School Zones

[ChemGal]

How do school zones in your area work?

Edmonton hasn't had them for a long time (maybe a few special areas, I know there's a big deaf school, and in another area a playground has deaf kids at play signs, not sure if there's a reduced limit with those). They are reintroducing them now - 30km/hr, from 8-4:30 on school days. Playground zones still aren't used.

Calgary had both, but are extending the times. Both will be 7:30am - 9pm, but only the school days for the school zones. Before it was
School 7:30-5
Playground 8:30-1 hour after sunset.

I think Calgary's new school zone hours are a bit excessive. There aren't really kids playing on the playgrounds that early, but it will be simpler to remember the start times, they were different from both of the above when I got my license!

 

[Beloved]

Here the school zones are 30 kph. There is no time frame, that is the speed limit all the time . . . I guess because kids could be playing in the playground at any time.

 

[Carolla]

The speed limit in school zones here is 40km/hr. - not sure of the timing for them tho, or the fines - I'd have to look that up. I just usually slow down anyway. Some of the major roads now have flashing signs to warn drivers at school times - useful idea I think.

Flashing 40 km/hr Zones

The Transportation and Works Department has implemented 40 km/hr when flashing speed zones on major collector and arterial roads that reduce the speed limit to 40 km/hr only during school entrance, lunch and dismissal times.

The use of these zones has resulted in improvements in speed limit compliance and is considered a reasonable speed limit reduction to motorists.


Sometimes parking around our schools is a big mess at arrival & dismissal times - creating unsafe conditions for kids crossing the roads. A nearby private school has DOZENS of school buses lined up and huge amount of car traffic and it creates a huge & dangerous problem for the neighbourhood kids walking to and from the local public school. We have had to put in crossing guards at three intersections near the public school since the private school opened.

 

[ChemGal]

Sometimes parking around our schools is a big mess at arrival & dismissal times - creating unsafe conditions for kids crossing the roads. A nearby private school has DOZENS of school buses lined up and huge amount of car traffic and it creates a huge & dangerous problem for the neighbourhood kids walking to and from the local public school. We have had to put in crossing guards at three intersections near the public school since the private school opened.

It's a huge issue here. You have parents out every morning/afternoon with camera phones, sending video to the principle and the police. Some who live by the school had people parking in front of their driveway, so they couldn't leave and now put out pylons to try to help prevent it. Last year, when the got a news crew out to discuss how dangerous it was they got a driver on tape cutting across the school field - and he got stuck! It seems like many of the newer areas have these issues, but here it was especially bad last year. I think things will improve when the area around the school isn't under construction. The boundaries have been changed, so there won't be as many kids, and they are all within the community now. I know the developer also put in a walking path through a field - I hope that it's the school! It would cut down on the walk for many if they were using the sidewalk before.

The number of parents dropping their kids off is still ridiculous. I think they expect kids to walk a little too far, I don't think there are any buses as the boundary is too small.

 

[Carolla]

In the early days of the private school, I was involved in persuading them to install 'kiss & ride' lanes in their parking lot - this helped somewhat with congestion & flow, but the sheer volume of traffic is still problematic ... and likely always will be. I know if I leave for work at certain times, to go a different route to avoid the craziness.

 

[revjohn]

How do school zones in your area work?

As well as the driver passing through them.

Some years ago my eldest daughter did so well on educational assesments administered across the school board that she forced the school board to redefine how it identifies gifted students.

As a result she was allowed to enrol in an enriched educational program and was bussed to a new school from home.

Was that an eye opener.

The bus would stop at the end of our driveway and then chaos would begin as cars following the school bus would begin laying on their horns (apparently braking was not the first action taken by many) so many that we had a week of an unmarked car sitting on the median in front of our house photographing all of the license plates of cars that passed the school bus while its lights were flashing.

In all fairness most of the drivers passing along that part of the road interpret a yield sign as a dare to get to the intersection faster and in the first month of living at this new address I was forced to ask idiots to leave my driveway while they exchanged insurance numbers so I wouldn't be late for work.

We still hear the routine screech of tires, angry blaring of horns and exchange of pleasantries.

Most recently it was Saturday afternoon when my motorcycle loving neighbour who lives 95 feet further down the block was nearly creamed by a driver to busy trying to beat traffic they are supposed to yield to to do things like slow down or stop for traffic already in the lane.

We have a high-school two blocks north of us and traffic is supposed to slow to 40kph. I think most slow only to 40% of the maximum their vehicle can drive. It is a great place for officers needing to fill quotas and as a resident who has to avoid all of the missles north and south I get a kick out of those few days at the end of the month when an officer or two goes on a blitz for speeding motorists. I've even offered them a nicely hidden spot in our driveway with which to nab reckless motorists.

 

[ChemGal]

In the early days of the private school, I was involved in persuading them to install 'kiss & ride' lanes in their parking lot - this helped somewhat with congestion & flow, but the sheer volume of traffic is still problematic ... and likely always will be. I know if I leave for work at certain times, to go a different route to avoid the craziness.

They have a layby here (I think at most of the new schools) and it's only for drop off/pickup. It's a zoo. There are rules about keep moving to the front, but it seems to be an issue for some, and it's just not big enough. Some parents park in the handicapped spots - because they have to walk their kid into the school and they have babies/toddlers? I don't understand while able-bodied kids who are at least kindergarden age can't walk into the school without mommy or daddy (I'm not talking about the first day or sicknesses or something - this is a routine for some parents!)

Other parents drive and then park blocks from the school and walk with their kids - that makes me think buses would be worthwhile.

 

[Carolla]

This was an interesting road sign I saw in Newfoundland ... what do you think?

 

[ChemGal]

With how common autism is, when there's children around, it's better just to assume some of them might do something atypical. Even typical kids show atypical behaviour frequently enough to be cautious.

 

[Tabitha]

Haven't seen that one before-but have seen "Deaf Children". They are usually put up at parent's request.

Oops Just read all the way up the thread and saw Chemgal reference similar signs for Alberta School for the Deaf. The ones I mean are near the family's home-in residential areas

Here in BC we can ignore school zone signs for a bit longer. It's not a school day!

 

[revjohn]

This was an interesting road sign I saw in Newfoundland ... what do you think?

I see signs for Children with Autism all over the place.

I wish I had been able to take a picture of a sign I saw last year on the construction to the Trans Canada south of Corner Brook, NL. It looked something like a clown riding a unicycle and juggling.

I have no idea what it was supposed to mean.

 

[ChemGal]

I see signs for Children with Autism all over the place.

I wish I had been able to take a picture of a sign I saw last year on the construction to the Trans Canada south of Corner Brook, NL. It looked something like a clown riding a unicycle and juggling.

I have no idea what it was supposed to mean.

I might be more for them if I felt like they served a particular purpose. Deaf children - got it, they aren't going to be able to notice a horn or even the sound of a vehicle as readily. I don't know what I should be prepared for if there's an autistic child that I wouldn't already be doing as a driver if there's a child around.

 

[Seeler]

In this city it seems every school has a lighted signal on the street about a block from the school. It not only gives the speed limit for the school zone, it indicates the speed of each vehicle as it approached - thus I see that the speed limit is 30 and I am approaching at 43. I take my foot of the gas, touch the brake and slow to 28 and try to maintain this speed through the zone. I think that these signals are only activated during certain times during the day, and only on school days.

 

[ChemGal]

In this city it seems every school has a lighted signal on the street about a block from the school. It not only gives the speed limit for the school zone, it indicates the speed of each vehicle as it approached - thus I see that the speed limit is 30 and I am approaching at 43. I take my foot of the gas, touch the brake and slow to 28 and try to maintain this speed through the zone. I think that these signals are only activated during certain times during the day, and only on school days.

Interesting, we have those too, but they are just put in an area temporarily. I haven't actually seen them used in a school/playground zone, only 50 and 60 speed limit areas.

 

[Tabitha]

Kids with Autism are unpredictable ( well at least to those that don't know them). It's just to be prepared for a child darting out in front of you, not being aware of car, or doing other illogical things.

 

[ChemGal]

Kids with Autism are unpredictable ( well at least to those that don't know them). It's just to be prepared for a child darting out in front of you, not being aware of car, or doing other illogical things.

Sounds like kids though, right?

 

[Mendalla]

I drop Little M off at high school (it's on my way to work and school starts at 8:15 which is perfect for me to get to work for 8:30) and it's all fairly orderly, at least at the back where I drop him off. Does tie up traffic on the street that runs past the school driveway but I've seen very little idiocy beyond the odd person who has no idea how to deal with the all-way stop at the actual driveway entrance. But people not knowing how to manage all-way stops is endemic in Ontario so that has nothing to do with the school.

 

[Hilary]

Sounds like kids though, right?

In general, yes.
A neurotypical kid might see a car, make eye contact with the driver, and realise that it's not safe to enter the street.
You might think that the autistic kid saw the car, made eye contact... but if he already had it in his mind to run out - he's doing it! And you might see an older autistic kid who is developmentally still like a toddler. There are still times when we have to treat my 22 year old brother like a preschooler.

 

[Sterton]

In Nova Scotia it is 50km/h in a school zone that is normally like 80km/h but where the speed limit is normally 50km/h it drops to 30km/h "when children are present" which is very subjective.