The Municipality of Chatham-Kent Council approved the implementation of pedestrian crossovers at specific locations across six communities on Monday, in order to address challenges facing the Adult Crossing Guard Program at area school crossings.
Mark Ceppi, Municipal Engineering Technologist, presented a report to Council on the Review of the Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings during the Aug. 22 meeting.
This review was completed following Council’s direction on June 6 to conduct traffic and pedestrian counts at each school crossing location, and to provide a report on the total cost and timing for implementation.
A total of 12 adult crossing guard locations were included in the study conducted during May and June.
Based on this review, Council approved the majority of the locations currently supervised by the Adult Crossing Guard Service to be converted to pedestrian crossovers (PXO).
Some school crossings will be removed, as recommended, due to low vehicle and pedestrian volume.
The total cost of these changes is estimated to be $318,000.
Council approved the installation of two different types of PXOs: Type B and Type C. PXO Type B consists of poles on either side of the crossing with signs, audible pedestrian push-buttons, rectangular, rapid-flashing LED beacons, and a sign mounted over the roadway, among other safety measures. PXO Type C is similar, except it does not require a sign mounted over the roadway.
As directed by Council, the following school crossing locations will be converted to a Pedestrian Crossover (Type B) per the guidelines of the Ontario Traffic Manual:
– Talbot Street West at Little Street in Blenheim
– Baldoon Road at Oxley Drive in Chatham
– Lacroix Street at Alexandra Avenue in Chatham
– North Street at Dresden Area Central School in Dresden
– Erie Street North at Richard Street in Wheatley
As well, the All-way Stop located at the intersection of Murray Street and Reaume Avenue in Wallaceburg will be removed and the School Crossing located at the same intersection be converted to a Pedestrian Crossover (Type B).
The School Crossing located on Stewart Street at Mable Street in Tilbury will be converted to a Pedestrian Crossover (Type C).
In June, Council approved a motion to extend funding for the Adult Crossing Guard program from September to November 2016. As of the date of the report, 12 of the 20 full-time and backup adult crossing guard positions are confirmed to be filled for the September to November extension period. It is possible that some positions may not be filled in time for the start of the school year.
The School Crossing school signage and pavement markings located in Wallaceburg on Lawrence Avenue at H.W Burgess School will be removed following the September to November 2016 extension of the Adult Crossing Guard program unless an agreement is reached with school officials to implement a School Child Safety Patroller continuously at the School Crossing.
The following School Crossing school signage and pavement markings will be removed following the September to November 2016 extension of the Adult Crossing Guard program:
– McNaughton Avenue East at Country Lane in Chatham
– Merritt Avenue at King Street West in Chatham
– Erie Street South at David Street in Ridgetown
– Main Street East at Cecil Street in Ridgetown
Administration has also been directed to amend the Chatham-Kent Traffic and Parking By-law #245-2004, as these Council directions are implemented.
The by-law amendments will be brought back to Council for approval at a future meeting.
The Municipality has an ongoing partnership with the Lambton Kent District School Board and the St. Clair Catholic District School Board, and the Municipality has provided notifications to the school boards about the changes due to the 2016 budget deliberations, as well as provided the school boards with an update to distribute to students regarding the recent changes, prior to the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
Upon Council’s approval, administration will begin the design process for the new pedestrian cross-overs and begin the tendering process, with a report back to Council expected at the Nov. 21 meeting. The June 6 Council motion directed “that funding at an estimated amount of $500,000 be made available to provide pedestrian crosswalk devices as warranted according to the guidelines established in the Ontario Traffic Manual at school crossings currently manned by crossing guards. That this be funded from the capital budget and/or reserves.”
“We recognize the concerns in the community about the elimination of the Adult Crossing Guard Service and based on the comprehensive traffic study and subsequent recommendations, we were able to find a sustainable solution that promotes safe crossing at these locations,” said Leanne Segeren-Swayze, Director of Customer Service Division in Chatham-Kent, in a press release.
“As directed by Council, the Adult Crossing Guard Service will be extended until November and we are working with the school boards to ensure all parents are aware of the pending changes so they can plan accordingly. Administration will be returning to Council with a recommendation to extend the adult crossing guard service until such time as the PXOs are operational at the designated locations.”
Segeren-Swayze added: “Additionally, recommendations will include the timeline extension to the end of December 2016 for the five existing crossing guard locations, which did not warrant a PXO based on traffic study results.”
Background
An Adult Crossing Guard Service Review was completed in 2013 and presented to Council in 2014. The service review identified significant challenges in the recruitment and retention of reliable crossing guards.
Based on 2016 budget deliberations, it was determined the Adult Crossing Guard Service was no longer sustainable and Council directed staff to phase out the crossing guard service at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
In spite of ongoing recruitment efforts, the Municipality continues to experience ongoing challenges recruiting adult crossing guards. In addition, there are days when crossing guards are unable to provide notice that they will not be attending for their shift(s). In these cases, the Municipality is not able to provide sufficient notice to parents, which creates potential risk if a parent is anticipating that their child will have access to a crossing guard. The Municipality has been working with the associated schools on an on-going basis to promote vacant positions, as well as to notify students and parents when coverage is not available (when possible).
The Municipality is not legislated to provide an adult crossing guard program. As well, it is not a service provided to all elementary schools in Chatham-Kent.
The Municipality has an ongoing partnership with the Lambton-Kent District School Board and the St. Clair Catholic District School Board. The Municipality works with the school boards to provide notification to students and parents when adult crossing guard coverage is not available (when notice is possible, due to the recruitment challenges). The Municipality also notified the two school boards about the 2016 budget decision, as well as provided ongoing updates, including providing letters to the school boards to distribute to students prior to the end of the 2015-2016 school year, regarding the recent Council directions related to the traffic volume study and the extension of the crossing guard service into the fall.
The discontinuation of the Adult Crossing Guard program means that several school crossings in Chatham-Kent will no longer be supervised and therefore must be removed or converted to an alternative pedestrian crossing device that is warranted for the location.
A report, titled ‘Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings,’ was presented to Council at the July 18 meeting. During the meeting a motion to reconsider the use of adult crossing guards was brought forward but failed to acquire the two-thirds vote required to pass.
