Chatham-Kent Council has approved improvements to several crossings across the municipality. The vote was unanimous (17-0). The crossings will be improved in 2024 and 2025.
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Previous story below from October 13, 2023:
Several pedestrian crossings in multiple communities in Chatham-Kent could be getting improvements if they are included in the 2024-2027 capital budget.
Monday night, councillors will consider converting the following school crossings to pedestrian crossovers:
i. Main Street North at Cherry Street in Bothwell
ii. Alexandra Avenue at Dunn Avenue in Chatham
iii. Delaware Avenue at Cox Avenue in Chatham
iv. Eugenie Street south of Meadowlea Road in Chatham
v. Gregory Drive at Helen Street in Chatham
vi. Willowmac Avenue at Dunn Avenue in Chatham
vii. Ella Street north of Stewart Street in Tilbury
viii. Lawrence Avenue west of Dora Drive in Wallaceburg
ix. Thomas Avenue at Janssens Street in Wallaceburg
Also on the radar is the installation of new pedestrian crossovers at Talbot Street and McGeorge Street in Blenheim; McNaughton Street East, east of Given Road in Chatham; Main Street West at Maple Street South in Ridgetown; and Canal Street West at Dupuis Avenue in Tilbury along with the removal of the pedestrian crossover at Raleigh Street and Cross Street in Chatham.
The removal of the following school crossings will also be considered:
i. King Street south of Regent Street in Blenheim
ii. Churchill Street at Sunset Avenue in Chatham
iii. Fort Street at Mable Street in Tilbury
Gregory Drive at Helen Street near Gregory Drive Public School could be getting a pedestrian crossover with a push button-operated rapidly flashing beacons, overhead signage, ladder crosswalk markings, "Shark’s teeth” yield lines, and pedestrian crossover signage typically used on high-to-moderate volume 2, 3, or 4-lane roads.
Kaitlyn Oakley is one of several parents who raised concerns about the crosswalk near Gregory Drive Public School on Gregory Drive and Helen Street in Chatham and requested a new pedestrian crossing.
"That was exactly what we were looking for. I'm feeling good that it's finally gone to Council and I'm going to go and there are a few other parents that are hoping to attend as well. But if it goes through, it's going to make a huge difference for the community here," said Oakley.
She told CK News Today the white lines on the current crosswalk have faded and she has witnessed several cars drive past the students waiting to cross the road without yielding.
Oakley also said she has seen multiple children have close calls when they walk without adults and cars needing to slam on brakes, adding it's only a matter of time before a child gets hit.
"My daughter has some special needs as well. Sometimes she'll run across the street without looking and because cars don't stop there, it's a decently busy area, I just stand there and watch eight cars go past me and I'm standing there with a double stroller with a seven-year-old and they still go by," she said.
Oakley noted children are walking on the road because there are no sidewalks and no crossing guards in the area.
Council discontinued the School Crossing Guard program in 2016 due to difficulties finding and maintaining crossing guard staff and more recently, School Safety Patrols have stopped supervising school crossings.
The municipality must remove or convert school crossings to a pedestrian crossing if they are unsupervised in order to meet provincial guidelines.
The crossing improvements are estimated at approximately $1.2 million. Staff also recommends an additional $200,000 per year in 2026 and 2027 for the continued review, assessment, and planning of pedestrian crossing improvements throughout Chatham-Kent.
Administration determines the need for a pedestrian crossover and type based on factors such as pedestrian crossing volumes, vehicle volumes, roadway speed limit, and the presence or absence of other nearby controlled crossings.