As children prepare to head back to school, a new survey conducted by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) paints a troubling picture, with 63 per cent of parents saying they consider their child’s school zone very unsafe, and eight out of 10 say congestion around schools is worse than ever.“Eighty-three per cent of parents have actually reported seeing dangerous driving behaviours in their child’s school zones, and those behaviours that are most commonly reported are speeding, stopping in undesignated areas as well as double parking,” said Lauren Fisher, Manager of Government Relations with CAA SCO.Parents in Scarborough say these numbers don’t surprise them. Back in June, concerns outside two Kingston Road schools were brought to light, with students waiting inches from six lanes of fast-moving traffic.Jens Casten, whose children attend one of the schools, has been advocating for change for two years, calling for more signage and for the speed limit to be reduced.“It’s so important that something gets done before someone dies,” said Casten.“There used to be a bus stop here, and the kids gathered here and flooded the sidewalk, which is a huge hazard. Given the fact that when you look at the traffic, cars go by going 90, 100 kilometres an hour. It’s a huge hazard. And also, one of the kids got hit crossing the road last year.”As of two weeks ago, the bus stop was moved further down the road to a safer pickup and drop off zone.A few months ago, Scarborough Southwest Coun. Parthi Kandavel put forward a motion to reduce the speed limit on Kingston Road from 60 km/h to 50 km/h between Brimley and Midland. “We heard the frustration from parents, rightfully and naturally given school starts next week, and we’re happy to share that a new speed reduction of 50 km an hour will be implemented [as of Friday].”However, both Casten and Coun. Kandavel say more still needs to be done.Last fall, the province granted 75 new automated speed enforcement cameras to the City of Toronto. Despite advocating for it, Kandavel says his Ward did not receive any. “This is a no-brainer for an automatic speed enforcement camera. It’s very disappointing to see the city refuse a location here. It’s the only school in the city, with a six-lane highway in front of it. We’re hopeful the City of Transportation Department and City Hall will reverse their decision.” The CAA survey also found nearly half of parents are in favour of reducing the speed limit in school zones, saying they consider 30 km/h an appropriate speed. In Ontario, school zone speed limits vary between 30 and 40 km/h. The CAA is also reminding drivers to slow down, put away distractions and stop for school buses with flashing lights.