Turner Valley council wants drivers to slow down in the playground zone behind the community’s elementary school.
Councillors expressed their frustration on Nov. 7 over the number of motorists speeding on Edward Avenue behind Turner Valley School. Peace officers have issued 15 tickets and 25 warnings on the street this year.
“It’s construction vehicles and also parents that are speeding through that area,” said Mayor Kelly Tuck.
“I want tickets written. If you hit people in the pocket book maybe they’ll stop speeding.”
Speed limits on residential roads in Turner Valley were dropped from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr in April, with the exception of Sunset Blvd., Valley Trail, 16th Avenue and Decalta Road’s non-residential area.
Councillors also extended playground zone times to 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
As the new speed limits came into effect in the spring, the Town launched an awareness campaign distributed via social media, the Internet and signage, as well as an increased presence of peace officers.
“It’s ludicrous that people still speeding in this town,” said Tuck. “It’s generated a lot of complaints behind that back part of the school. These are our kids. I want them to go to and from school safely.”
Coun. Dona Fluter said while it’s important to continue getting the message out to the public, there’s a point where people have to be responsible for their behaviour.
“Why do you have to babysit 24/7, how about people be accountable for their behavior,” she said. “Is it worth it to get home 30 seconds earlier?”
Turner Valley School principal James Holladay is also concerned.
“Traffic has been picking up there with the construction of the new neighbourhood (Country Meadows),” he said. “The morning traffic coming and leaving the neighbourhood can be pretty busy.
“There have been incidents where people have not stopped for kids in the crosswalk.”
While there have been near misses, Holladay isn’t aware of any children being struck by vehicles on that crosswalk or street.
Trever Bowman, peace officer supervisor, said Edward Avenue is an area of concern.
“We have identified certain areas that require an increase in enforcement and presence to provide education to not only our residents but anyone visiting that they need to slow down because safety is a number one priority with us,” he said.
“Edward Avenue has been identified as an area that requires some extra enforcement. Our goal is to provide a high presence so people see we are out enforcing the speed limit.”
Bowman said speeds in the playground zone, when being exceeded, often range between 40 and 60 km/hr.
“Most of these residential areas have narrow streets,” he said.
“Lowering the speed limit decreases the person’s reaction time should a child jump out in front of them.”
Bowman said peace officers issue an average of seven to 10 tickets each month in residential areas.
“Residents need to be more cognizant of where they live,” he said. “Occasionally the people we stop is the people who complain (about other motorists speeding).”
Bowman said the Town is working on erecting crosswalk signs and exploring the use of an electronic mobile speed sign for Edward Avenue.
“It will give us an idea of what our high times are,” he said. “We can use that information to better plan our objective.”
Motorists found speeding in the playground zone could face a $105 fee and two demerit points for traveling 10 km/hr over the speed limit to a $357 fee and four demerit points for traveling 40 km/hr over the limit.
