Photo 87288336 © Amelia Martin | Dreamstime.com
Work continues in Edson to bring some consistency to their school and playground zones.
Back in January 2022, Edson town council voted to harmonize the Town’s playground and school zones. Under the new plan, all playground and school zones will have a speed limit of 30 km/h between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily.
At council’s June 7, 2022 meeting, Town administration delivered an update as to how the project is going.
Administration had consulted with the Edson RCMP, the schools, and the public at large.
Edson RCMP was very receptive to plan, and even suggested that certain zones be shortened or lengthened. Administration readily accepted their suggestions.
While the schools did not respond to the Town’s survey on the matter, school administrators supported the plan in one-on-one meetings.
For public consultations, administration conducted a survey. Only 14 people responded to the survey, and administration described the comments as varying wildly. One consistent comment was that people found the time range of 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. to be too extreme.
Council defended the times.
Councillor Peter Taylor pointed out it is very accommodating to extracurricular activities at the schools.
“I have drama rehearsals starting at 7:30. Our football team begins at 6:30 in the morning,” explained Taylor. “It is not a question of seeing anyone on the streets. I like this plan because it is proactive.”
Mayor Kevin Zahara was also in favour of the times. Zahara understood that the debate about what times are appropriate could go on forever.
“You go by Griffiths Park at 11:30 at night, and there are 50 kids there playing basketball,” explained Zahara. “So you could have those arguments all day long, but I think the consistency is what we are trying to aim for here.”
Zahara then asked about enforcement. Administration explained that their main focus will be on information and education at first, to make sure people know about the changes.
The new zones will be going into effect throughout the summer, with the Town hoping to have all the signs changed by the start of the new school year.
You can learn more information about the changes at www.edson.ca/zones.
