Speed Limits

Getting children to and from school and where they play safely is everyone's responsibility.

• Young children tend to think cars can stop instantly.
• Children believe that if they can see your car, you can see them.
• Children under 10 do not accurately judge vehicle speed or distance.
• Vehicle-pedestrian accidents involving children tend to result in serious injury, even death.
• The penalty for speeding in a school zone is the same as any other speeding offense, resulting in fines and penalized three SGI demerit points.

How does reducing the speed limit make a difference?

Slowing from 50 km/h to 30 km/h gives the driver more time to react, allows the driver to see more (field of vision) and gives the driver a chance to come to a complete stop faster. Children are more vulnerable to severe injury in a crash than adults, so should a crash occur, it is less likely that it would have severe consequences at a reduced speed.

School Zones All school zones are in effect year-round, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 days a week. Some school zone lengths have been adjusted and school zones have new School Zone Ends signs. U-turns are restricted for all schools. Children of elementary school age, when without parental supervision, are typically considered to be the most vulnerable due to their limited abilities to understand and anticipate vehicular traffic movements and their tendency to accidentally enter the roadway.
High Schools and Schools with Lower Risk Where school zone signs do not include a posted speed limit, treat the sign as a caution and pay close attention. U-turns are restricted for all schools. Children of middle age and high school age are typically able to understand traffic and to control their own movements, as noted in the Transportation Association of Canada guidelines. These areas were rated as lower risk based on age of students, type of street, proximity to street and other variables to determine a reduction in speed is not warranted.
Playground Zones Playground zones have a speed limit of 30 km/h in effect year-round from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 days a week. This is communicated with a sign at the beginning and end of the reduced speed zone. Playground zones have been created for park spaces that have play equipment or programmed sports fields intended for children 14 and under. A lower speed limit where children play gives the driver more time to react, allows the driver to see more (field of vision) and gives the driver a chance to come to a complete stop sooner.
Where playground signs do not include a posted speed limit, treat the sign as a caution and pay close attention. This may occur at playgrounds and fields intended for children older than 14 years, or streets where play equipment is physically separated from traffic.

City Council approved the Neighbourhood Bikeways 30 km/h Speed Limit Policy in December 2023 to increase the safety and comfort of people riding their bikes along neighbourhood bikeways in Saskatoon. Reduced 30 km/h speed limits will be implemented on neighbourhood bikeways in Saskatoon once the traffic calming elements for the street are constructed.

Slow down - it's the law!

Imagine you're at your job with cars and trucks passing only a couple of metres away at 50 km/h. It's scary to think of. That's a normal day for utility maintenance and road workers who have only a rubber pylon to protect them in some cases.

Studies show that slowing down 20 km/h - from 50 to 30 - can increase the survival rate of a road worker in a collision with a vehicle by 90%. This summer, one-day or less repair or maintenance work in Saskatoon on local streets (posted 50 km/h) will use temporary regulatory signs to reduce the speed in the work zone to 30 km/h. Scroll down to watch our video "Slow to 30".

Signs

Work zones will have two temporary signs: one indicating where the speed is reduced to 30 km/h and one indicating the end of the work where the normal posted speed resumes. When workers leave the site, the signs must be removed or covered.

Regardless of whether a temporary speed sign is posted, drivers should slow down in a work zone.

Fines

These signs are enforceable under the Traffic Bylaw and the Saskatoon Police Service will be patrolling work zones. The fine for going 50 km/h in a posted 30 km/h zone is $190 ($150 + $2/km over speed posted).

Respect Work Zones

Hundreds of men and women work hard every day to provide Saskatoon residents with services that matter: from drinking water and sewer services to smooth roads, clean and maintained parks and utility services. But at what cost? The City’s Respect Work Zones public awareness campaign includes testimonials from real workers talking about their close calls with drivers in City work zones.