City Traffic Department Wants to Increase Playground Zones to be 7:30am until 9:00pm

[schocker]

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...847/story.html

Calgary Herald article discussing playground zone changes. Would also allow school zones to change to playground zones meaning weekends and when school is out of session. 9pm seems like it would be mighty dumb in winter time when the sun sets super early. The 1 hr after sunset isn't too hard to follow now with the sun taking an hour to set and all. 730 seems very early though and would ruin 19th street for me every morning

[msommers]

Honestly, how many kids are playing at the park before 9am and after 8pm.

[M.alex]

We're turning into such a nanny state - they should abolish those zones all-together. Survival of the fittest - you get hit by a car it's your parent's fault for not teaching you not to be a dumbass.

[Tik-Tok]

“We want to get more people on the streets and using public space and enjoying the neighbourhoods where they live.”

Oh, right... it's those dangerous cars driving around that's stopping people from leaving their houses. Not tv, video games, the internet, and shear laziness at allll.

[Squishy]

I always see kids dicking around playing between parked cars (and crashing into them)
in neighborhoods but I never see kids playing on the street in a playground zone that's less than a block away, which makes them seem so pointless.

The other week some kid was on his skateboard riding along parked cars on a busy street and I'm at a crawling speed behind him for at least 10 seconds and he had no clue there was a vehicle behind him.

I almost agree that it's survival of the fittest and if you're too naive to teach your kids not to play on streets (especially high volume ones) then it's your own problem.

[codetrap]

I can see the 7:30 part as there are a lot of kids around then waiting for the buses. I also can see the point where 1 hour after dusk doesn't really work when it gets dark at 4:30. I know we played in the park many times in winter after dark.

Unfortunately, there probably is no happy medium.

[Amysicle]

.

[speedog]

Some light reading the CoC's Playground and School Zone Safety Report from 2013.

Honestly, I'd say keep the playground times the way they are and vastly reduce the amount of playground zones - if a playground is behind a school that is enclosed by a 6' tall chain link fence, then no playground zone. Even if there is no fence, realistically the kids playing at that playground aren't going to be running 2-400 feet around the school into the path of your vehicle.

As far as school zones - leave them be.

[nickyh]

Originally posted by M.alex
We're turning into such a nanny state - they should abolish those zones all-together. Survival of the fittest - you get hit by a car it's your parent's fault for not teaching you not to be a dumbass.

That's how I was taught growing up, cars had the right of way and if you are crossing the road you are target practice.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by speedog
Some light reading the CoC's Playground and School Zone Safety Report from 2013.

I like how that report has zero information about ACTUAL accidents that have happened of car VS pedestrian in school or playground zones.

How many children are actually getting hit by a car each year in Calgary? Is it really that high a number that a change is required?

[BigMass]

I feel bad for people that grow up here and go to Europe or Asia and think cars are going to stop for them, pedestrian crosswalks, etc. The only time a car in Europe is going to stop for you is after you've already passed through their windshield. And just thinking of it logically, it's rather idiotic to expect pedestrians to have the right of way over cars.

[schocker]

Also, if you are old enough to be up that early/late, shouldn't you have a good handle on the crossing a street thing? Maybe instead they need to do a pedestrian safety campaign with all of the people who aren't children getting hit.

Originally posted by codetrap
I can see the 7:30 part as there are a lot of kids around then waiting for the buses.

Bus stops usually aren't in playground zones though, just random spots usually aren't they?

[max_boost]

Originally posted by BigMass
I feel bad for people that grow up here and go to Europe or Asia and think cars are going to stop for them, pedestrian crosswalks, etc. The only time a car in Europe is going to stop for you is after you've already passed through their windshield. And just thinking of it logically, it's rather idiotic to expect pedestrians to have the right of way over cars.

lol ya

[Manhattan]

Get rid of the playground zones all together. I'd rather see a fence than deal with crawling traffic everyday. Drunk zones make much more sense (in front of National on 10th) where people are constantly darting across the street.

What annoys me are the flashing crosswalks on Centre Street. The self absorbedness of someone pressing that crosswalk button and making 10+ cars stop on an uphill climb so you can cross the street instead of walking a few blocks to an intersection with a red light is a microcosm of what our society has become.

[syscal]

Originally posted by Manhattan
The self absorbedness of someone pressing that crosswalk button and making 10+ cars stop on an uphill climb so you can cross the street instead of walking a few blocks to an intersection with a red light is a microcosm of what our society has become.

Yea, the nerve of those pedestrians making you start on a hill.

If you can't drive standard then it's time for you to get a new car.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by syscal


Yea, the nerve of those pedestrians making you start on a hill.

If you can't drive standard then it's time for you to get a new car.

No kidding. It's certainly not the pedestrians' fault the crosswalk is located there and there's no reason not to use it.

[Manhattan]

Maybe it's just me but I'd rather walk a few min to the nearest light rather than make a whole bunch of cars stop on a hill just for me to cross. Maybe I have low self value or it's called being considerate. It can't be just me.

The uphill was referring to a whole lot of wasted fuel.

[Toma]

That would be a decrease in times.

Currently they are 8:30 to 10:30 (one hour after sunset.)

lol.... but I get your drift.

Some regions in the the US have an exception where it clearly says "when children present"

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Manhattan]

^ LOL you don't get added fuel economy by stoping on a downhill. Back to the point...it mostly has to do with wasting the time of 10 people time versus saving 1 person's time.