Ticket numbers in Winnipeg school zones dropping

The number of speeding tickets handed out around school zones is dropping dramatically.

The number of drivers caught with a heavy foot near schools in Winnipeg has dropped for the last three months in a row, according to the city. The numbers are even better year-over-year, where in some cases they are half of 2015's totals.

Infractions have steadily declined since the program was introduced, but as the numbers continue to fall, questions are being raised about driver behaviour.

Winnipeg Police Board chair Scott Gillingham is pleased with the smaller totals, but plans to ask police some questions at a board meeting Friday.

"What's behind this number?" Gillingham asked. "Does this reflect a change of behaviour? Or has there been a change in the level of enforcement? Are there not as many cameras in the school zones and set up right now?"

In March 2015, there were 5,988 tickets issued in school zones in Winnipeg. In March 2016, that number had dropped to 2,763. From January through March of this year the infractions declined by 1,170.

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Gillingham acknowledges big drops in tickets mean the police service is generating less revenue but said the goal has always been to improve safety, not bring in money.

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"It's a good news story if drivers are being aware of the school zone and obeying the speed for the sake of the safety," he said. "It does have revenue implications as well, which is a fact of the matter, but it needs to be, and it is, about safety."