Drivers will have to lay off the gas in school zones this summer as the City of Moose Jaw continues to move its speed limits from 40 down to 30 kilometres per hour to enhance residents’ safety – and to catch up with the rest of the province in the Safe Routes to School project.
At a July 11 press conference, representatives of SGI, the City of Moose Jaw, and the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) delivered a reminder for residents as the project officially reached its half-way mark.
Effective Monday Sept. 2, at 11:59 p.m., the new speed limit of 30 km/h will be enforced at all marked school zones in Moose Jaw following a grace period now in effect. The date was chosen to coincide with the reopening of schools in the fall.
Meanwhile, the new speed limits will technically come into effect immediately after these signs are posted. Eight of the 11 school zones are now completed, and the city hopes to see all signage completed by early August.
The new time window is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., contrasting with the previous range of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and some out of province municipalities that run until as late as 9 p.m. daily.
The Safe Routes to School project is part of the amended traffic bylaw adopted by the city during its June 24 council meeting. The purpose is “To improve safety within our school zones and to create uniformity with the provincial standard set by all other Saskatchewan municipalities…,” according to an official statement.
“We were told by SGI and by SUMA that we (Moose Jaw) were the last municipality in this province to move from 40 kilometres an hour to 30 kilometres an hour in school… and playground zones,” Mayor Clive Tolley said in his address.
Mayor Tolley said he was reminded about the reason for the change on his way to attend the morning’s press conference.
“When I walked in here (the Kinsmen Sportsplex) this morning, I parked across the street, and I used the crosswalk. I had to avoid a vehicle that was going about 50 kilometres an hour in what is now a 40 zone…”
Tolley said statistics give firm evidence that there are less serious injuries caused during an accident at 30 km/h as compared to 40 km/h – and less accidents in general.
“It’s.. all about… protecting our children,” he said. “Anybody who’s out walking or enjoying the outdoors… would (also) appreciate traffic moving a little bit slower around schools and playgrounds.”
He also pointed to the city’s Get A Life campaign, which states that anyone can get to their in-town destination in five to 15 minutes.
To this end, Hayley Hart-Rushinko, the city’s acting manager of communications, said Coun. Logan timed his commute from Sunningdale to city hall and found the change added only nine seconds overall.
Bourassa reiterated that drivers who continue to follow the previous 40-kilometre rule in these zones will be given a warning until the grace period has concluded.
“People may get pulled over and be warned by police officers for speeds above 40 kilometres per hour in those zones,” he confirmed. “We know how hard it is to change habits. People have been driving down these roads at these speeds for years and years, and we know it’s going to take people time to adjust to that.”
To learn more about the Safe Routes to School project, visit MooseJaw.ca/Streets-Roads.
