News coverage:

Strategic Panning: Vision Zero

Push on for zero traffic deaths; Officials set to propose strategy likely to annoy some motoristsPublication: Edmonton JournalDate: Fri Mar 6 2015 Page: A3Section: City &RegionByline: Elise StolteSource: Edmonton JournalStory Type: NewsLength: 609 Words

Edmonton's traffic safety officials are pitching a new "Vision Zero" approach to traffic safety that is just as certain to tick off motorists as it is to save lives.

Already, Edmonton traffic gurus are increasing congestion by removing the kind of right turn lanes that allow vehicles to bypass traffic lights, and reducing opportunities for motorists to turn left on a regular green light.

But it's paying off in reduced deaths and hospital admissions. Last year, 23 people were killed and 385 suffered major injuries on Edmonton roads, down from an average of 29 deaths and 500 serious injuries between 2006 and 2010. That's despite the increase in population.

Edmonton started its push for traffic safety in the days of former mayor Bill Smith after a series of high-profile fatalities. The Office of Traffic Safety was formed to analyze collision data.

When the office brings its new five-year business plan to councillors in April, executive director Gerry Shimko will urge them to adopt an approach called Vision Zero or Safe Systems.

Building on a Swedish initiative, Chicago, New York and Seattle are among cities adopting the philosophy that collisions will happen, but they don't need to be fatal.

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"What does it take to make it safe for everyone?" said Shimko, a former police officer. "We'll adapt that to Edmonton."

As for increasing congestion, Shimko is unapologetic. "We've made a conscious decision to put traffic safety over volume."

Q: What's behind the current reduction in deaths?

The biggest contributor to Edmonton collisions were the right turn lanes that bypass traffic lights at major intersections. Drivers have to watch for pedestrians, plus look over their shoulder to merge into traffic. They get rear-ended when they hit the breaks.

Edmonton reconstructed 18 right turn lanes since 2009 and aims to do several more. At each location, injuries have been reduced by an average of 75 per cent.

Drivers have trouble judging the speed of oncoming traffic when making a left turn and the side-impact collision can be deadly. Edmonton added advance left turn signals to 52 intersections, virtually eliminating the problem at those spots.

Q: What steps would Edmonton consider under Vision Zero?

Shimko expects resistance, but aiming for zero fatalities means reconsidering speed limits, especially in high pedestrian locations. The human body can normally survive getting hit at 30 kilometres per hour, but the survival rate decreases rapidly as speed increases.

In Edmonton, the areas of Whyte Avenue, downtown and along 97th Street in central Edmonton are injury hot spots and may need to be zoned 30 or 40 kilometres per hour.

A campaign to increase the visibility of people walking could be paired with speed reductions, since many fatalities happen when days get shorter. "We could go to the local design community," Shimko said. "What could you design that people might wear?" Finally, Alberta could follow B.C.'s example and let police seize vehicles for excessive speeding or stunting. It saw fatal speed-related collisions drop 33 per cent.

Q: You've given a lot of energy to the issue of traffic safety. Is there a personal experience that drives you?

"I used to live downtown near 107th Avenue and 105th Street. I was about to cross the street and there was a classic situation with a vehicle stopping for a pedestrian," Shimko said.

"A seven-year-old child, female, blond hair, started to cross. I saw the vehicle approaching in the No. 2 lane, where there was a stopped vehicle, and quickly make a change to the No. 1 lane. Then I saw the child being struck, like a rag doll bouncing under this pickup truck. It was a fatality. It's one of those things that you never forget."

estolte@edmontonjournal. com twitter.com/estolte • Shaughn Butts, Edmonton Journal / One of the biggest improvements Edmonton has made toward reducing fatalities and major collision injuries has been re-engineering many right turn lanes. This intersection at 23rd Avenue and 91st Street is next on Gerry Shimko's list, if he can get funding from council.

