Drivers and others are being reminded about road safety as neighbourhood streets in Mississauga are about to get much busier with young pedestrians, school buses and parents dropping off and picking up their kids.

Early next week, tens of thousands of students will return to classes in Mississauga for the 2026-27 school year.

Both the City of Mississauga and Peel Regional Police have similar messages for drivers as they travel in and near the many school zones across the city — slow down, watch for kids both on foot and on bicycles, and obey school bus signals and all traffic signs.

“In the coming days, school zones, crossings and neighbourhood streets will become noticeably busier. The city is reminding drivers, transit users, cyclists, e-scooter users and pedestrians to be extra careful during the busy morning and afternoon school rush,” city officials said in an online reminder to the community on Thursday.

“With increased traffic and activity on the road, the risk of collisions is higher. Children can move suddenly and unexpectedly, so all road users are encouraged to stay focused so everyone reaches their destination safely.”

City officials and police note that streets, driveways and sidewalks around schools will quickly transform from relatively quiet areas during the summer to much busier spots as school bells ring starting on Sept. 8 — the day after Labour Day — to mark the start of a new academic year for students in Peel.

When driving in a school zone, motorists are urged to:

Slow down and follow the posted speed limits.
Obey the school crossing guard’s stop sign.
Never proceed through crossings until students have completely crossed.
Follow posted parking and stopping restrictions to avoid causing visibility issues on the road.
Do not block sidewalks, driveways, fire routes and accessible parking spots.
Avoid unsafe turning movements or stopping in the middle of the road to drop off students.
Stop for school buses with flashing red lights and never try to overtake them. When a school bus has a flashing amber light, this means it’s getting ready to stop. Slow down and be prepared to stop.
Allow MiWay buses to merge back into traffic when they signal.

City officials also say those who’ll be walking, cycling, riding a scooter or taking a bus to school should remember to:

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Cross streets only at marked crosswalks or crossrides, where possible.
Follow the crossing guard’s instructions.
Wear a helmet when biking, riding a scooter or skateboarding.
When waiting for a school bus, stand back from the curb and wait until the bus comes to a complete stop.
Follow all railway crossing safety rules if your school route is near a railway crossing.

Police will be visible in school areas

As for Peel Regional Police, they’re not only reminding drivers and others of road safety rules, but they’ll be aggressively enforcing those rules and dishing out tickets to offenders — taking, as usual, a zero-tolerance approach.

Police haven’t yet revealed details of their back-to-school enforcement initiative for 2026, but typically each September they beef up patrols in school zones across Mississauga and Brampton in attempts to both aggressively enforce the road rules and educate the public on how to practice caution in those areas.

Police and city officials specifically remind motorists and others that when a school bus has stopped and activated its flashing red lights, all vehicles travelling behind or approaching the bus must come to a complete stop before reaching the bus.

Drivers who fail to stop when the flashing red lights are activated and the stop sign deployed face a fine between $400 and $2,000 and will receive six demerit points for their first offence. Penalties are considerably harsher for subsequent convictions.

Parents are also encouraged by police to go over safety rules with their children prior to the first day of classes.

(Photos: City of Mississauga)


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