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School zone sign changes nearly complete: City of Regina

Sign changes in school zones are nearly complete as the new bylaw changing speeds in those areas is set to comes into effect on Sept. 1.

New school zone speed bylaw comes into effect on Sept. 1

Bryan Eneas · CBC News ·
A picture of a posted speed limit in a school zone.
As of Sept. 1, all school zones in Regina will have a 30 kilometre per hour speed limit between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. every day. (Daniella Ponticelli/CBC)

Sign changes in Regina's school zones are nearly complete, just in time for a new speed bylaw to come into effect, the city says.

Earlier this year, Regina city council voted in favour of reducing speed limits in school zones from 40 kilometres per hour to 30 kilometres per hour, in what the city says is an effort to reduce the risk of collisions in school zones.

Crashes at the lower speed are also potentially less catastrophic, according to reports submitted to council.

The change comes into effect on Sept. 1, but city staff started changing signage in school zones in June.  

Faisal Kalim, the city's manager of traffic engineering, said that amount of time was needed because the city has to change roughly 1,200 signs in 90 school zones. 

He estimated Tuesday crews have changed out about 90 per cent of the signs. 

"As of Sept. 1, we will be complete," Kalim said. "As of next week, every school zone in the city will be slowing down to 30 kilometres per hour." 

The new speed limit will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

Kalim noted some school zones may be near playground zones, which still have the 40 kilometre per hour speed limit posted.

Faisal Kalim, the City of Regina's roadways engineer, says about 90 per cent the school zone speed signs have been changed. The rest will be finished before the new bylaw comes into effect, he said. (Bryan Eneas/CBC)

Kalim said the city plans to change signs in those areas, if needed, once the school zone speed change program is completed.

"We're going to prioritize the [playgrounds] that are near school zones and then we will probably continue into the new year with changing out all the playgrounds across the city," he said.

Some zones shorter than before

Kalim said one of the city's priorities was to shorten school zone distances to make sure people are slowing down when they need to.

Crews are completing the last few sign changes in school zones. (Daniella Ponticelli/CBC)

Some school zones are shorter now due to the change, and some crosswalks that were previously inside a school zone are now outside of one.

That doesn't mean they're any less safe, according to Kalim.

"Having the shorter zone is more beneficial and having a crosswalk at [a location that's] 50 kilometres per hour isn't inherently unsafe," he said.

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