Ticketing in Winnipeg school zones plummeted last year, report finds

The head of the Winnipeg Police Board says he wants to know why the number of speeders caught in school zones has dropped by nearly half over the last year.

By the end of December 2014, 5,177 drivers had been ticketed in school zones. That number plummeted to 2,608 by December of 2015.

The number of speeders ticketed via cameras at intersections and other zones has risen in the same time period. The data was presented to members of the police board at a meeting Friday.

Police board chair Scott Gillingham said the reason for the discrepancy isn't clear and he's asked the Winnipeg Police Service to shed some light on the patterns.

It could be that drivers are starting to adjust to the presence of radar cameras and officers in school zones, or it could be enforcement has begun to taper off, Gillingham said.

"Do we believe it is a change in driver behaviour?" he asked. "The goal of any enforcement is that drivers would drive the speed limit, through the school zones or the zones in which it is enforced."​

Gillingham said the numbers seem encouraging at first glance. He is hopeful Winnipeg drivers have genuinely become more mindful of their speed in school zones, but maintains more context is needed to be sure.

Deputy Chief Dave Thorne has promised to get the police board data showing whether enforcement of school zone speeding remained consistent over the year.

"Do we know if they are doing consistent enforcement? Are they doing less enforcement in December [2015] as opposed to December [2014]?" Gillingham said. "I look forward to hearing that data."

More information about the report and meeting Friday is available on the city's website.