The City of Calgary has completed pedestrian safety improvements near 50 schools ahead of the new academic year. The upgrades include safer crossings, curb extensions and traffic-calming measures intended to protect students as they travel to school. City officials will highlight the work at Taradale School in northeast Calgary Monday morning. At that availability, the city’s traffic safety team will explain the upgrades and how they make it safer for pedestrians. The improvements are part of Calgary’s Active and Safe Routes to School program, which works with schools to identify concerns such as speeding, congestion around drop-off areas, poor sightlines and gaps in sidewalks. The upgrades will get their first test on Aug. 31, when Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District begin the school year. Problem area Monday’s event is being held in the same community where a child riding a scooter was seriously injured after being struck by a truck earlier this year. Emergency crews were called to Taracove Road and Taravista Drive N.E., beside Taradale School, on the afternoon of May 12. Police said the child was conscious but seriously injured and taken to the Alberta Children’s Hospital. The city has not indicated whether that collision prompted or accelerated the upgrades being highlighted Monday. In 2025, 15 pedestrians lost their lives, the highest number in more than a decade. Playground zone reminder Calgary’s playground zones have a maximum speed of 30 km/h between 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. every day. Drivers are prohibited from passing another vehicle inside a playground zone during those hours. They must also stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks. The city is reminding parents not to double-park, block crosswalks or stop in areas where parking is prohibited during school drop-off and pickup periods. Drivers should also park at least five metres from a crosswalk, intersection or stop sign.
