Are we driving too fast through school zones?

By Laura Bohnert

On May 19, 2015, an issue was brought to the attention of the Town of Whitecourt at the Policies and Priorities Committee Meeting regarding the current speed limits that have been attributed to school zone areas.

Local Whitecourt resident Rhonda Chatman first addressed the issue in a letter to the town that was later brought up in the Committee Meeting. While the committee recommendation including the forwarding of the request on to administration for investigation, the official results of the request remain to be determined.

The issue Chatman points to is that the current speed restrictions in school zones may, in fact, be creating more confusion for the individuals who find themselves driving through those areas.

Unlike many other school zones across the province, Whitecourt’s school zone restrictions do not span the full school day. Speed restrictions are only in effect during times of expected student travel in the morning and afternoon. During those times, the speed limit is reduced to 30 km/h, while at all other times the speed limit is set at 50 km/h. While the zone restrictions do consider the times when there will be heaviest student travel, Chatman points out that the fluctuating speed limits may still be creating a significant safety issue.

“Every school has a playground,” Chatman, who works in one of Whitecourt’s schools explains, “and I see people racing past school zones when the zone time is not in effect,” a fact which could be posing a significant risk for the kids who use the playgrounds throughout the day.

Further, Chatman explains, the current zone times create confusion. “It’s confusing to have to look at your clock to see what speed you should be doing.” Extending the zone times, Chatman continues, “would create a lot less confusion,” and would thus increase the safety of those zones for the kids who occupy them.

“Hinton’s school zone times are in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days,” Chatman points out, and “Edmonton just reinstated its school zone speed limits from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on school days.” Extending Whitecourt’s school zone restrictions for the full school day would go a long way in eliminating confusion and increasing safety, Chatman argues, but mitigating confusion could go a lot further, too. “School zone times should be a provincial thing,” Chatman emphasizes, “they should be standardized throughout the province. It would create a lot less confusion.”

As Chatman points out, parking restrictions are in effect for a more consistent portion of the day to accommodate bus loading: “If we aren’t allowed to park there, then why are we allowed to speed through a school zone area when kids are around?”

“It would be a much safer area for students, staff, and parents alike,” emphasizes Chatman, “to know that the school zone is a 30 km/h zone for the whole time that school is in.”