Improving safety in school and playground zones through harmonization

Public demand for improving safety on our roads continues to be a top concern in Calgary and across Canada. This demand is most pronounced around schools and playgrounds where concerns for the safety of children are greatest and where we also know that children are overrepresented in collisions. Safety improvement in these areas of Calgary has been approached from several angles but one recurring issue was the different times and different days of effect for the two zone types, playground and school. This resulted in inconsistent expectations and confusion for motorists and a perception that non-compliance with reduced speeds was occurring due to the inconsistency of the zone days and hours. Between 2014 and 2016 Calgary’s school and playground zone times were harmonized, followed by a conversion of school zones to playground zones. An evaluation of School and Playground Zone Harmonization was recently completed to determine the impacts the changes had on operational speeds and collisions as indicators of road safety.