When A School Zone Becomes A School Area

Apparently, since the city did the upgrades to 116th Ave (just north of Crystal Park School) there's been some confusion in the public. Residents have been calling the city with reports of people speeding through the school zone but the thing is; there's no longer a "School Zone" there.

In addition to twinning the street the city also added a proper sidewalk along the south side of the street, fencing along the school property and a new pedestrian controlled crosswalk at the 92nd street intersection at the entrance to the Crystal Lake neighbourhood. (you could say we've finally made it into a "Complete Street")

With these improvements the School Zone and it's 30km/h speed limit was no longer warranted. So now it's designated as a "School Area" and has a 50km/h speed limit. Personally I still think it's a good idea to slow down a bit and make sure you're paying extra attention (why wouldn't you?).

More details in the city media release below:


Media Release
November 24, 2009
Crystal Park School Roadway Rezoned

Recent improvements to 116 Avenue have resulted in speed limit changes near Crystal Park School.

The section of road, adjacent to Crystal Park School is now considered a School Area, rather then a School Zone. Therefore, the speed limit of 30 km/h no longer applies.

School Areas and School Zones are determined by national guidelines. The criteria for allowing a section of road to become a School Area instead of a School Zone include having good sidewalk links, crosswalks, fencing in place, controlled access points and schools being set back from the road.

“The decision to move to a School Area was made in conjunction with the Grande Prairie Public School District,” says Colin Farynowski, Transportation Engineering Supervisor. “The safety of children was of prime consideration. This was addressed with the roadway enhancements and associated improvements.”

The pedestrian activated crossings at 92 and 96 Streets on 116 Avenue, separate sidewalks on both sides of the street, and fencing along the entire length of the school have reduced the need for school speed restrictions.

116 Avenue was twinned earlier this year prompting the improvements to the area surrounding Crystal Park School.

Kateri Drive, near Derek Taylor Public School, is also signed as a School Area. The Lions Learning Centre on Prairie Road is another example of a School Area in Grande Prairie.

Media enquiries may be directed to:
Colin Farynowski
Transportation Engineering Supervisor
(780)538-0361

Child Care Forum Set for Monday, June 23rd

With a very young population it's no surprise that childcare is big concern for many in Grande Prairie. It can be very difficult to find daycare spaces for the very young kids and for many working families after school care is just as big an issue. A couple of years ago staff presented council with a study looking at the issue and it's led to us supporting things like the expansion of Cool-aid to the south side of the city, the arrival of YMCA in our community and the beginnings of some unique partnerships with the two school boards.

At our spring retreat council decided really dig in a little deeper and to take the bull by the horns. So we directed administration to organize a forum to bring all the community stakeholders together. The idea is to get parents, teachers, caregivers, the school boards and the city n one room so we can start to come up with a plan on how to attack the issue in a coordinated manner.

Of course over the summer it can be difficult to get people together so the intent was to have some kind of community discussion happen sooner rather than later.

The meeting details are on the poster below:



If you are a parent or work in the childcare area this is an especially important meeting. There will be information on things that are happening now that might make things easier for you, and you can help us by identifying where the gaps are. Plan on attending.

City / School Board Partnership

The GP Catholic School Board has posted the floor plans for the new Mother Teresa School that will open on the southeast side of the city sometime in 2008. The floor plans highlight the involvement of the city, which contributed to the construction of the school. The city provided money to expand one gym to a size that is useable for adult recreation AND to build an additional gymnasium. floor plan

The recreation masterplan full plan pdf spotlighted the many areas where we are short in space for people to spend their off hours. I think this is an innovative way to address that need - we are also doing the same with the Public School Board but they don't seem to have the plans on line. It cost the city about $4m for each school which is much less than it would have cost us to build these as stand alone projects, plus they will be up and running much sooner than if we had done it ourselves.

I wonder who's good idea that was ... (check item #7)