Schools, at either end of the school day, are busy, congested roading environments, with boisterous, potentially distracted, vulnerable young people milling around.
There's a lot going on around schools that is not limited to the classroom.
In a traffic sense, schools are concerned about congestion around their entrances and drop off zones. Many would prefer their students walked or biked to school but don't know how to effect this.
They worry about the speed of vehicles around the school and how children can safely cross the road. These issues are all part of school staff responsibility before the real work of education can begin.
The answer politically has been to have blanket speed limit cuts around all schools. The Government, around 15 months ago, announced new speed limits of 40km/h past all urban schools and 60km/h past rural schools during drop off and pick up times only, and where the school operates variable speed limit signs.
The announcement acknowledged that it could take 10 years to be fully implemented.
There are many urban schools across the country which already have electronically controlled variable speed limits. I drive past two of them in my twice weekly trips across town.
Both have flashing 40km/h electronic signs operating. Both have dedicated crossing places, one is a kea crossing, the other is a zebra crossing, and both have trained children and adults operating these crossing places.
It is obvious that this is an environment in which drivers need to have heightened alertness and slowing down to 40km/h is something that you know you need to do.
Rolling this out across the rest of the country and particularly implementing 60km/h for rural schools could be a challenge. The question of enforcement comes to mind.
Can you have mobile speed cameras across all schools at these times to ensure compliance?
There is some evidence from a trial in 2011, that voluntary compliance to flashing signs operated by rural schools causes drivers to note the sensitive environment, that their own kids might be around, and slow down.
Some local authorities, though, want to go further than the legislation.
Both Whangārei and Kaipara district councils, in their recent statement of proposal about speed limit changes, suggested that permanent 30km/h for urban schools and 60km/h for rural schools be operating and enforceable at all times without electronic signs.
Think about reducing your urban speed to 30km/h where there is no obvious reason to do so and where did the 30km/h come from anyway?
Frankly, that proposal lacks credibility for the driving public, has no supporting evidence and merely reflects that permanent speed zone signs are cheaper and easier to implement than variable electronic signs.
The ultimate question is will variable speed zones around schools make those schools a safer road environment, such that parents will feel more confident about letting their kids walk or bike to school?
That, at this stage, is a long bow to draw, requiring a focused, strategic education approach and mindset change.
We might be stuck with school time congestion for some time to come.
• John Williamson is chairman of Roadsafe Northland and Northland Road Safety Trust, a former national councillor for NZ Automobile Association and former Whangārei District Council member.
