The Observation Deck

We drove down Hilliard/Franklin today, a day when the schools are closed, yet most of the school zone lights were flashing. I wondered what provisions there are to turn these lights off when the schools are closed.

The reason I wondered is that the traffic was obviously confused, with some people slowing, and some not, and it doesn't seem that turning the signals off when the school is closed would be too difficult.

It seems to me that if there is certainty to the lights, no one will have an excuse for ignoring them, and I would hope most of us would observe the speed limit under such circumstances.

On the other hand, if there is uncertainty, I think many people are inclined to ignore the speed limit, unless there is a great crowd of children on the sidewalk, and a police car standing by.

I'm not concerned with the legal niceties of prosecuting, but I am concerned that the failure to make the control lights reliable could lead to injury of a child (or a slowed driver) by someone who thought the lights were wrong and didn't see a child.

It seems to me that if there is certainty to the lights, no one will have an excuse for ignoring them, and I would hope most of us would observe the speed limit under such circumstances.

It's easy. If they're on, you obey them. If they're off you ignore them. Whether or not school is in session is irrelevant. If they're on you obey them, if they're off you ignore them.

Jeff

It seems pretty clear that state law authorizes a speed limit in school zones of 20 miles per hour during school recess and while children are going to or leaving school during the opening or closing hours, and when twenty miles per hour school speed limit signs are erected.

It would seem to follow that outside such hours, whether the board of education flashes or not, the speed limit is that posted for the road, not the lower limit authorized during such hours.

And the practical matter is that these flashers are often ignored during days that school is not in session, at least by drivers who are aware that the school is not in session.

So why can't the schools get these lights to work properly?

Will,
This is certainly not the first post that questions if there is reasoning behind something that is going on or if it is just simply an oversight that needs a remedy. I hope that it can be explained or real attention can be paid to fixing it if it was an error. If it's a matter of a school event going on then so be it. If it's just a mistake like the daylight activated lamps that stayed on 24 hours a day because the sensor was blocked by a tree then I hope it is addressed. Who knows maybe it's because of daylight savings or global warming or someone didn't program it and they're on Saturday and off on Monday.

Jeff,
Maybe I'm just to jaded but isn't the point of this site to Observe and discuss what is going on? Why discount a question? Sure, as a driver you obey a traffic signal regardless of the logic behind it but as a post shouldn't it be looked into if it's not functioning correctly.

The only time the flashers are turned off is during summer break. The flashers run throughout the school year, whether there's a day off or winter break or spring break.