Safe Park Zones Survey
The Village of Cary requests your feedback on a concept that is being reviewed by staff to enhance pedestrian safety for children around parks with activities close to the roadway. Please complete the following survey to assist the Village of Cary and the Cary Park District in our analysis of this concept. Thank you for your time.
What are Safe Park Zones?
Similar to School Zones, Safe Park Zones are sections of roadway near parks where speed limits are lowered to 20 mph only when children are present within a certain distance of the roadway. Fines for traffic infractions match those of School Zones as well. Fees generated through this program are required to be utilized for safety improvements around parks in partnership between the Park District and the Village. The intent of a Safe Park Zone is to increase awareness about safety using the tangible effect of enforcement of the lowered speed limit under the State law.
If implemented, would Safe Park Zones be added to streets along every park in Cary?
No. The Village of Cary and Park District would agree upon the criteria for determining which locations warrant a Safe Park Zone speed limit. The initial recommendation suggests that the Safe Park Zones only be considered:
1. Alongside parks with specific areas of active recreational uses (playground or ball field) less than 75 feet from the nearest roadway travel lane; and
2. On busier collector streets (more than 1,000 cars per day on average) or roads with conditions that impact a motorist's visibility of pedestrians; and
3. Where the park is not adjacent to an intersection controlled by all-way stop signs or traffic signals.
Have the Safe Park Zones been approved by the Village?
No; however the Village's Committee of the Whole directed staff to investigate the matter further with feedback obtained from the public. The results of this survey along with additional outreach with the Cary Park District will determine whether the Safe Park Zones are implemented in the future.