The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Steve Crocker, Minister of Transportation and Works:

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to inform this Honourable House of recent actions taken to make highways safer for children, parents and teachers walking on provincial roads to and from school.

Earlier this week, digital speed signs that display the speed of motorists travelling over the speed limit and warn them to slow down, began being installed in school zones on provincial roads.

As of today, 10 signs have been installed and by the end of August, we anticipate that 165 signs will be installed at 81 schools zones.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to showing speed and issuing a warning, the digital signs also display a second, flashing message to motorists travelling in excess of 10 km/h above the speed limit.

These signs are similar to those you may have seen in school zones in municipalities. We have also been using them on some highways in our province and we know they are quite effective in promoting highway safety and reminding motorists to slow down.

Mr. Speaker, we are also thankful to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the province’s school districts for their work on this. This initiative will now lead to a safer environment for everyone walking to and from school.

However, while we use more modern technology to promote highway safety, we all know how important it is for motorists to drive responsibly and cautiously, and we encourage all motorists to pay attention to all signs and slow down.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.