CBC Radio – Radio Active (March 6): Interview with City of Edmonton Office of Traffic Safety Director Gerry Shimko about the City’s efforts to improve traffic safety. (no link)CBC Radio – Speed limits on some major city streets could drop to 40 km per hour. As well, there will be rallies at two west end schools today to get drivers to slow down. (no link)

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CBC TV - RAW: The story behind the numbersiNews880/630 Ched - “Vision Zero” looks to dramatically increase traffic safety in Edmonton

School zone issue

Pre-event media:

Rally against speeders

The Edmonton Sun - NewsClaire Theobald, Edmonton SunCTV – no linkCityTV – no link

Post event media:

Students stage rush-hour rally to slow cars down; Violations remain high in school zone 30 km/h limits, says officialPublication: Edmonton JournalDate: Tue Mar 10 2015 Page: A5Section: City &RegionByline: Andrea SandsSource: Edmonton JournalStory Type: NewsLength: 441 Words

Grades 5 and 6 students stood along the curb outside two west Edmonton schools Monday morning, cheering drivers who cruised by slowly and shouting at others to "Go 30."

"I think I'm going to lose my voice from all this yelling," said Grade 5 student Madison Cooper outside Bessie Nichols School at 189 Hemingway Rd.

The rush-hour rally was part of city, police and school efforts to remind motorists to stop speeding through school zones.

School zones were established in Edmonton in September and require drivers to slow to 30 km/h between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on school days, where signs are posted.

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But violation number s remain high, said Dennis Tetreault, speed management and traffic-safety supervisor for the city's office of traffic safety.

"It is tough to drive 30 (km/h) for a lot of people, but you just have to be aware of where the school zones are and watch for the signs," Tetreault said. "And when you see kids, it's time to slow down."

At the same time the students in west Edmonton waved handmade signs telling passing motorists to "Stop speeding," and "Lose a minute, not a life," a kindergarten student on the other side of the city was knocked over by a slow-moving school bus.

At about 8:30 a.m., three children were walking across Mill Woods Road in a marked crosswalk outside Holy Family Catholic Elementary-Junior High School when the boy was bumped from behind.

The bus hit the boy's backpack and he fell.

Outside Bessie Nichols School, Grade 5 student Anna Chernihovsky, 11, said she hopes Monday's rally will convince drivers to drive safely. "I saw some drivers that would slow down, wave and honk their horns," Anna said as she stood with her classmates on Hemingway Road.

Parent Cecilia Chaulk said she won't let her son, in Grade 4 at Bessie Nichols, walk to school alone because of traffic near the school. He nearly was hit by a vehicle last year while the pair rode bikes to school, Chaulk said. "It is pretty dangerous."

Here are some of the key numbers around school-zone speed enforcement: 18,000 speeding tickets have been issued in school zones around Edmonton since authorities started enforcing the 30 km/h limit in September.

7,000 warnings went out before tickets were issued. 200 students in Grades 5 and 6 rallied outside Sister Annata Brockman Catholic School and Bessie Nichols School Monday to remind motorists to slow down.

93 km/h was the highest recorded speed in a school zone. That was Sept. 9 on Rutherford Road.

14 per cent of vehicles monitored in Edmonton school zones have been speeding. 21 per cent of vehicles monitored near Sister Annata Brockman and Bessie Nichols schools have been speeding.

Illustration: • John Lucas, Edmonton Journal / Ashton Barton, 11, looks through EPS Sgt. David Green's laser radar with students from Bessie Nichols and Sister Annata Brockman schools during a rally urging motorists to slow down in the school zone in west Edmonton on Monday.

Edmonton kindergartener struck at crosswalk as students protest school zone speeders

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Students from Bessie Nichols School shout at cars driving past their school to slow down as part of a protest school zone speeders earlier earlier this month.

The same day students rallied against drivers speeding through schools zones in west Edmonton, a Millwoods kindergarten student was struck by a bus at a marked crosswalk. The Holy Family student, who was bumped in the back by a school bus while crossing the street, suffered a few minor bumps and bruises and was treated on scene by paramedics, said ECS spokesperson Lori Nagy. Despite the minor incident, west Edmonton parent Lynda Sherman said it’s only a matter of time before another student is injured due to school zone speeders.

For Sherman, it’s very common to see drivers race through school zones especially near Sister Annata Brockman School. “We find that the parents seem to not be focused on the pedestrian and maybe in too much of a rush and on a cellphone,” she said. Hemingway Road — the street in front of both Sister Annata Brockman and Bessie Nichols School — is notorious for speeding cars, Sherman said.

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According to city stats, more than 17,000 photo radar tickets have been clocked in schools zones throughout Edmonton since the new school zone speed limit was introduced six months ago. Some cars have even been clocked at driving 57 km/h over the limit. For most Edmonton school zones 14 per cent of drivers speed, while at near Bessie Nichols and Sister Annata, the number of speeders is closer to 21 per cent, city data shows. “The violations are flagrant and the frustration of the drivers is significant and I’m very concerned that’s going to result in a tragedy,” Sherman said. Sherman’s son Charlie said sometimes he feels like his safety is in danger when heading to school. “It’s very icy so if you try to stop, you can slide and you might hit someone,” he said. As students waved signs and shouted, “Slow down, save lives,” Edmonton Police Sgt. David Green said it’s too bad the children even had to rally in the first place. “They just want people to slow down for them and that’s pretty reasonable,” he said. Green, who’s own sister was killed at 16-years-old when she tried to cross the street, said losing a loved one to speeding should never happen. “I sincerely hope nobody else has to go through that, but the sad reality is there are going to be others who have to,” he said.

CBC TV – School zone protest asks drivers to mind speed limitsCBC Radio - Dennis Tetrault - School ZonesCTV – Students rally against speedersGlobal TV – Edmonton students calling on drivers to slow down in school zonesCityTV – story done but no linkiNews880/630 Ched – Students rally to urge drivers to slow down

Frontpage/ EPIC FAIL ; Whopping 1,065 school-zone speeding tickets handed out in ONE DAY! ;Publication: The Edmonton Sun Date: Tue Feb 3 2015 Page: 1Section: NewsByline: Source: Story Type: Length: 1Word

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DRIVERS ZONE OUT ; On Jan. 26, photo radar catches a record 1,065 motorists speeding by schools Publication: The Edmonton SunDate: Tue Feb 3 2015 Section: NewsByline: Kevin Maimann Edmonton Sun

The city's fight against school zone speeding is moving at a crawl.

Photo radar caught 1,065 drivers speeding in 13 different school zones on Jan. 26 alone -- the highest number recorded in one day since enforcement began on school zone limits of 30 km/h in November 2014.

A total of 3,515 violations were recorded through all of November.

"It's a little alarming that we're still seeing this," said transportation services manager Gord Cebryk.

The highest speed recorded on Jan. 26 was 76 km/h.

Cebryk said the increase is especially concerning given the city's fluctuating winter weather.

"Pedestrians, particularly children, are vulnerable. And it's really tough, particularly in weather like this, for a pedestrian to survive if they are hit by a vehicle," he said.

"So the slower a driver is going, the better chance they have to avoid a collision and the better chance the pedestrian has to cross the road safely."

The city rotates its photo radar cameras among schools across Edmonton on different days.

Between 10 per cent and 30 per cent of vehicles driving through school zones will be caught speeding on a typical day, Cebryk said.

More than 80 per cent of violations are for 11 km/h above the limit or higher, and 50 per cent are 15 km/h or higher.

Drivers are also being ticketed for going 6 km/h to 10 km/h over the posted limit in school zones, but would not be ticketed for the same violation on higher-speed roads.

Cebryk said that while the number of speeders is up, those who are getting caught are speeding a little bit slower.

"Progress is coming but it's happening slowly," Cebryk said.

"It's going to take an ongoing program to continue to make that impact on drivers. It's not going to happen overnight, we have to be consistent."

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Edmonton Public School Board Trustee Michael Janz said the roads are "treacherous" and school zone safety is a key priority for the board.

"I hear regularly from community members who are concerned about safety around our schools," he said.

City police spokesperson Scott Pattison said officers have not noticed a significant increase in speeders while doing manned enforcement in school zones, but added police do not have the manpower for frequent enforcement.

"There's a reason why they brought (school zones) back," he said. "Certainly there's enough evidence to suggest that it's a worthwhile endeavour and people need to watch their speeds, especially now in the winter months."

Speeding tickets are $89 for driving 10 km/h over the limit, and $124 for driving 20 km/h over.

Illustration: • photo by David Bloom, Edmonton Sun • Traffic makes its way through a 30 km/h school zone near 106 Street and 60 Avenue on Monday. Enforcement of school zone speed limits began in November.

CBC Radio - Edmonton drivers alerted after school zone speeding nearly quadruplesCTV - Shocking number of speeders in school zonesGlobal TV - Edmonton school zone speeding

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