful operation of a 40 km/h variable speed limit in a school zone are:

•having times of operation coinciding with on-road, school-related activity
•approved advisory signs and regulatory displays that alert motorists they are travelling through a school zone
•appropriate levels of enforcement by the police
•long-term commitment by the principal and Board of Trustees for the correct operation of a 40 km/h variable speed limit at their school.


Schools that have 40km/h speed zones in the TRON....
1. Aberdeen Primary School 2. Bankwood Primary School 3. Deanwell Primary School 4. Fairfield Primary School 5. Fairfield Intermediate School 6. Frankton Primary School 7. Hamilton East Primary School 8. Hukanui Primary School 9. Insoll Primary School 10. Maeroa Intermediate School 11. Marian Catholic School 12. Peachgrove Intermediate School 13. Pukete Primary School 14. Rotoruna Primary School 15. Silverdale Normal Primary School 16. St Josephs Primary School 17. Vardon Primary School 18. Woodstock Primary School.

[slofox]

While the lights are flashing, the area you are driving through is legally a 40km/h speed zone and enforceable by law.

Oh and here is some more info...

School speed zones will operate:

•35 minutes before the start of school until the start of school
•20 minutes at the end of school commencing no earlier than five minutes before the end of school
•10 minutes at any other time of day when at least 50 children cross the road or enter or leave vehicles at the roadside.


Factors required for the successful operation of a 40 km/h variable speed limit in a school zone are:

•having times of operation coinciding with on-road, school-related activity
•approved advisory signs and regulatory displays that alert motorists they are travelling through a school zone
•appropriate levels of enforcement by the police
•long-term commitment by the principal and Board of Trustees for the correct operation of a 40 km/h variable speed limit at their school.


Schools that have 40km/h speed zones in the TRON....
1. Aberdeen Primary School 2. Bankwood Primary School 3. Deanwell Primary School 4. Fairfield Primary School 5. Fairfield Intermediate School 6. Frankton Primary School 7. Hamilton East Primary School 8. Hukanui Primary School 9. Insoll Primary School 10. Maeroa Intermediate School 11. Marian Catholic School 12. Peachgrove Intermediate School 13. Pukete Primary School 14. Rotoruna Primary School 15. Silverdale Normal Primary School 16. St Josephs Primary School 17. Vardon Primary School 18. Woodstock Primary School.


Stirts, are you sure this applies to the rural signs as well? They have no speed indication at all, unlike the urban ones that I am familiar with. I would have thought a speed indication of some sort would be a good idea if a speed limit applies. Otherwise, who would know?

[Stirts]

Stirts, are you sure this applies to the rural signs as well? They have no speed indication at all, unlike the urban ones that I am familiar with. I would have thought a speed indication of some sort would be a good idea if a speed limit applies. Otherwise, who would know?

Good question, I would like to think so, but we are talking NZTA.

Does it look like this?

250323

When it lights up the sign actually states "40"

[Scuba_Steve]

I believe if no altered speed is displayed it just means they are scamming the 4km/h over the normal limit rather than the 10km/h. Otherwise all else is the same just watch for the retarded (some like to run in-front of vehicles)

[Maha]

Of recent times I have noted a proliferation of "school zone" signs in rural areas. They're an orange light sign that says "school zone" and has the wee pic of two kids walking plus a couple of flashing lights.

I presume this is just a warning sign with no legal restrictions on a par with the 40km/hr zones we have in urban areas.

Can anyone confirm that this is the case - maybe our resident LEO's might care to comment?

Any info gratefully received. Ta.

The primary reason is to keep the kids from running out from behind a school bus at 40kph or less.

[slofox]

Good question, I would like to think so, but we are talking NZTA.

Does it look like this?

250323

When it lights up the sign actually states "40"

No - these ones are quite different. I'll stop and take a pic next time I am past one.

I've actually just asked some dude at NZTA about them. He says they are an "active warning sign" only with no speed restrictions attached. But he said that police have a lower tolerance around them than usual. So the one at Te Uku, in a 100km/hr zone only restricts you to 100km/hr. The one at Ngahinapouri, in a 70km/hr zone restricts you to 70km/hr. But I guess if you are more than 4km/hr over, then the LEO's might want to speak to you...

[Stirts]

No - these ones are quite different. I'll stop and take a pic next time I am past one.

I've actually just asked some dude at NZTA about them. He says they are an "active warning sign" only with no speed restrictions attached. But he said that police have a lower tolerance around them than usual. ...

*sigh* awesome consistency!!

I know various schools around the country are participating in "variable speed zone" trials, be interesting to see if that is one.....if they meet the criteria, it may well beome a 40km variable speed zoned school.

IMO they all should be FULL.FARKING.STOP

[baffa]

School zones during and around school times should always be a 40K limit, rural or not. A 5 year shouldnt have to worry about vehicles doing 100 km/hr past them when they cross the road to school.

[Stirts]

School zones during and around school times are always a 40K limit, rural or not.

I wish I could say you are right, but unfortunately that is not the case.

