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School’s back, slow down

Though there’s hope for plenty of sunny days ahead in September, summer is drawing to a close. The shaky start in early July made many fret the typical Kootenay swelter would never come, but August certainly didn’t disappoint.

Though there’s hope for plenty of sunny days ahead in September, summer is drawing to a close. The shaky start in early July made many fret the typical Kootenay swelter would never come, but August certainly didn’t disappoint.

As parents put away the sandpails and sunscreen, the focus will soon be on school. Routines will change and a brand new chapter in young lives will begin.

Even if you don’t have children, there is cause to listen for that first bell of the new school year. The return to class also means more caution on our streets. An army of students will begin marching to and from schools starting Tuesday, so it’s time for drivers to shake off the summer slack when it comes to paying attention.

It seems odd that we would have to remind drivers to slow down in school zones starting next week, yet police say every year too many people forget. If you live in this community there is no reason why you shouldn’t know where the school zones are. If you have any consideration for the young lives wandering the streets there is no reason why you shouldn’t slow down.

This community has experienced the terrible outcome of vehicles driving too fast during the schoolyard commute. Though thankfully nobody died, the High Street accident back in the late ‘90s impacted lives forever. It’s something we will hopefully never have to deal with again.

The bottom line is that this is Nelson. We live here to avoid the big city bustle, so what could really be so important that speeding through a school zone is required?

Enjoy the last big weekend of summer and when next week begins remember to slow down.