Get back to school safely!

As students head back to class and traffic around schools picks up, the City of Vaughan is providing safety tips for pedestrians when travelling throughout school zone areas.  

Children, parents and drivers need to be alert and follow the rules of the road. Take extra precautions around crosswalks, pedestrian crossovers, stopped school buses, schools and intersections. 

Tips for all pedestrians:

• Walk young children to school.
• Encourage children to always obey crossing guards.
• Walk, don’t run, when crossing the street.
• Pay attention to vehicular traffic while walking along or crossing roads.
• Obey all traffic rules and signals.
• Ensure you are visible to drivers and cyclists, and make eye contact once they have stopped before crossing.
• Cross at designated crosswalks, crossovers or controlled intersections only.
• Be mindful of slippery conditions on sidewalks and roadways.

School zone safety is a joint priority for the City’s Transportation and Fleet Management Services, By-law and Compliance, Licensing and Permit Services and Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service departments. Together with York Regional Police, York Region, York Region District School Board and York Catholic District School Board, the City is working to ensure all community members' safety.    

Visit vaughan.ca/SchoolZoneSafety for more information. 

School Crossing Guards 

The City employs crossing guards to ensure students and families travel safely to and from school each day. Part of the MoveSmart Mobility Management Strategy (MoveSmart), this program facilitates the travel of families at 114 crosswalk intersections throughout Vaughan. Supervised crossing signs identify locations where a crossing guard is available to assist pedestrians with crossing the street. 

Speed Limit Policy 

Approved by Council on June 2, 2021, the Speed Limit Policy (PDF) sets and adjusts appropriate speed limits throughout the City’s street network to continue to ensure a safe community for all road users and address growing urbanization as more cars are anticipated to be on the roads. As part of MoveSmart, the policy is exclusive to municipal roads. It focuses on four areas within Vaughan’s road network: rural roadways, built-up/urban areas (including school zones), public laneways and select neighbourhoods. Evidence suggests that lowering speed limits, especially in residential areas, can be effective in reducing the risk of severe injury or even death due to a motor vehicle accident. 

Select neighbourhood areas will be reduced from 50 kilometres per hour to 40 kilometres per hour by fall 2022. Below are areas where the City has reduced speed limits to date:

• Public laneways were reduced to 30 kilometres per hour on Dec. 1, 2021.
• School zones were reduced from 50 to 40 kilometres per hour on Sept. 8, 2021. 

For more information and updates on the City’s Speed Limit Policy, visit vaughan.ca/SpeedPolicy. 

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