City of Calgary converting all school zones into playground zones

[burn_this_city]

Good to see the city finding solutions to problems that don't exist.

[Zarley]

This is idiotic.

Calgary is the only city I've driven in where playground and school zones are as common as they are. They are utilized as a traffic calming measure by community associations rather than as genuine safety measures. There needs to be a serious rationalization of the number of these zones in the city.

These are the government of Alberta guidelines for the establishment of playground and school zones:

School Zones (reduced speed limits near schools) are generally discouraged along “walk‐to‐school routes” away from the school vicinity, and on roadways where any of the following conditions exist:
-School is located on an arterial road or expressway / freeway;
-School grounds are fully fenced;
-School is located an appreciable distance from the roadway;
-The roadway does not have a school entrance; and
-The length of the school frontage is minimal (e.g. less than 50 metres).

Playground Zones (reduced speed limits near playgrounds) are generally discouraged along roadways where any of the following conditions exist:
-Playground is located on an arterial roadway or expressway / freeway
-Playground or field is fully fenced##
-Playground is located an appreciable distance from the roadway
-The Playground entrance is not located along the subject roadway

Playground Zones should be avoided on higher roadway classifications. They can appear to motorists as contradicting the roadway function, and hence may be unexpected and disrespected. They can sometimes provide children and parents a false sense of security on a potentially hazardous roadway.

I would say that a significant percentage of zones within Calgary do not meet these guidelines.

[Philly06Cup]

Tyranny of the minority. Small community associations ask for school/playground zones in their neighborhood. They are organized and dedicated to their cause, and get what they want. The majority are spread out, disorganized, and complain on the internet.

[DoubleF]

Is there a compromise where the police move the green light cameras/red light cameras into these school/playground zones and remove them from random intersections and roads?

- Police get their cash
- Police can patrol more reasonable areas rather than sit in school/playground zones for no reason. People don't need to scan for cops in these zones and can focus on looking at other things like maybe the random one kid once every 400 days.
- People actually seem to slow down for these darn cameras, so perhaps speeding occurs less in these zones.
- People don't stop and freeze up because they are scared to roll the red light (and get a ticket) on a right turn in an intersection where there is a red light camera

We don't need these stupid cameras down town especially.

I by far hate the Dalhousie drive one by Dalhousie station. Always some cop there too. The damn sign is always covered by trees, no idea where the playground is, so it's easy to miss. Trim the tree by the sign at least!

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I by far hate the Dalhousie drive one by Dalhousie station. Always some cop there too. The damn sign is always covered by trees, no idea where the playground is, so it's easy to miss. Trim the tree by the sign at least!

There used to be a playground there, but it has been removed. I actually opened up this thread to ask if there is any precedent to getting a playground zone removed. That playground is gone, seems like the playground zone could be too.

[Hack&Lube]

With videogames and the internet, we shouldn't even have playgrounds anymore.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Originally Posted by Zarley

This is idiotic.

Calgary is the only city I've driven in where playground and school zones are as common as they are. They are utilized as a traffic calming measure by community associations rather than as genuine safety measures. There needs to be a serious rationalization of the number of these zones in the city.

These are the government of Alberta guidelines for the establishment of playground and school zones:


I would say that a significant percentage of zones within Calgary do not meet these guidelines.

What is the difference between traffic calming and genuine safety measures? One type of slow zone, enforced the same make sense. If there are current playground zones where you can't even find the playground, fine make a move to remove those. The Elbow drive playground was mentioned and it is a bit of a gear grinder (along with the 40 zone, where basically any other residential street is defaulted at 50), but my understanding is that there was in fact a fatality there. Perhaps a knee-jerk reaction to institute a playground zone, but the motivation was not about taking cash out of citizens' pockets.

Kids hang out at schools. Kids are dumb. Schools are generally in residential neighbourhoods. Slow down for dumb kids in residential neighbourhoods. No biggie.

[HartAttack]

Nothing worse than driving 30 km/h past a dark and deserted playground zone at 6pm in the winter. NOTHING WORSE!!!!!

[para transit fellow]

Originally Posted by HartAttack

Nothing worse than driving 30 km/h past a dark and deserted playground zone at 6pm in the winter. NOTHING WORSE!!!!!

Except for hitting the kid that you didn't expect to be there in the playground zone...

that would probably be worse.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by HartAttack

Nothing worse than driving 30 km/h past a dark and deserted playground zone at 6pm in the winter. NOTHING WORSE!!!!!

Yes, nothing, I can't think of anything that is worse......

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by HartAttack

Nothing worse than driving 30 km/h past a dark and deserted playground zone at 6pm in the winter. NOTHING WORSE!!!!!

How about going through a dark, deserted playground (4 of them actually) at 6:45-7am during your morning commute and having to go 30 through all of it because the dude in front of you thinks they're in effect 24/7 apparently.

I deal with that basically every day (I live in an area with a very large retiree population. They're all up at the crack of dawn and on the roads with nowhere to go and no hurry to get there). Drives me nuts.


Posted from Calgarypuck.com App for Android

[CliffFletcher]

Want to make a genuine reduction in the number of kids struck by cars? Prohibit parents from driving their kids to school if they live within 5 blocks. By far the biggest ####-show around schools is the morning and afternoon traffic-jam.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

There used to be a playground there, but it has been removed. I actually opened up this thread to ask if there is any precedent to getting a playground zone removed. That playground is gone, seems like the playground zone could be too.

I sent in a 311 request online asking they consider removing this playground zone (Dalhousie Dr near the LRT station) as there is no playground or school.

https://311online.calgary.ca/pdcsrwe...t.mvc/SRIntake

Maybe if enough people do that they'll listen.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Want to make a genuine reduction in the number of kids struck by cars? Prohibit parents from driving their kids to school if they live within 5 blocks. By far the biggest ####-show around schools is the morning and afternoon traffic-jam.

wait why are kids fat?

[polak]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

wait why are kids fat?

Cause they get driven to school.

[Frequitude]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

Good way to simplify the system. Only one type of 30 km/h zone, effective 365 days a year, from 7:30 to 21:00.

I find it incredibly stupid to set the same hard cutoff time all year round. It's way too late for the dead of winter when it has been dark for hours with no kids to be seen and way too early for July when it is still going to be light for hours with kids still playing.

[Fuzz]

Ya, maybe they should have 2 zone times that coincide with DST changes, so you don't have to worry about remembering specific date.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by Slava

So the speed limit should just be 50km/hr and we should have no school or playground zones?

What are the accident rates for school / playground zones? Do they actually prevent accidents? Are drivers actually even more distracted by craning their heads around for cops, looking at speedometers and huge flashing distractions?

This was one of the only pieces that I could actually find that listed something (no stats for Calgary either), which said roughly 5 people between 97-99 in Edmonton were hit in potential school zones and their ages weren't listed, nor time of day.

[btimbit]

Someone dug up the stats on Beyond when this discussion first came up last year. I'll try to find it, but I do know that it said there hasn't been a speed related pedestrian collision in a school or playground zone in Calgary in 20+ years.

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

What are the accident rates for school / playground zones? Do they actually prevent accidents? Are drivers actually even more distracted by craning their heads around for cops, looking at speedometers and huge flashing distractions?

Why do people keep saying this? People, how do you drive like this?

You take your foot off the gas before the sign, briefly glance at the spedometer to make sure you're going 30, hold your speed until the pass the sign, speed up and take a brief glance when you reach 50.

If you're really super paranoid about a cop being everywhere or flashing lights are a huge distraction to you, you really shouldn't own a car.