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New 30 km/h school zone speed limits already in effect in some Regina areas

Can we eliminate the number of traffic casualties on B.C. roads? That's the challenging question before the City of Vancouver next week, as council deals with two motions, aiming to make our roads safer. Paul Johnson reports. Dave Parsons / Global News

There seems to be some confusion among drivers on whether or not Regina police can issue tickets ahead of the Sept. 1 changes to school zone speeds.

Although that’s when the new changes technically come into effect, signage has already started going up, replacing 40 km/h signs with 30 km/h.

READ MORE: Playground and school zone speed limit to reduce to 30km/h in September

According to the city, crews have started work in 60 to 70 per cent of the zones, with signage installation complete in approximately 25 per cent of the school zones.

Community groups on Facebook are buzzing with questions and some drivers are under the impression only warnings can be issued before September, but police say that’s not the case.

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“When the signs are posted now and it says 30, that’s just like a temporary construction area,” said Regina police spokesperson Les Parker. “The posting is [the] recommended speed that a police officer has authority to grant a ticket if you’re in excess of that posted speed.

“So if you see the sign giving that speed limit, obey that speed limit and you won’t get a ticket.”

READ MORE: Regina drivers struggle to obey school zone regulations: CAA safety assessment

In May, city council voted to lower speeds between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., 365 days a year. The change in speed, council said, was estimated to only add a few seconds of travel time to most people’s commute.

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Previously, the lower speeds were in effect from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The city says it has 93 schools zones with around 1,200 signs needing to be replaced and will continue doing so throughout August.

WATCH: (July 17, 2019) Regina Police Service launches “Positive Ticketing” program

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