MOOSE JAW - The City of Moose Jaw is one step closer to having school-zone speeds of 30 kilometres per hour after city council approved an updated traffic bylaw during its June 10 regular meeting.
City administration presented a traffic bylaw amendment during the meeting, which, among other things, reduces school-zone speeds from 40 km/h to 30 km/h and allows city crews to install hundreds of new speed-focused signs in those areas.
Of note, the fine for speeding in school or playground zones is $170, plus $8 for each kilometre per hour over 30 km/h.
Council voted 6-1 on each of the three readings, with Coun. Kim Robinson opposed. Since the vote was not unanimous, the amended bylaw will return to the June 24 meeting for final approval. Once that occurs, city hall can begin making changes.
Robinson said this was a difficult bylaw to vote against when it’s focused on children’s safety, but he thought that the city could do a better job of rolling it out. In particular, he didn’t see a need to change speed signs near the four South Hill schools that will close in 2025 and thought they should be left alone.
“Certainly, it’s been 40 km/h for a number of years. I don’t think one more year would have made that much difference,” he added.
The municipality has engaged in a considerable amount of consultation on this issue, while council has received many letters of endorsement from dozens of community groups in favour of the changes, said Coun. Crystal Froese.
Furthermore, changing the signs — 120 in school zones — will not be as expensive as council initially thought, while those pieces of infrastructure need to be changed regardless of whether the school zones disappear because of their age and quality, she continued.
“Changing the speed limit in school zones just makes it safer in general for our children,” Froese added. “And for the schools that are closing, when the new school opens, maybe we can take those signs and use them for the brand-new school area so they can be recycled.”
Coun. Jamey Logan said he had several calls from people about this, and for those opposed, they said they couldn’t afford the extra 10 seconds of driving slower through school zones.
“I told them to leave earlier. I don’t see an issue with this,” he remarked.
However, most calls he received were in favour, with people stressing that the city must enforce the new speeds once the signs are in place, Logan added. He hoped that the police levied fines once the signs were up and the “grace period” was over.
Coun. Doug Blanc had also received many calls and emails from people in favour of the changes, although some residents were frustrated that council was taking so long to amend the speeds.
He pointed out that it’s not just speeds but also the signs that require updating to ensure they meet national standards. Many signs are “all over the map” in quality, while some are faded and hard to read, and others are too close to schools and cause confusion.
Moreover, Blanc looked forward to the changes because they would address parking in front of schools, something he’s seen too many parents doing. These actions create blind spots for motorists who can’t see children wanting to cross the street.
“Yes, there are some schools that will close in a year, but most schools have playground locations. So that’s something we have to take into account,” he added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, June 24.