Certainly with rural anyway. Some say that reducing the speed limit past schools in rural areas will cause more accidents because dumbfucks can't safely reduce their speed from 100kms down to 40kms..... I know, factoring for the lowest common demoninator and all that, but it seems this is how our world is these days. :rolleyes:

Research in the Canterbury area is proving otherwise. Thus the "variable speed zone" trials happening around the country side.

Such a shame that a school/area has to prove that they are compliant before the variable speed zone is set ..... isn't it just farken common sense that it should be this way? but then common sense doesn't seem to exist in our world, a bit like responsibility.

rant fin

[Berries]

If it is just a picture of the kids with flashing lights then there is no legal status, it is just a warning sign. Being 'active' it is on a timer or controlled by the school so it only flashes when there are kids about. It is purely to raise awareness that there are children about and does not change the speed limit.

Go to the NZTA website and search Traffic Note 56 if you want to know a bit more, it also talks about lower speed limits past schools.
Traffic Note 56 (http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/traffic-notes/docs/traffic-note-56-rev1.pdf)

A lot of rural schools have safety issues because kids and high speed roads don't mix. I have seen the results of a kid jumping off the verge in to the path of a passing car and you don't want that. Passive signs don't achieve much, active signs only really work if there are children around to support the message, so lower speed limits are probably going to be seen more often.

[Berries]

The problem in NZ on this one is that for once we won't follow the Australian example. Over there they have simple signs saying 40km/h between these hours and these hours. Cheap to put up and a lot of schools have them. Here you have to have electronic signs that only show the speed limit duing the hours it is in operation. This significantly increases the cost so most schools aren't likely to get them.

[slofox]

School zones during and around school times should always be a 40K limit, rural or not. A 5 year shouldnt have to worry about vehicles doing 100 km/hr past them when they cross the road to school.

The one I mentioned at Te Uku, between The Tron and Raglan, is a prime example of that.

There's a wee village to pass through. There's a store, a coffee shop, a school an intersection and various other bits and bobs. And the speed limit is 100km/hr. Now I ride this road a lot but I sure as hell don't go through there at 100k. It's crazy - there are cars everywhere at times and of course all the mummies have to drop their preciouses off in the SUV, so around school in and out times, it can be mayhem, with U-turns aplenty. 100km/hr? Madness.

The NZTA guy agreed and told me they were dropping the limit to 80k. I said it should be 70 but he told me that "the rules" don't allow for that...

We must have great rules...:facepalm:

[Gremlin]

So the one at Te Uku, in a 100km/hr zone only restricts you to 100km/hr. The one at Ngahinapouri, in a 70km/hr zone restricts you to 70km/hr.
:psst: But the normal speed limit signs aren't any different are they? :scratch:

[baffa]

I wish I could say you are right, but unfortunately that is not the case.

Certainly with rural anyway. Some say that reducing the speed limit past schools in rural areas will cause more accidents because dumbfucks can't safely reduce their speed from 100kms down to 40kms..... I know, factoring for the lowest common demoninator and all that, but it seems this is how our world is these days. :rolleyes:

Research in the Canterbury area is proving otherwise. Thus the "variable speed zone" trials happening around the country side.

Such a shame that a school/area has to prove that they are compliant before the variable speed zone is set ..... isn't it just farken common sense that it should be this way? but then common sense doesn't seem to exist in our world, a bit like responsibility.

rant fin

Dammit you caught me before the ninja edit! I double checked the roadcode, and realised it isnt always the case. It should be though.

[oneofsix]

The one I mentioned at Te Uku, between The Tron and Raglan, is a prime example of that.

There's a wee village to pass through. There's a store, a coffee shop, a school an intersection and various other bits and bobs. And the speed limit is 100km/hr. Now I ride this road a lot but I sure as hell don't go through there at 100k. It's crazy - there are cars everywhere at times and of course all the mummies have to drop their preciouses off in the SUV, so around school in and out times, it can be mayhem, with U-turns aplenty. 100km/hr? Madness.

The NZTA guy agreed and told me they were dropping the limit to 80k. I said it should be 70 but he told me that "the rules" don't allow for that...

We must have great rules...:facepalm:

Know of a similar one down this way and I'm sorry but I see where the NZTA guy is coming from, When there is no school, Sunday for instance, there is no one around and 70 would breed contempt. They need the variable signs, 40 around school start and finish, 70 during the school day and relax it at the weekends and well outside the school hours. In the meantime and because most of the kids are bussed or SUVed 80 works well. Even when it was 100 I always used to slow for the school area. Oops no shops where I am thinking of, the garage that used to be there is well and truly gone, but there are a couple of nice bends that speeders tend to lose it on.

[awa355]

Another example of stupidity, most of us have, on leaving a built up area, reach the open speed sign then come to a Giveway or stop sign at an intersection barely 50 metres away. If you have to stop to turn, why not leave the 100k sign untill traffic has gone through the intersection?

[Berries]

Not sure it is stupidity. In that example you'd need a 100km/h sign on the main road either side of the intersection, and you'd still need a 50k sign for people turning in to the side road. It isn't possible (legally) to have a different speed limit based on the direction of travel, which is what you would need here.

Same thing happens at roadworks. Be great if they could just lower the speed limit on the side that the work is being done on.