A Dresden parent is concerned about student safety, as the Municipality prepares to ax the Adult Crossing Guard Service across Chatham-Kent.
Carla Cummins, a parent of a child who attends Dresden Area Central School, told the Sydenham Current she is worried about children at the school crossing North Street, after the program ends afters November 30.
“As most of us know, kids don’t always wait until it’s safe to cross,” she said.
“Especially if a child is talking with a friend about evening plans, a child is ill and wants to get home, or if a child is late to meet someone outside of school for an appointment, or just some fun and is rushing.”
Chatham-Kent officials said 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.
Back in August, council approved the majority of the locations currently supervised by the Adult Crossing Guard Service to be converted to pedestrian crossovers (PXO), including the location in Dresden.
This past Monday, council voted to leave the signage and pavement markings in place until the pedestrian crossover are installed. A large contingent of concerned residents showed up to council on Monday, with signs in hand expressing their displeasure.
Even with the signage staying in place, Cummins said the situation is still dangerous for kids.
“Highway 21 is a major highway that students must cross in order to get to and from school,” she said.
“The speed limit is 50 km/h if I’m not mistaken. But, there are few people that follow that speed limit. I have nearly been hit crossing to pick my daughter up from school. Transport trucks and tractors loaded with tomato wagons use that road as well and do not have the ability to ‘stop on a dime’.
Cummins added: “It’s not far fetched to say that someone will have to get hurt before council understands how dangerous it is to remove the crossing guard.”
Jim Costello, the director of education for the Lambton-Kent District School Board, said neither the school board, nor the Municipality, are legislated to provide an adult crossing guard program
“To ensure continuing student safety, I encourage you to review traffic safety procedures with your child,” Costello wrote in a letter to parents.
“A helpful pedestrian safety resource is available on the Chatham-Kent Police website.”
Costello said all pedestrian crossover devices are expected to be installed by June 2017.
