All school zones will be changed to playground zones in Lethbridge later this year. All playground zones will be effective from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., every day.
According to city staff reports, a single zone with uniform times throughout the year enhances safety and the change will make Lethbridge consistent with many municipalities in the province.
“Having a fixed end time will be easier for motorists to remember, as in-school days can vary and the current one hour after sunset varies with the season,” says Councillor Belinda Crowson. “We know the social and economic costs of traffic collisions to society are enormous, so having longer speed reduction in these zones will also increase safety by reducing severity of collisions.”
New signs are set to be installed starting in June for all 28 school zones and 41 playground zones in the city. The city says all signs will be changed before the end of August and the new speed bylaws will be effective in September.
“This project will implement one of the TSP (Transportation Safety Plan) recommendations to enhance road safety and support the primary objective of reducing traffic related deaths and major injuries to zero by 2040,” says Ahmed Ali, Transportation Engineering Manager. “Excessive speeds are known [to] be the primary cause of a significant proportion of collisions that result in serious injuries and fatalities, so this decision will promote the safety of all residents. Traffic calming is also an effective means of reducing negative impacts of traffic on the quality of life for Lethbridge residents in existing and future neighborhoods.”
The Lethbridge Police Service, the Lethbridge School Division and the Holy Spirit School Division provided council with letters of support for harmonized zones, as did the Chinook Hospital Trauma Centre and the Southwest Alberta Road Safety Society. Residents also had a chance to weigh in both in person and online earlier this year.
In total, the change will cost the city $65,000 to implement.
