School, local law enforcement attempts to curb speeding around campus
September 18, 2019
On Monday 9th and Tuesday 10th of September, two announcements were made regarding the speeding on and off campus by Portage Northern Director of Communications Brenda Marsh.
“Please pay attention to your speed when arriving or leaving our campus. We are getting complaints from our surrounding neighborhoods that there is a LOT of speeding going on. You are precious cargo so please drive carefully,” the announcement read.
This speed limit sign is just one of many ignored by drivers around Portage Northern.
According to Principal Jim French, the announcement was in response to concerns expressed by neighborhood residents. “We have been receiving complaints from residents on Idaho. At first the complaints were more centered on parents driving fast down the road, but now they are citing that students are exiting at high rates of speed,” he said. “I believe there will end up being a speed trap setup in the near future to monitor speed and will start issuing tickets.”
School Resource Officer Brannan Pierman confirmed that it’s more than a concern, it’s a dangerous reality: “There were people driving 40 mph on Idaho routinely during the school day,” he said. “Way too fast for the residential area/school zone.”
Pierman suggested that parents and students should expect increasing speed enforcement during peak student travel to urge students to slow down. “The ultimate goal of the speed enforcement will be to remind people to slow down in the neighborhoods so that everyone may travel safely,” he said.
Adam Brouwer • Sep 25, 2019 at 2:32 pm
I think its very important to enforce these laws with our students. Enforcing them On a smaller scale will lead to them believing that doing it on a larger will lead to even bigger consequence. Plus it ensures safety the last thing anyone wants to hear is a student was injured or even killed in a speeding accident. I think that if a student is caught speeding that if it is a repeat offence should have their out of school licence revoked, if they can’t be responsible young adults and follow the most basic laws they should be treated like kids and be grounded to the school.
Lilly • Sep 25, 2019 at 1:28 pm
I have seen and been a part of the speeding. Not me myself was speeding, but I have been in the speeding car. When I am in said car I never really think about it being dangerous. I always trust the driver who I am in the car with. I do understand why this is such a dangerous topic. Even though I do trust the drivers, I do not want to put myself or anyone else in harm.
Gavin Hebner • Sep 25, 2019 at 1:25 pm
In all honesty the speed traps/enforcement will most likely fall upon deaf ears. it is apparent that if they are speeding they will continue to do so no matter what happens . As teens we will take risks even if that means sacrificing safety to do so. All just for some fun. on top of this much of the reports on speed are not even top speeds on Idaho. However this is not appropriate on school grounds. as students we must adhere to the rules. On top of that if you are speeding and a student walks in front there is not much you can do and the possible injury’s would all be on you.
brayden andrews • Sep 25, 2019 at 10:14 am
I agree this needs to be addressed. I see people going fast in when there not suppose to is scary. I currently cant drive but I would think about other before going 40 mph down idaho. When people speed it looks bad on you and the school. It needs to be a safe environment were everyone can feel comfortable being at. We don’t need people speeding all over the place.
Samantha Quillin • Sep 25, 2019 at 7:54 am
I think that it was very good that the school is enforcing safeness to the roads around the school.
I like how they are putting up a speeding monitor to make sure people get tickets if they are speeding. I hope that the monitor stops the speeding. Hopefully the kids walking are now safer because of the new announcement. Hopefully the roads are now more safe.
Jack Brown • Sep 24, 2019 at 10:02 pm
The article is put together well from how the words are put and added pictures. Another, thing that is done well is the fact that they used actually quotes to support their claim. Also, the way they used the point were students were told twice that they need to slow down in the neighborhoods near by our school. One thing the article could use is more, more pictures, more everything not to the point where it’s to long but just more. Another thing I feel like is needed is a conclusion.
rachel kelsey • Sep 24, 2019 at 6:47 pm
I think that there should be a speed trap because if this issue continues, there could be accidents on the school grounds. Newer drivers and parents should be especially careful because most of them are in a hurry to get to and from school. It’s very disrespectful for drivers to be going so fast on school roads and neighborhoods. There are most likely people walking so if you were going to fast, you could potentially hit someone. In conclusion, drivers need to be more careful or the school should put up speed traps to give out tickets to people who aren’t.
