Police vow to enforce school zone speed limits
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“Since school has been out all summer, we want to remind motorists to be careful when they come upon a school, especially along hours when school is beginning or ending,” said McMinnville Police Capt. Bryan Denton. “We will have officers routinely monitoring traffic around schools throughout the school year.”
A ticket for speeding through a school zone will cost a driver an average of $115 in the city. School zone violators generally do not get the option of attending safety school to have their citation dismissed. Police have already been enforcing the school zone in front of Bobby Ray Elementary on Chancery Street since it operates on a 45-10 schedule.
Along with using care around school zones, officers want motorists to also be aware of the law as it pertains to school buses.
According to Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Mosley, troopers will be watching out for motorists who do not stop for buses. State law provides that vehicles in both directions must stop when a school bus displays its flashing stop sign.
Last year, Mosley said there were several complaints of traffic not stopping for buses on Manchester Highway. Mosley said the problem was some motorists thought due to the turn lane which separates the four-lane highway, they did not have to stop if they were traveling in the opposite direction. Mosley said that assumption is incorrect and that motorists must stop on both sides of highways such as Manchester Highway.
“If there is not a grassy median separating the lanes, then you must stop,” Mosley said, noting there are parts of Sparta Highway which are separated by such a median but Manchester Highway has no such grassy separation. A motorist cited for failing to yield to a stopped school bus can expect to pay a fine of $142.