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July 14, 2016 - 11:24 AM
WEST KELOWNA TO CONSIDER REQUEST FROM SCHOOL DISTRICT LATER THIS MONTH
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Your morning commute may be a little slower this fall if you happen to pass near a school on your way to work.
The four communities that make up the Central Okanagan school district — Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland and Lake Country — have all been asked to extend the school speed zone start time by half an hour, starting at 7:30 instead of 8 a.m.
The 30 km/h speed zones will still run until 5 p.m. Monday to Friday except for holidays.
West Kelowna will consider it at a meeting later this month and Kelowna city councillors agreed to the request earlier this week.
Traffic supervisor Fred Wollin told Kelowna councillors the city would absorb the cost of the change at its sign shop as most of the familiar 30 km/h signs were due for replacement anyway.
He said both the city and the school district would be advertising the change in the coming weeks. The current fine for violating a school speed zone is $196 plus three points for speeds between 31 and 50 km/h.
In West Kelowna, communications supervisor Kirsten Jones said the request was considered by the safe schools committee, whose primary concern was coordinating the time change with other municipalities.
“With Kelowna now making the change, it looks like it is heading that way (in West Kelowna),” Jones said.
School district secretary treasurer Larry Paul made the request last January at the behest of school trustees, concerned that many school programs start well before 8 a.m.
The school district has 44 schools throughout the Central Okanagan with approximately 22,000 students expected to register this fall.
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