Whitecourt Town Council agrees to modify school zone times

By Laura Bohnert

Council, in response to a concerned letter submitted by a local Whitecourt resident, has approved the motion to standardize school zone times.

On May 19, 2015, local Whitecourt resident Rhonda Chatman submitted a letter to the Town of Whitecourt requesting that school zone times be looked into. The selective zone times, which enforce reduced speeds during the hours of heaviest student travel, Chatman argues, could be responsible for creating more confusion instead of increasing the safety of those particular areas.

“It’s confusing to have to look at your clock to see what speed you should be doing,” states Chatman. “It would be a much safer area for students, staff, and parents alike to know that the school zone is a 30 km zone for the whole time that school is in.”

After reviewing the request, Whitecourt Town Council began an investigation into school zone times to determine whether there was a need for modification. On June 24, a press release was made stating that council had approved the motion to standardize school zone times in an effort to increase safety for students.

As of August 31, 2015, the press release states, school zone times will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. when school is in session.

“The issue was actually brought to our attention in a letter from the public,” states Deputy Mayor Bill McAree. “We thought it would be a good idea to create consistency within the community in order to make it easier for residents to understand what the times are.”

Whitecourt isn’t the first community to enforce standard school zone times; both Hinton and Edmonton have already begun standardizing their zone times. “We saw the charge being led by other communities,” states McAree, “and now Whitecourt is following suit.”

“The changes will be in place before school starts this fall,” explains McAree. “We will run an advertising campaign, provide signage, and get the town prepped so residents will know about the changes. We’ll keep people informed throughout the summer so the residents of Whitecourt are used to the new zone times when school starts.”

When asked about the importance of implementing these changes, McAree responded that “they will make people more aware”: “based on the history of Whitecourt a results of studies done by the town, it has been found that most pedestrians aren’t hit in school zones. They are hit blocks away. School zones aren’t necessarily danger zones, but doing this increases awareness to motorists, making them more watchful outside of school zones as well.”

“We’ve had terrible incidents in the past,” states McAree. “Any time you have consistency and ease it makes for increased safety. When split up, the times can get confusing, and it can be a problem if everyone doesn’t understand. Now everyone can be on the same playing field and we can all be more aware.”

Not only do these changes mark the town’s investment in creating a safe space for its citizens, but it also emphasizes the importance of citizen involvement. It was, after all, the letter of a concerned citizen that brought the issue to the town’s attention.

“Any time you have concerns, you should take them to your elected officials so they can make the changes,” encourages McAree. “These people are elected to work for you, and it’s great for residents to be able to bring things to their attention. Having every citizen being watchful and bringing concerns to attention is important — that’s how change can happen. We’ll never get change unless everyone works together to make the community safe.”

“We are looking forward to change, and we know the people of Whitecourt will embrace it,” states McAree. “We want to make the streets safer for everyone, and this is a step in the right direction in terms of making that happen.”