WHAT EXACTLY IS A “RESTRICTED HOUR?”
Posted by Karen on Mar 28 2007
Maybe I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but there are street signs in Ohio that confuse me. They say:
SCHOOL ZONE
20 mph
During Restricted Hours
What does that mean? Sure, sure, I know it means I need to slow down for the school zone. That much I understand. But what hours are restricted? Is it only when buses are present? Is it when students are walking to school? Is it in effect when there is outdoor recess? Or does it include the entire school day? Is this a high school that begins school around 7:30 a.m.? Or an elementary school that doesn’t begin until 9:00? If I get pulled over for not adhering to the posted 20 mph speed limit, can I plead ignorance and say I didn’t realize it was a restricted hour? These signs, when accompanied by flashing lights or further guidelines, are appropriate. Without these things, they are too confusing.
I wanted to include a picture of one of these signs in this post, but short of taking a picture of one myself, I cannot find one! The internet is a big place, and I thought for sure a Google Images search would produce an image of this sign. Instead I found all sorts of examples of appropriate signs. Signs which included vital information such as:
School zone
20 mph
When Children
Are Present
Or:
School Zone
20 mph
8:00-10:00 am
2:00-4:00 pm
Or even:
School Zone
20 mph
When Lights
Are Flashing
Why do the signs have to be so ambiguous in Ohio?
What do the school zone signs say in your neck of the woods?
on 29 Mar 2007 at 10:54 am 1 Debbie Mohollen said …
We have flashers, but they flash on school holidays, too! I guess that is better than no flash any day, though. They don’t flash on weekends or in the summer, so it is worth it. They flash depending on when kids are or are not arriving/departing school, so the HS and the MS flash at different times of the day.
I can’t imagine not having flashers or times or anything.
on 02 Apr 2007 at 9:35 am 2 Sue said …
I believe that each school system can “program” the lights to run only when school is in. I understand “snow days” when school is cancelled unexpectadly due to snow in our neck of the woods, but when school starts all “planned” off days can be programmed into the light system. We do not however, list the times the hours are restricted. Speed limit in front of the elementary school is normally 25 miles an hour/so decreasing speed for 50 feet isn’t too bad.
on 04 Apr 2007 at 12:02 pm 3 reba said …
we have a school at end of my street and flashers that turn into regular lights, but i cant figure out the schedule so i run the light all the time
on 19 Jun 2008 at 8:20 pm 4 Lee Ann said …
I went to a court hearing today for two mobile radar police vehicle speeding tickets in the same location for a school zone.
They said, “The lights don’t have to be flashing” and the ’school zone restricted hours are 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. (since I was asking about the morning hours).
I am unable to find anything to following this supposed law and will be appealing my liability to pay the DOUBLE FINE for the school zone at $200.00 per ticket.