A North Kent councillor is looking to replace crossing guards in Chatham-Kent with a more permanent solution.
Joe Faas entered a notice of motion that $500,000 be pulled from the capital budget for pedestrian crosswalk devices.
Faas said the devices should be implemented at school crossings, which are currently manned by crossing guards, following along with the guidelines established in the Ontario Traffic Manual.
“Engineering services is currently conducting traffic and pedestrian counts at each location and the total cost can be confirmed in August,” Faas said in his motion.
The school crossing guard program was cut from the Chatham-Kent budget back in February, after a service review was conducted on the program.
As of June 30, the Municipality is set to eliminate all crossing guards in the seven communities where they currently exist: Dresden, Wallaceburg, Blenheim, Chatham, Ridgetown, Tilbury and Wheatley.
A Dresden mother has since launched a petition with hopes of saving the program.
Jenelle Jackson-Finley said the crossing is needed in Dresden to ensure the safety of the children.
“The town of Dresden has a full-time crossing guard who is committed to providing a safe crossing for students on a daily basis,” Jackson-Finley said on iPetitions.com, where the petition is located.
Faas’ motion is set to be debated and voted on this evening (Monday, June 6.)
The general manager of infrastructure and engineering services, Thomas Kelly is also set to speak to the item.
