Saskatoon council committee endorses year-round school zones, new playground zones

Drivers may need to watch their speed around schools and playgrounds if a proposal is passed at Saskatoon city council.

On Monday, councillors on the city's transportation committee endorsed a plan that would create new playground zones with a speed limit of 30 km/h.

The plan would also bring in year-round speed limits for both school and playground zones, seven days a weekfrom 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CST.

"Children don't play in playgrounds just when school is on," Coun. Bev Dubois, chair of the transportation committee, told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

"We want to ensure that that the kids and that all people are safe when they're in playgrounds and around those areas."

Another proposal that would set up slower speed zones around seniors homes and other places with a high concentration of elderly people was rejected.

The proposals were part of a wider look at speed zones and traffic safety in Saskatoon.

The committee also endorsed removing speed limits from high schools, although u-turns would still not be permitted in the area.

"I just don't think we need high school zones," said Dubois.

"The kids in high school, a lot of them are adults, they're driving and a lot of the high school zones are on arterial roads, which really backs up traffic."

Dubois said that the new playground zones may be confusing, and said that the new zones may be in areas far away from schools. Traffic signs would be set up at all the new zones.

If approved, the new rules would be in place sometime next year.

The proposal will go before Saskatoon city council at its next meeting on Nov. 29.