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Typically, speed limits in school and playground zones are only in effect at certain times.
In Vancouver, it’s on weekdays from 8 am until 5 pm and school zones even take a couple months off in the summer.
That’s all about to change, however, as Vancouver City Council has approved a proposal to implement a 30 km/h speed limit in school and playground zones at all times.
That’s right, that means 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days per year.
It stems from a report put together by the Vancouver Police Department, ICBC and Vancouver Coastal Health, which outlines the vast safety benefits of a constant lower speed limit.
“Slower motor vehicle speeds dramatically improve safety for people walking and cycling,” the report said.
When a car collides with a pedestrian while driving 30 km/h, there’s a 15% fatality rate, but that skyrockets up to 80% when the car is going 50 km/h, the current speed limit for residential streets.
Not only will all school and playground zones have a 30 km/h speed limit at all times, the City also approved a “slow zone” pilot project to experiment with the slower speed limit on other residential streets.
The first of those slow zones will be in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood in the area bounded by Clark Drive, 1st Avenue, Commercial Drive and North Grandview Highway.
We’re moving ahead with several measures to make Vancouver roads safer, including reduced-speed-limit pilots. We’re also opening up bike lanes to private e-scooters and monowheels. https://t.co/IIWuxF9mCt pic.twitter.com/xG8f14UtEk
— City of Vancouver (@CityofVancouver) July 8, 2020