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School and Playground Zones

School and playground changes no in effect

Speed limit changes for schools and playgrounds are now in effect

Signs and updates to existing signs have been installed to reflect these changes. Map: zoom into your area to see all school and playground zones.

  1. Playground zones with reduced speed limits of 30 km/h;
  2. Year-round reduced speed limits in both school and playground zones 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  3. Adjustments to posted signs and length of current school zones; and
  4. Removal of reduced speed from high schools, where u-turns are still restricted. 

Getting children to and from school and where they play safely is everyone's responsibility. 

  • Young children tend to think cars can stop instantly.
  • Children believe that if they can see your car, you can see them.
  • Children under 10 do not accurately judge vehicle speed or distance.
  • Vehicle-pedestrian accidents involving children tend to result in serious injury, even death.
  • The penalty for speeding in a school zone is the same as any other speeding offense, resulting in fines and penalized three SGI demerit points.
Speed Limit Information and Signs

School Zones 

  • All school zones are in effect year-round, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 days a week.
  • Some school zone lengths have been adjusted and school zones will have new School Zone Ends signs.
  • U-turns are still restricted for all schools.
  • Children of elementary school age, when without parental supervision, are typically considered to be the most vulnerable due to their limited abilities to understand and anticipate vehicular traffic movements and their tendency to accidentally enter the roadway.
 School Zone Signs

High Schools and Schools with Lower Risk 

  • Where school zone signs do not include a posted speed limit, treat the sign as a caution and pay close attention.
  • U-turns are still restricted for all schools.  
  • Children of middle age and high school age are typically able to understand traffic and to control their own movements, as noted in the Transportation Association of Canada guidelines. 
  • These areas were rated as lower risk based on age of students, type of street, proximity to street and other variables to determine a reduction in speed is not warranted.
 School Area Sign

Playground Zones

  • Playground zones have a speed limit of 30 km/h in effect year-round from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 days a week.
  • This will be communicated with a sign at the beginning and end of the reduced speed zone.
  • Playground zones have been created for park spaces that have play equipment or programmed sports fields intended for children 14 and under. 
  • A lower speed limit where children play gives the driver more time to react, allows the driver to see more (field of vision) and gives the driver a chance to come to a complete stop sooner. 
 Playground Zone Signs
  • Where playground signs do not include a posted speed limit, treat the sign as a caution and pay close attention.
  • This may occur at playgrounds and fields intended for children older than 14 years, or streets where play equipment is physically separated from traffic.
 School area sign
What is the Difference between a Zone and an Area?
How does reducing the speed limit make a difference?

Slowing from 50 km/h to 30 km/h gives the driver more time to react, allows the driver to see more (field of vision) and gives the driver a chance to come to a complete stop faster. Children are more vulnerable to severe injury in a crash than adults, so should a crash occur, it is less likely that it would have severe consequences at a reduced speed.