Traffic Safety Study at Calgary Elementary Schools

Background Collisions with motor-vehicles are a leading cause of severe child bicyclist and pedestrian injuries in Canada. Injury rates and severity are associated with traffic speeds and volume but may be moderated through traffic calming. Objective To assess the association of specific traffic calming measures on changes in traffic speed and volume, and active transportation prevalence, around Calgary, Alberta, Canada elementary schools. Design This modified stepped-wedge randomized controlled trial was conducted at a sample of public elementary schools, from July 2020 to May 2021. Schools had either traffic calming curbs or in-street signs installed at an intersection within 100 m of the main entrance. The primary outcome was speed of vehicles driving towards or away from intervention. Secondary outcomes were traffic volume driving past the intervention and counts of children using active transportation at the intervention crosswalk.