Emma Partee • Sep 24, 2019 at 6:41 pm
This spreading the news about the speeding. It was very well versed with great information. It is very informatoinal. Speeding is not only dangerous. It can cause a accident.
Makenzy Ream • Sep 24, 2019 at 5:07 pm
They should really put a speed trap in because the students that drive do not really realize how fast they are driving. If the students get in an accident it wont be good because they are precious cargo to the school. I know they want to get home fast, but the kids should really watch their speed.
Ben Edds • Sep 24, 2019 at 4:33 pm
I totally agree with this article. I’ve seen first-hand that the speeding has gone too far. After school one day, I was walking over to the dog house, when all of a sudden a car comes screaming around the corner and barely missed me (obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this. getting hit by a car at 35-40 mph could be lethal). Also, two of my friends have also witnessed speeding, one far away, and another in a similar situation than I was in. I would definitely promote the idea of a speed trap, also replace the speed hump with a speed bump, and put several bumps in the neighborhoods, too. Reducing the risk of speeding will result in a safer environment.
Hunter Smith • Sep 24, 2019 at 3:46 pm
Speeding is often overlooked by many, but it can still be a serious problem, especially in these small residential areas. It isn’t as much of a problem where I live, where normal speed is around 45, but these smaller areas are much more important when it comes to speeding. The only reason that parents would be speeding would be that either they’re trying to get their child to school faster or they have to leave quickly to make it somewhere. Students are speeding because, in my opinion, they don’t understand just yet the importance of keeping themselves withing the limit. Not many people may listen to the limit, but it is a very important aspect of driving.
Olivia Coughlin • Sep 24, 2019 at 2:24 pm
It relieves me to see that school officials will start to monitor speed when entering/exiting campus. I can easily see how speeding down a residential street/school zone area can be a recipe for disaster when it comes to safety, but also to respect. It’s important to keep drivers, passengers, and the residents of the neighborhood safe. But along with this, teens and parents speeding down a neighborhood street isn’t very respectful to the people that live there. We need to learn how to respect the safety (and sanity) of the residents, and even any children or pets that may be outside.
Khloe Kempker • Sep 24, 2019 at 2:19 pm
Too many incidents happen with cars on the daily. Drivers disobey the rules and it must be stopped. It’s good that speeding is finally coming to authorities attention. Those are school whether they are driving or not should feel safe. It makes me content that people are being more strict with the rules to further ensure the safety of students and staff.
jackson diggs • Sep 24, 2019 at 2:03 pm
I think it is dangerous. To speed on school campus. Speeding in a school zone could result in a bad accident. Sudents or teachers could be hurt. You could also hurt one of the people in the neighborhood. You could also cause serious damage to your stuff and other peoples stuff.
Luke • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:37 pm
I agree with the fact that speeding is a problem around and on our campus. It’s pretty crazy trying to get out after school each day. Everyone is eager to leave and go home. This makes it a more hazardous time to speed. There are tons of kids walking around outside after school gets out and a lot driving still. The last thing we need is someone getting hurt in or outside of a vehicle because of impatience.
Lucia Smith • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:29 pm
I agree entirely with this article. I believe that speeding is very dangerous for PNHS students. Speeding could definitely lead to an accident, which of course nobody would want that. Also we should be respectful of our neighbors complaints and avoid speeding.
Gavin Thrasher • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:26 pm
I am glad this is being is enforced. I really hope this stop the speeding so close to our school. It would be really sad if someone got in to a accident right outside of the school. I would also not want the people next to the school not like us because of it. I do hope this speeding thing stops.
