New Westminster is waiting for more information about a proposal to extend speed limit hours around local schools.
A March 13 report to council stated the province’s Motor Vehicle Act specifies that school zone speed limits are in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days, unless extended times are stated on signage. It noted, however, that some Metro Vancouver municipalities are beginning to extend their school zone speed limit hours, with Vancouver’s speed limit hours being effect 24 hours a day, Burnaby’s operating from 7 a.m. to 10 pm. on school days and Langley Township’s being in place 24 hours a day on school days only.
In February, council received a letter from the New Westminster District Parents Advisory Council asking that school zone speed limits be in effect between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., so they’re aligned with the hours in place around Burnaby schools. At the Feb. 27 meeting, council approved a motion by Coun. Tasha Henderson to report back on the issue, including the length of the extension (i.e. 24 hours or 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.); potential impacts to neighbourhoods, transit and traffic management; any budget implications; and other concerns.
In response to the motion and the letter from DPAC, staff say they have requested information from Vancouver, Burnaby and Langley Township to better understand whether there have been any documented improvements to road safety and speed compliance with extended school zone limit hours. Staff will also be contacting other municipalities to see if they’re considering or already planning similar action.
“Extending school zone speed limit hours would have implications on NWPD resources, especially for certain school zones on busier roads where self-enforcing traffic-calming measures are less feasible,” said the report. “Further review and reach is required to determine the merits and potential unintended consequences.”
The city’s transportation division has a multi-year capital project to improve traffic calming measures around 14 schools in the city, with a number of traffic-calming initiatives, including speed humps and temporary curb extensions, having been implemented and other initiatives planned over the next several years.
Council received the March 13 report for information.
Mayor Patrick Johnstone said staff will be writing a separate report for council, in response to Henderson’s motion.
Coun. Daniel Fontaine asked that the next report include more information about the financial impacts of changing the hours of enforcement of speeds in school zones. He’d also like some statistics about the level of enforcement that’s currently happening in school zones.
“I have had a number of people who have raised the issue of lack of enforcement in the current 30-kilometre zone,” he said. “So they just want to make sure that, if we're going to expand this to 24/7 or something similar to that, that we discuss what the current existing enforcement is with the current 30-kilometre zone.”
Lisa Leblanc, the city’s director of engineering, said staff can ensure that information is included in the report.
“The intention is for the report that comes back to be a comprehensive report that includes all of the implications, financial and otherwise with respect to this,” she said. “We have already engaged with the police department on this and have further analytical work to do with them.”
DPAC chair Laura Kwong, appearing before council at its Feb. 13 meeting, said school facilities include the buildings, playgrounds, fields and adjacent city park spaces that are used by many different community groups, organizations and individuals outside of the current school zone enforcement hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Schools are community hubs and, as community hubs, policy that regulates their usage should encompass all users at all hours,” she said.
