Tap your brakes, because speed limits on regional roads adjacent to schools could be reduced before summer.
York Region council is considering a report and recommendation from staff to decrease speed limits in school zones on regional roads by 10 kilometres per hour.
While this move would impact speed limits in front of 64 elementary and secondary schools region-wide, in Newmarket there are three spots that would be affected: Bayview Avenue in front of Pickering College, Bathurst Street in front of St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School and Mulock Drive in front of Newmarket High School.
“The province has introduced a new school-zone maximum speed sign with a reduced speed limit to allow the use of automated speed enforcement in school zones,” noted Ann-Marie Carroll, acting commissioner of transportation services in her report at a committee of the whole meeting on Thursday morning.
“A 10 km/h reduced speed limit in school locations and use of the new school-zone maximum speed sign will promote consistency, ease of enforcement and permit the use of automated speed enforcement.”
The report also sought council approval to apply a consistent approach in school zones adjacent to regional roads.
On Bayview Avenue, a 40 km/h when flashing sign will be replaced with 40 km/h sign. On the affected areas on Bathurst Street and Mulock Drive, speed limits will be reduced from 60 to 50 kilometres per hour.
According to the staff report, costs to manufacture and install new school zone maximum speed signs at all elementary and secondary schools are approximately $60,000. The cost to remove all flashing beacons from 22 existing locations is approximately $30,000. Funding for this initiative is included in the region’s approved 2021 transportation services operating budget.
During yesterday’s meeting, the recommendation was passed without discussion. The decision will still need to be ratified at the next regular meeting of York Region council.
If passed, the signs will be replaced starting this spring.