Brayden • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:25 pm
I fully agree that students need to stop speeding through the campus. The students could hit someone else or speed too fast and a sign. I understand that students want to get in and out of school fast. They should do it in a safe way instead of speeding. They can get out of school on time and actually get out fast instead of speeding. For the article, there is some grammatical issues in the first sentence.
Haley Foreman • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:20 pm
Speeding in a school area is very dangerous. This article addresses the issue with speeding around campus well. People should pay more attention to their speed or care more about how fast they are really going. Not only could speeders hit other students but they could also get into vehicle collisions themselves. Students should not drive if they aren’t going to be responsible in their campus area.
Ayden Z • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:18 pm
I believe that people are moving to fast. 40 in a 25 is way to fast and is almost criminal speeding. which is a a lot of money.
Ayden Z • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:16 pm
I beleie that people are moving to fast. 40 in a 25 is way to fas
MAME SECK • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:15 pm
I think that people shouldn’t be even speeding in the first place they are causing trouble for everyone. They are dangering themselves and others’ lives and they should be following the law or just lose their driver’s license. They shouldn’t have any warning you should follow the law no one should have to remind you to. You have more than 4 years to learn every single one when you got your driver’s license and chose to start driving. When you chose to break the speed limit then you hit someone or you get in a crash you don’t get a warning or a second chance it’s already done. You would have just hurt someone or hurt yourself and you have to live with that for a long time. They should not only get fines or a warning, but they also should have a bigger coincident so they will think twice before doing it again.
Justin Harpole • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:12 pm
I completely understand the ticketing for people going over the speed limit on Idaho, due to the fact it’s the a law. I will say I’ve been almost hit by cars walking home but, focusing on tickets there isn’t the biggest problem. I love the good points in this article but I have to say monday 9th and tuesday 10th isn’t proper english. Thanks have a nice day.
Destiny Freuer • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:08 pm
I personally think this can be a serious topic when it is like right after school but it can be serious but not so serious if it’s like later when no one is going to be there. “There were people driving 40 mph on Idaho routinely during the school day”. It was during the school that’s not very smart that is when things are like ok let’s not do that.
Desirae Cavanaugh • Sep 24, 2019 at 1:01 pm
There are many reasons why you should always be following the traffic laws and being on campus following the traffic laws is a huge deal.Not only will you be getting a ticket when you get pulled over on campus but you will also get points added to your license. One big thing is you will have the school neighborhood making many complaints about you.Second it is good to be driving at the speed limit and watch what your surroundings are because you could crash.Some parents were speeding at the beginning of the year on Idaho.Driving slow around schools will save you and your parents from being upset and having to pay a huge fat fine with points on you license. Not only will you be saving yourself from that but you will save a crash and you are representing your school.
sydney palmer • Sep 24, 2019 at 12:16 pm
As a student who leaves for a off campus class everyday I can say that the speed is really out of control. this article articulates that while giving the information of a coming solution which I appreciate. knowing that residents of Idaho are also concerned makes me more cautious of my speed as well as the speed of others. However, I do believe that the reason for this speeding is that students aren’t getting enough time to get to our off campus classes. I for sure am not so i wonder if that is the same for other students?
Tyler Freeman • Sep 24, 2019 at 12:06 pm
The speeding around campus has been an issue lately, I’ve noticed a lot myself. I think the school is doing the right thing in trying to get a stop to it and getting law enforcement involved. Speeding is not a small issue, pedestrians can get it, other cars could get hit, or you can hit an object. I think the school should implement a discipline for speeding. Meaning that students would be disciplined in school.
Stormm Byers • Sep 24, 2019 at 12:00 pm
I agree with this article as i have seen a lot of students speeding myself. My sister used to take me to school when she still attended before graduating and some mornings we would just be a little behind and she would speed through the neighborhood trying to arrive on time. But sometimes it can be foggy, or dark and you cant see if someone is walking or crossing the street. Some mornings are so foggy that i cant see other cars. It would be awful if we lost a student to a reckless driver so i believe the speed trap is a good idea.
Ali Farran & Matt Cobbins • Sep 24, 2019 at 11:54 am
Speeding through neighborhoods is not only against the law by not following the speed limit, but it also puts children and people walking in danger. Speeding down the streets in neighborhoods also puts the driver and whoever is in the car at risk as well. There should be consequences for those who are seen speeding through these neighborhoods.
Ashley Sheldon • Sep 24, 2019 at 11:52 am
I think that a speed trap monitor would be a good idea cause in the past I have seen some speeding myself. So I see how that is a big concern and that the area should be monitored and tickets issued. It’s a safety hazard and there’s no reason to be going down those roads so fast.
Aiden Fields • Sep 24, 2019 at 11:46 am
Honestly there’s no reason to speed on campus. It’s a danger to everyone around you and yourself. Especially since we’re in a school zone you are putting potentially smaller children in danger because of your recklessness. Keep everyone safe and don’t speed in the neighborhoods around campus.
Aliya Pena • Sep 24, 2019 at 11:35 am
I agree with this 100%. Student’s rush out of school for lunch or at the end of the day to go home. This is dangerous, there are students walking down the roads all the time and we should respect them and keep them safe. I think the speed trap set up is a good idea to let students know this is serious and there will be consequences. For now, we can spread the word to other students and hope this won’t be a problem again!
Timothy Srackangast • Sep 24, 2019 at 11:33 am
I have not noticed any speeding going on. I know that I am out of the school zone before most students however. I think that it is a good thing that people are going to put a stop to it though because it is very dangerous and people could get hit. I do agree that there will probably be a speed trap put in place in the near future. With that in mind I will continue to watch my speed.
Hunter Smith • Sep 24, 2019 at 11:30 am
Speeding in a residential area can be very bad since someone could get hurt by someone going extremely over the speed limit. People need to realize that they can slow down a little and they will still get their lunch in time. As for the parents that are speeding in those zones, they either are arriving late to school to drop their kid off or they are speeding off because they have somewhere to be. Parents have a complete understanding of what their driving looks like, but students are still new to driving and it usually takes someone 5 years to perfect driving. In short, people should slow down in these zones, but people are still going to maybe go about 5 m/h over the speed limit.
Claire Flynn • Sep 24, 2019 at 9:13 am
I’m glad that they’re bringing this issue to light! However, I would like to see a little bit more detail into this article. What are the police gonna do? Catch us? I want a little bit more detail as to the consequences that way the students can truly understand the severity of this issue!
emily v. • Sep 24, 2019 at 9:10 am
This article is important because it emphasizes the conditions for even those walking home or to someplace. I feel like the space surrounding the school should be safe and calm for everyone. Yet the school is completely imposing blame onto the students, making it appear as if they are irresponsible as a whole, when it isn’t a majority that speeds. A large group of parents as well are speeding. I hope that something changes to create a safe space around the school, as well as picking out those who are increasing speeds, not in a general sense.
Cody Wesley-Flatt • Sep 24, 2019 at 8:57 am
This article is well written and informative. It presents the problems well, but however it doesn’t really provide the solutions about how to deal with the speeding. Speeding has become a very dangerous issue with high school students due to their inexperience. However, many students have stated that due to the the hill it is very difficult to go the speed limit down Idaho.
Keshavi Dave • Sep 24, 2019 at 8:47 am
This is a very important article and I think that it should be sent out to all those who go to Northern as this is a serious problem. However in my opinion I don’t think that speed traps/speed monitors are going to do much because as soon as they go away everyone will start to speed again. However if we keep them around all year that might keep the speed down to the limit. I also think that actually issuing tickets will effectively get others to slow down showing that this is not a joke. Overall this is a very serious issue, and those not abiding by the law should be reprimanded as that is better than going fast and being in a fatal crash that would cost way more than a ticket.