By Sheldon Spackman

School Zone Clarity

Innisfail council approves new Traffic Bylaw

Jul 16, 2019 | 10:45 AM

Innisfail town council has given final approval to a new Traffic Bylaw that gives more clarity and consistency for school zone times throughout the day.

A 30 km/hr speed limit will now be in effect in Innisfail between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on school days.

Previously, school zone times were 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. New signage will be installed to reflect the changes.

“We’ve just made it consistent for increased safety around the schools,” explains Michelle Honeyman with the Town’s Community Services department. “Another change that we had was the actual fines themselves. They were quite a bit lower than any of the Provincial fines under the Traffic Safety Act.”

While a 30 km/hr speed limit in playground zones remains in effect from sun-up to sundown in Innisfail, Honeyman hopes the changes simplify things.

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“It was just a cleanup of the bylaw to make sure that it was easier for people to understand and it was easier for our enforcement officers to actually enforce.”

In addition, the new bylaw states recreational vehicles may not be parked in the front driveway of a residential parcel or the flanking side driveway of a corner residential parcel from November 1 through March 31 of each year.

Honeyman notes this is not a change but rather a clarification that has been identified through the Traffic Bylaw review.

Parking of RV vehicles is also addressed through the Town’s Land Use Bylaw where it defines driveways as hardened surfaces. As such, parking of RV vehicles must comply with both bylaws to avoid penalties.

However, the Land Use Bylaw does not allow parking on grass areas in any yard in a residential zoned parcel regardless of the time of year.

The new Traffic Bylaw also establishes a 50 km/hr speed limit in town unless authorized highway signs display otherwise.