Less speeding, fewer pedestrian crashes since city changed playground, school zone times
Posted Sep 18, 2017 7:12 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Harmonized times for school and playground zones have slowed drivers down and lowered the number of pedestrian collisions in Calgary, according to a new University of Calgary study.
In 2014, the city passed a by-law essentially converting all school zones to playground zones making the speed limit at 30 km/h from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. in those zones every day.
Researchers looked at 11 playground and 18 former school zones around the city, and found the average speed dropped from 36 km/h to just over 30 km/h after the change.
The number of pedestrians hit by a car under the age of 16 per kilometre driven was cut nearly in half from its high in 2013.
Eighty per cent of Calgarians also said they found it easier to remember to slow down, now that the rules are consistent throughout the week.
