Designated playground zones serve an important role keeping pedestrians – especially children – safe.
In 2016, The City finished consolidating school zones and playground zones into a single zone with fixed hours. This was done in consultation with and with the support of the Calgary Police Service, the Alberta Motor Association, Calgary Board of Education, Calgary Catholic School District and other municipalities in Alberta
The new fixed hours reflect the times pedestrians are using playground zones, and give motorists consistent and specific times that are easy to remember.
The University of Calgary, through the Urban Alliance Partnership, conducted an evaluation of School and Playground Harmonization to independently determine the impacts the changes had on safety.
The key findings indicated of the evaluation, The Review of School and Playground Zone Harmonization in Calgary (September 2017), are summarized below: