Council to address speed zone bylaw amendment
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on July 11, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com Harmonized school and playground zones could become a reality for Lethbridge if city council gives second and third readings to a bylaw amendment today. Council meets at 1:30 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall. Transportation engineering manager Ahmed Ali will be making a presentation on the bylaw which will see school zones changed to playground zones and speed limits implemented daily from 7:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. If the bylaw amendment is approved, the changes would go into effect during the third quarter of this year. Council gave first reading to the bylaw on June 27 and approved the idea on May 16. A report presented to the Civic Works Standing Policy Committee of city council in spring gave detailed reasons why the zones should be harmonized. A report presented by Ali to that committee stated harmonized zones would make Lethbridge policy consistent with that in many other Alberta municipalities. According to the report “a single zone with uniform time throughout the year has shown to enhance safety.” The cost of implementation would be about $65,000. Presently, school zones are active from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on school days with a maximum speed allowed of 30 km-h. Playground zones are in effect year-year round from 8:30 a.m. until one hour after sunset. Ahmed told the SPC there is less than a five second difference in the time it takes to get through a school zone when a driver is going 30 km-h instead of 50. He said some people won’t like the change but there is a large benefit to society as a whole. The report says excessive speeds are known to be the main cause of “a significant proportion of collisions” that result fatalities and serious injuries. The survival rate of a pedestrian hit at 40 km-h is about 15 per cent, a figure that improves to 95 per cent when the vehicle involved is going 32 km-h. The report adds that if the City remains with the status quo, there is a risk of higher potential of collisions as well as being inconsistent with other communities. A study by the University of Calgary in 2017 on harmonized zones in Calgary showed there was a reduction in the number of collisions and increased compliance with speed limits. That report shows pedestrian collisions dropped by 33 per cent with a 70 per cent decrease in the hours between 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. It adds that mean speed decreased from 36 km-h to 30 km-h in zones. The report notes that confusion exists for drivers in playground zones with sunsets varying with the seasons. Ali’s report says harmonized zones have many benefits including: • Fixed end time is easier for motorists to remember. (one hour after sunset varies with the season, in school days vary) • Longer speed reduction in playground zones would increase safety by reducing the severity of collisions • A consistent provincial start and end time. Other communities with harmonized zones include Coaldale, Medicine Hat, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Chestermere, High River and Sylvan Lake. Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter 27-26
