Calgary, AB,
19
August
2015
|
15:31
America/Denver

City to replace school zones with playground zones

Starting this week, The City of Calgary will be making all school zones into playground zones to help increase safety for children as they head back to school.

“By getting rid of school zones and setting straight forward and consistent playground zone hours, we will enhance safety for both pedestrians and motorists,” says Ravi Seera, Manager of Traffic, City of Calgary.

School zones are only in effect on school days, whereas playground zones are in effect every day, year-round. With the introduction of year-round schools in Calgary in recent years, it became less clear to drivers when they needed to obey the signs.

“There will no longer be any question as to when you need to slow down,” added Seera.

Last year, Council allocated $545,000 to transition school zones to playground zones in 2015 to benefit year-round extended hours.  Both school zones and playground zones currently are in effect from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., so there will be no change in the time.

Calgary has approximately 180 school zones and 1,510 playground zones. Crews will be out replacing the school zone signs throughout the fall and expect to have the work done by the end of October.

While designated playground zones are an important part of keeping children safe, safety on Calgary roads is a shared responsibility. Replacing school zones with playground zones is just one tool in a much larger plan to improve safety in areas where we see higher volumes of pedestrians.

For more information about this project, visit Calgary.ca/roads.

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