POLICY STATEMENT 153

School Speed Zones

Effective:  7/26/2007

Approved by Council: 7/26/2007

Supersedes:  N/A

Prepared by:  Lt. Mark Parker, Police Department

PURPOSE

To provide for the safety of pedestrians in school zones, the Town of Cary will reduce speed limits in selected school zones.

COVERAGE

This policy applies to all schools within the corporate limits of the Town of Cary.

POLICY

1.   It is the policy of the Town of Cary to reduce speed limits on adjacent streets serving as the major access point for public schools in the corporate limits by 10 miles per hour. No school zone will be posted less than 25 miles per hour. Policy for other schools is included in later sections.

Authority to lower speed limits adjacent to or near schools is delegated to the Town by NC General Statute 20-141.1 which states:

§ 20‑141.1.  Speed limits in school zones.
The Board of Transportation or local authorities within their respective jurisdictions may, by ordinance, set speed limits lower than those designated in G.S. 20‑141 for areas adjacent to or near a public, private or parochial school. Limits set pursuant to this section shall become effective when signs are erected giving notice of the school zone, the authorized speed limit, and the days and hours when the lower limit is effective, or by erecting signs giving notice of the school zone, the authorized speed limit and which indicate the days and hours the lower limit is effective by an electronic flasher operated with a time clock. Limits set pursuant to this section may be enforced only on days when school is in session, and no speed limit below 20 miles per hour may be set under the authority of this section. A person who drives a motor vehicle in a school zone at a speed greater than the speed limit set and posted under this section is responsible for an infraction and is required to pay a penalty of not less than twenty‑five dollars ($25.00). (1977, c. 902, s. 2; 1979, c. 613; 1997‑341, s. 1.1.)

2.   Highways designated as part of the Interstate Highway System or other fully controlled access highways shall not have posted school speed signs.

3.   Concurring school speed zone ordinances are required between the NC DOT and the Town of Cary when State maintained roads are involved.

4.   The Town will solicit feedback from the individual school or school system Information to be considered may include, but not be limited to:

a.       The number of students

b.       The number of student pedestrians and bicyclists

c.       The number of student drivers and/or car riders

d.       Number of buses

e.       The number of staff members (teachers, administration, and support staff)

f.         Beginning and dismissal times at the school

g.       A list of before and after school programs with the beginning and dismissal times

h.       A list of extracurricular events and their typical schedule

i.         Whether or not the school routinely uses a crossing guard

If no feedback is received from the school or school system, the Engineering Department in conjunction with the Police Department may proceed with school zone implementation in accordance with this policy.   

5.       Whenever a reduced school speed zone is considered and there are minimal numbers of student pedestrians or bicyclists using adjacent roadways, a school (private, public, or parochial) shall have an enrollment of at least 200 students (K-12) before a school speed zone will be considered.  School advance warning signs, with or without speed advisory plates, may be installed for smaller, well-established schools with an enrollment of at least 100 students.  A well-established school is one that has been in operation for two or more years.

Preschools, child development centers and other daycare type facilities are not eligible for school speed zones and the “SCHOOL” pavement markings are not allowed in advance of these facilities. However, if an individual preschool or daycare facility meets the 100 student and 2 full calendar years in operation guidelines, school advanced warning signs may be considered by the Engineering Director.

6.   School speed limit should not be ordinanced more than 10 mph below the posted or statutory speed limit unless the Engineering Director, in conjunction with the Police Chief, determines that there are extenuating conditions adjacent to the school greater than those normally present in school zones.  In no case shall the school speed limit be less than 25 mph.

At least two of the following conditions should be present before setting a school speed limit more than 10 mph below the posted non-school speed limit:

a.       Recurrent excessive queuing onto the subject route during the school’s beginning and/or dismissal times.

b.       Poor intersection visibility and/or decision sight distance at a school entrance.

c.       Crash rate higher than the statewide critical rate for similar routes.

d.       Non-school speed limit is set at 55 mph or higher.

e.       Presence of unsignalized and unguarded pedestrian crosswalks adjacent to the school.

7.   The reduced speed zone should begin either at a point 200 feet from the crosswalk adjacent to the school, or at a point 100 feet to 500 feet from the school property line or other location determined by the Engineering Director. Consideration of school driveways will be given when setting the limits of the school speed zone. Typical Layout

8.   Restrictive school speed limits should not normally be established along streets without bordering (adjacent/abutting) school property or along highways that have bordering school property but have no school access points and minimal or no pedestrian activity.  An exception may be considered if a safety investigation that shows there are extenuating conditions on the street that could be significantly reduced by the implementation of a lower school speed limit.

Verification that at least one of the following conditions is present before establishing a school speed zone along a street without bordering school property or along streets that have bordering school property but have no school access points and minimal pedestrian activity:

a.       Queuing caused by school traffic is present on the subject route during the arrival and/or dismissal times at the school.

b.       There is a significant crash history on the subject route during the arrival and/or dismissal times at the school.

C    There is a large percentage of school traffic using a stop sign controlled intersection leading to the school that has safety and/or capacity concerns.

9.       The school speed limit so established should only be in effect during the hour surrounding the time of each beginning and ending school schedule or bell.  Specifically, the school speed zone should only be in effect during the hour “30 minutes before to 30 minutes after school begins and ends” unless the school provides documentation showing clear justification for changing or extending this set time. Some other considerations may be:

a.       The school has a significant number of students participating in before and/or after school programs.

b.       The school has a significant number of extracurricular events that generates a large volume of traffic on the subject route.

c.       The school generates a significant amount of pedestrian or vehicular traffic outside of the “30 minutes before to 30 minutes after” timeframe.

10.   School zone flashers will be installed in conjunction with signage at the beginning of each school speed zone. 

11.   The Police Department shall inspect each school zone each year in the Town to ensure compliance with the posted school hour and to ensure ordinances are updated.

STANDARD LAYOUT FOR SIGNING AND MARKING SCHOOL AREAS WHERE SPEED REDUCTION IS REQUIRED.  Actual layout and posted speeds will vary by location.