Extending School Zones Hours
In March 2022, Council tasked Administration to bring back a report around the costs and implications associated with changing the current school zones from the current times to 8:30 am until 4:30 pm.
Playground and school zone speeds are established under the Provincial Traffic Safety Act. Default playground and school zone effective times are established under the Use of Highway and Rules of the Road Regulation. The province allows for municipalities to set their own bylaws to change playground and school zone effective times from default times to better fit their context, should they wish. This has resulted in inconsistent laws regarding playground and school zone effective times across the province.
Currently, the Town of Slave Lake follows the provincial default effective times for school and playground zones:
- Playground zones: 8:30 am - one hour after sunset.
- School zones: on school days:
- 8:00 am - 9:30 am
- 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Playground/School Area vs. Playground/School Zone
In a playground or school area, the advisory sign is posted without a black and white speed sign attached to the post. It is intended as a warning to alert drivers that a facility is near and to be cautious that children may be close by however, the speed limit does not change from the previously posted limit.
A playground or school zone has a black and white 30 km/h sign attached below the advisory sign. Drivers must stay within the maximum posted speed during the times the zone is in effect.
We Want to Hear From You!
Mayor and Council have tasked Town Administration with investigating the options (and associated costs) for extending or modifying the current School Zone effective times. We are currently examining three options for consideration and are seeking input from citizens. Please see below for a summary of the three (3) options being considered as well as a poll for you to select which option you would like to see the Town pursue:
Option 1: Extend School Zone Hours
Adopt a bylaw which creates all-day school zones (7:30 am - 4:30 pm).
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Addresses current concerns about school zone effective times for all students on regular and early dismissal school days. | Does not provide reduced speed limit for children/youth accessing the playground and sports facilities on evenings, weekends, and during the summer. |
| Single time frame and tabs on the signs will add clarity for motorists. | Will have a small impact on traffic flow on collector roads during morning peak times. |
| Consistent with school stakeholder requests. | Some drivers will be unhappy with reduced speed limits at times they do not feel are necessary for safety. |
| Consistent with provincial municipal trend towards all-day reduced speed limits at schools, while still considering Slave Lake's traffic safety context. | Will create an increased demand for enforcement that cannot be satisfied without taking resources from other roads/highways. |
Option 2: Harmonize Playground and School Zones
Adopt a bylaw creating playground effective times of 7:30 am to 9:00 pm, and sign all schools as playgrounds.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Addresses current concerns about school zone effective times for all students on regular and early dismissal school days and provides reduced speed limit for children/youth accessing the playground and sports facilities on evenings, weekends, and during the summer. | Will create a high demand for enforcement that cannot be satisfied without taking resources from other roads/highways. |
| Harmonized zones and tabs on the signs will add a high degree of clarity for motorists. | Will have a greater impact on traffic flow on collector roads during morning peak times. |
| Consistent with school stakeholder requests. | Some drivers will be unhappy with reduced speed limits at times they do not feel are necessary for safety. |
Option 3: Make No Change
Make no change.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Will not impact traffic flow on many collector roads during morning or evening peak times. | Does not address current concerns about school zone effective times for all students on regular and early dismissal school days. |
| Allows traffic safety resources to be spent on other roads where there are high occurrences of incidents. | Not consistent with school stakeholder requests. Likely to disappoint some residents. |
Please vote for an Option below. There is also space to provide Additional Comments by clicking on the Additional Comments Tab in the Tools Section Below.
