‘We have heard from some some people, reporting that they’ve seen people that it seems like they’re intentionally driving over them, which is concerning’
Pedestrian safety signs in place at Calgary school crosswalks have seen some bumps and bruises.
The in-street school crosswalk signs, which are now at all K-6 schools, came about to improve safety around schools, according to Tony Churchill, the city’s senior leader of mobility safety.
The signs were also found to create an improved feeling of safety for pedestrians.
But now, 132 of the signs have needed to be replaced due to damage from vehicles.
Churchill said that of the 282 schools where the signs are installed, 80 locations have required replacement — some multiple times.
Measurements for each location accounted for large vehicles like garbage trucks or school buses to have room when navigating past the signs.
He said that perhaps some of the damage may be a result of parking restrictions not being obeyed near crosswalks.
“But there’s other locations where the road is so wide and the turn geometry is so generous, and even if people are parked there, that there shouldn’t be an issue,” Churchill said.
“We have heard from some people, reporting that they’ve seen people that it seems like they’re intentionally driving over them, which is concerning,” he said. “It’s even more concerning if it’s not intentional, and (they’re just) not seeing that sign.”
What else is in the city’s toolkit?
There can be much more to crosswalks than just paint on the road when it comes to keeping pedestrians safe.
The annualized average of collisions involving a vehicle and pedestrian or cyclist is 597 in Calgary, 39 of which occur in playground zones.
For the in-street pedestrian signs, one “drawback” Churchill said is when they get hit, they are visibly damaged until the city can come to fix them.
“We don’t want to design things so that they will be driven over, but at the same time, we know that they are high visibility, they do reduce speed,” he said. “We’ve heard that from schools, we’re continuing to receive requests for more.”
Because of their $650 price tag, which includes installation, the signs can easily be deployed at all K-6 schools, whereas more expensive alternatives would only be able to cover a select number.
“It’s more equitable that we’re able to provide some of these devices across the entire city,” Churchill explained.
Curb extensions can be a temporary or more permanent crosswalk safety measure. Their yellow concrete is used to block off parking lanes close to crosswalks, thus reducing crossing distance for pedestrians.
“It also narrows the roadway a little bit, which we know influences driver speed,” he said.
Curb extensions are effective, but they’re also more costly at about $850 each; most intersections would require two extensions.
“That’s roughly three times the cost of the in-street school crosswalk sign install,” Churchill said.
Another measure that is more limited because of cost is “rectangular rapid flashing beacons,” activated lights that flash above crosswalk signs.
“So those we’re doing near schools where it meets national guidance for that traffic control device,” Churchill said.
‘Cheapest thing is if drivers just paid attention’
Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner originally raised the issue at a Sept. 17 council meeting, partly in response to residents’ concerns about the signs’ durability.
On Wednesday last week, Penner said in an interview the in-street signs aren’t the be all end all for school zones.
“We have to balance available budget, available space on the road,” she said. “It was shown to improve driver awareness and consideration of the (road) environment.”
From a cost perspective, she called the signs “highly effective” — not meaning all other measures will be disregarded, but that this is the best thing they can do at this time.
“We will continue to assess, on individual basis intersections as concerns get raised by residents of what other measures could be put in place.”
Other measures, of course, come with different costs.
“The cheapest thing is if drivers just paid attention,” Penner said. “Think about the cost of any of these interventions, people don’t want their tax dollars to go up, but people are unwilling to accept the responsibility of being safe drivers on our streets.”