Watch out for kids, Iqaluit drivers warned

Mix morning-bleary drivers on their way to work with back-to-school kids, all on Iqaluit’s smooth, newly paved roads, and you’ve got a recipe for trouble.

That’s why the Iqaluit Fire Department is reminding drivers to proceed with an extra bit of caution this week as the city’s tots head back to school beginning Sept. 2.

And for some of the younger students, this may be their first time to make the trek on their own, without parental handholding.

“In two more days, kids are going to be all over the streets” at the same time as Government of Nunavut workers and other employees are heading into the office, Iqaluit Deputy Fire Chief Chris Wilson told Nunatsiaq News.

“We just want to raise awareness, and bring a public safety message to the broader public.”

In the wake of the city’s successful paving program, Wilson explained, drivers have lost the natural speed-reduction effect that bumps and potholes used to provide. So it’s time for a little extra caution.

All this week, fire department staff will be sporting banners on the backs of their trucks to remind drivers to slow down. And during the first few days of school, emergency vehicles will be parking at the various schools to make their presence visible.

Just a reminder: the speed limit in front of all city schools, from Nakasuk and Joamie elementary schools all the way up to Nunavut Arctic College, is 30 km an hour.

Bylaw enforcement is not the intent of this program, Wilson said. “It’s just to raise awareness.”

Fire department officials will also be visiting all the city’s schools to bring a road-safety message to the children.

They visit the schools throughout the year, with seasonally appropriate safety messages, starting with road safety and continuing with fire safety (Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 4-10), ice safety as the winter comes on, and bicycle safety in the spring.

“The kids see us all the time,” Wilson said. This time, they’re hoping the adults will get the safety message.