A heads-up to Vancouver drivers: school and playground zones within the city will now have a speed limit of 30 km/h all day, every day, including weekends.
Currently, speed-limit reductions are in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days.
This is one of the measures approved by council on Tuesday to improve safety on local streets.
In addition to this change, the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood will be part of a pilot project where the speed limit will be 30 km/h as a traffic-calming measure. The boundaries of this project are Clark Drive, East 1st Avenue, Commercial Drive and Grandview Highway North.
Under the provincial Motor Vehicle Act, speed limits are currently 50 km/h on all Vancouver streets, unless otherwise posted. A blanket reduction in speed limits on local streets has been a city goal since 1997.
Council also approved that staff work with the B.C. government to develop pilot programs to allow the use of privately-owned micromobility devices, such as e-scooters and monowheels, on protected bike lanes and local streets. Currently, micromobility devices are illegal on Vancouver streets.