Vehicles passing by schools will soon have to go slower.
City council approved a recommendation on Tuesday night to lower the speed limit in school zones from 50km/h to 40 km/h. The speed reduction would apply for an area that expands 150 metres in either direction from school properties, 24 hours a day.
Councillor Virginia Ridley, who has pushed for the speed reduction since last year, says it's a positive step.
"I'm thrilled council decided to support this motion," says Ridley. "It's important to the safety of children in our community and to promote active and healthy living."
A graph included in the staff report that recently went to committee shows the risk of a fatality for a pedestrian at 50 km/h is 70%. At 40 km/h the risk of death falls to 28%.
Ridley says the change won't be sprung on motorists.
"This will be paired with an education campaign. It will be paired with enforcement, and also engineering of the streets near schools, especially in new areas where we can go with a street design that's going to help to naturally decrease speed limits," says Ridley. "It's not just a matter of putting signs up and expecting a dramatic change, it's a matter of pairing all those things to create a safe zone around schools."
The new lower speed limit will be rolled out over the next two years to allow staff time to complete an implementation plan.