Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 09/05) - Municipal enforcement officers issued eight tickets in less than 40 minutes on Tuesday in the school zone for Mildred Hall elementary school.

Const. Dana Jones and Const. Kevin Brandvold track traffic speeds in the Mildred Hall school zone.

"It's kind of disheartening that people aren't paying more attention to school zones," said Supervisory Const. Daryle Foster who was at the lunch hour speed trap.

Mildred Hall generally has the busiest traffic area, but the number of people speeding on the first day public school students returned to classes was excessive, said Foster.

"We were out in yellow vests hoping that people would see us and remember to slow down," he said.

With all city schools now back in session, the Municipal Enforcement Division is placing a priority on enforcing the 30 km/h speed limit in school zones.

Increased surveillance began last week when Catholic schools started classes.

Enforcement officers will be spending as much time as possible in school zones around the city during the first weeks of school. The monitoring will continue throughout the year.

Each school zone is marked with a lime green or yellow sign with the figures of two people walking.

The speed limit is posted below the sign and is effect 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.