A Calgary councilor wants higher speeding fines in school zones

Speeding through school zones can lead to loss of speed, close calls, and tragedy and even injury.

Now, a Calgary city councilor is hoping the province will consider doubling the fines for those caught red-handed.

Number. Jasmine Mian advocates for changes to Alberta's Traffic Safety Act, including tougher penalties for speeding in school zones and playgrounds.

“This is a major concern for city councilors across the province – school zone safety – and we hear from residents all the time about speeding and other dangerous behavior,” he said.

He presented his proposal at a committee meeting on Tuesday.

If approved by Calgary council, it will be forwarded by the Village of Duchess and then brought up for discussion at the Conference of Alberta Municipalities in September.

“As a city councilman, I walk quite a bit in my school districts and safety is very important,” Mian said.

He said fines are doubled on roads used by highway workers and first responders, but the province lags behind other jurisdictions, such as Ontario and B.C., where speeding fines are higher in school zones.

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“We're one of the only provinces that still hasn't doubled for school zones or playgrounds. So I think it's interesting and I'd like to talk to other municipalities to see if they think it's something we should take a little bit further,” the councilor said.

Mian believes increasing fines will discourage behavior.

“It has to be important so it lets people know, 'Hey, this is something we can't do,'” he said. “Even when people slow down a little, it can have a big impact on the severity of injuries.

“In terms of speeding fines when doing things like turning or doing really dangerous things on pedestrian crossings, the fine is disproportionate to the safety issue it poses.”

According to the government's website, speeding fines in Alberta start at $81 and increase depending on speed.

Last week, Calgary police said officers pulled over a car going over the posted speed limit in the city's northwest at 100 km/h.

The driver sued for a 90-day driving ban and a $2,200 fine.

Calgary police say one in four drivers involved in fatal collisions were caused by unsafe speeding.

– With files from Tiffany Goodwein