September will once again see school buses drive along Bowen roads.
For a number of children, this will mark a milestone as they are attending school for the first time.
Cpl. Nancy Joyce of the Bowen Island RCMP would like to remind drivers to be mindful of the rulesdon't pass a school bus when the lights are flashingand leave with time to spare.
"From our point of view, drivers need to remember that when a school bus is stopped to let kids off, they also need to stop," she said.
"It's actually a traffic infraction if people drive around a school bus. And they are endangering children because when children come off the bus, they might go left or right and might cross the road at that point."
With Bowen's winding roads, it can be tricky to find a spot to safely pass a school bus and Joyce suggests leaving a few minutes earlier in order to meet appointments or catch the ferry to allow for the extra time when school starts next week and school buses will pick up children.
For Joyce, the issue of stopping for the school bus is related to another issue the RCMP has been dealing with on an ongoing basis: speeding.
"Our main focus on Bowen Island is the continued safety of the residents and visitors to the island and sometimes we need to do things not everyone agrees with to maintain that safety. Our ongoing complaint is speeding on the island," she said.
"We do traffic enforcement and not everybody likes to see that.
"In many areas there is nowhere for pedestrians to walk except on the roads. With speeding vehicles, it creates so many scenarios where things can go wrong," Joyce said, adding that there are also concerns for cyclists and children, especially with children starting school.
Joyce also mentioned that there are wildlife corridors all over the island that cross roads.
Another issue that has come to Joyce's attention concerns the number of U-turns drivers have been making on Government Road.
"That is rearing its ugly head again," she said, adding that the RCMP enforced the rules in the past but that islanders need again to be reminded.
