New solar-powered signage on Departure Bay Rd. is showing vehicles how fast they're going along a stretch of road which acts as a school zone for roughly nine months of the year. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

SLOW DOWN

Pilot project aiming to temper school zone speeds along Departure Bay Rd.

Jul 13, 2022 | 5:23 AM

NANAIMO — It’s all about getting drivers to slow down and create a safer space for kids walking and riding to school.

Two digital speed reading signs were recently installed along the Cilaire Elementary school zone on Departure Bay Rd., behind Brooks Landing Shopping Centre.

Jamie Rose, city manager of transportation, told NanaimoNewsNOW the new dynamic signs show a vehicle’s speed through the zone and flash when they’re going over the limit.

“(We’ve) seen some fairly positive impacts from them (elsewhere in Nanaimo). This opportunity came up to try a similar device at a school zone and through discussions with the School District, we opted to implement these…to see if they were equally as effective.”

Cilaire Elementary was closed during the 2021/22 school year for renovations and seismic upgrades, with students being sent to Woodlands Elementary instead.

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Rose said the absence of students created issues for drivers.

“One of the motivating factors was there was some work going on at Cilaire school and we were still using the school as a muster point to get to Woodlands…and there was a lot of driver confusion and feedback as to whether this road was or wasn’t a school zone.”

According to the City, roughly 12,500 vehicles pass along Departure Bay Rd. near Cilaire elementary school on a daily basis.

Students are due to return to Cilaire in September and Rose added the new signage will help clarify to drivers when the school zone speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour is in effect.

“‘This is what it is and this is when you’re on a reduced speed limit and this is when you’re not.’ Being dynamic and being more connected to the school zone times and days of the week, we do expect to see a high degree of compliance.”

While the signs can collect some rudimentary data, Rose said it doesn’t provide a complete picture. The signs are due to remain on site for the life of the equipment, with data monitoring to occur on a regular basis through the pilot which will encompass the 2022/23 school year.

As part of the project, Rose said the City will likely deploy its traffic counting equipment to properly measure the volume of vehicles on the road and how fast they’re going.

Rose added the data will also determine whether the signs are put at any other trouble spots in Nanaimo.

One electronic sign is placed at each end of the school zone on Departure Bay Rd., behind Brooks Landing Shopping Centre. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley