Sidney Police Steps Up Efforts in School Zones

On August 19, the Sidney Police Department received a grant from the Nebraska Department of Highway Safety. This grant is to be used to enforce traffic laws in the areas of all our schools. In an effort to improve the safety of our children and the motoring public, we are stepping up our enforcement efforts in the school areas. We will begin having officers on grant-time in the school zones, in addition to normal shift officers, in the very near future.

Our efforts include making our crosswalks more visible, which began in the area of the High School on 19th Avenue, and changing difficult traffic areas to include adding the one-way flow near West Elementary. The Sidney Police Department is going to strictly enforce all traffic laws in the area of the schools, recognizing some problem violations have been creating ongoing problems. Examples of violations that are creating safety issues are: parking in middle of street to pick up and off load children, parking in or near crosswalks, and speeding.

As school began this week, one of our most dangerous conditions began presenting itself the first day. As cars move through school zones, stopping to drop off students in a variety of places and in a variety of methods, other vehicles continue to move through the area. Pedestrian traffic darts in and out between moving and stationary vehicles, from both sides of every street around the schools, and near-misses occur with some regularity. We strongly encourage students to use marked crosswalks to enter school property, and whenever possible and practical, to cross at intersections where traffic control signs are in place. We strongly encourage motorists to watch for crosswalks, and stay clear of those, even for short periods, when loading or unloading.

And remember: distracted driving is the number one cause of accidents. Be aware of your surroundings, and save the cell phone calls for later.

We are asking all of our citizens to cooperate with us in making good driving decisions around our schools, which will enhance the safety of our children and our citizens.