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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-06-090 - School Traffic Safety - Changes for the 2006-2007 School Year1 KITCHEaR Development & Technical Services REPORT Report To: Development & Technical Services Committee Date of Meeting: June 12, 2006 Submitted By: John P. McBride, Director Transportation Planning Prepared By: Ronald K. Schirm, Supervisor of Crossing Guards (741 -2232) Ward(s) Involved: All Date of Report: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 Report No.: DTS -06 -090 Subject: SCHOOL TRAFFIC SAFETY — CHANGES FOR THE 2006 -07 SCHOOLYEAR RECOMMENDATION: "That the Adult Crossing Guard Facility at the intersection of Kinzie Drive and River Road be permanently eliminated effective June 30, 2006." BACKGROUND: This report will outline the changes and actions to be taken by Transportation Planning in anticipation of the 2006 -07 School Year. The Report will discuss the elimination of the Adult Crossing Guard Facility on River Road at Kinzie Avenue, as well as the establishment of a student safety patrol assisted school crossing on Caryndale Drive at Chapel Hill Drive, the impact of the Balanced School Day and other impending scheduling changes on Adult Crossing Guard services and locations that will be studied for crossing assistance in September 2006. REPORT: I. River Road and Kinzie Avenue The Crossing Guard Facility on River Road and Kinzie Avenue is located in Ward 2 and has been in operation for many years. The facility serves St. Patrick Separate School exclusively. There is a full, semi - actuated, traffic signal with a pedestrian phasing at this location. The students cross the west leg of the intersection primarily. In the past 3 years usage of the facility has fallen dramatically as the number of students who attend St. Patrick Separate School who need to cross River Road has dropped sharply. Three years ago between 35 and 40 students used the facility on a regular basis. At this point approximately 11 -14 students use the facility on a regular basis. The number of students using the facility was even less in the winter months of 2005 -06. This number is expected to decrease further as several of these students are either moving or graduating. At this point in time there are no new students registered for the fall term at St. Patrick School from the affected neighbourhood. It must be noted that there is still time for new registrations to occur. Earlier in the 2005 -06 School Year the lunch hour service was eliminated due to lack of use. There were no concerns expressed by either the school or affected parents regarding this reduction in service. Adult Crossing Guards are located at traffic signals primarily for one of three reasons. If there is a significant turning movement into the path of crossing children, if the intersection has visibility issues due to geometrics or the sheer size of the intersection, or if there is a large number of children crossing there who need to be controlled. The intersection in question does not feature either an issue with turning movements or with visibility. Traditionally the number of students at the location in question has been high enough to warrant a Adult Crossing Guard. This is no longer the case. Signal timing gives students ample time to cross. Students need to walk 16 metres in order to cross River Road. That would mean that a student traveling at 1.1 metres per second would need 15 seconds to cross River Road at Kinzie Avenue. When pushing the pedestrian button and activating the pedestrian signal phasing pedestrians have 12 seconds of walk, 12 seconds of flashing don't walk and 4 seconds of solid don't walk with a total of 28 seconds of green time. There are no advanced green or left turn arrows at this intersection to complicate pedestrian movement. In order to acclimatize students for the remainder of the current School Year the Adult Crossing Guard will instruct students to push the pedestrian activation button themselves when at the intersection every time they need to cross. It is felt that the elimination of the Adult Crossing Guard Facility will not compromise the safety of students who cross at this location. Transportation Planning will monitor the location for any possible changes in service in the future. II. Brigadoon Public School Staff from Transportation Planning attended a public meeting at Brigadoon Public School, located in Ward 4, in May 2006. Several concerns were raised by parents and staff at the school regarding safety at the intersections of Caryndale Drive and Biehn Drive, as well as Caryndale Drive and Chapel Hill Drive. There were also concerns raised regarding parking in front of the school. At present there are no crossing facilities located on Caryndale Drive at Chapel Hill Drive. There is a Student Safety Patrol assisted School Crossing on Biehn Drive at Caryndale Drive. Studies were conducted at both intersections in question with the result that at this point in time an Adult Crossing Guard Facility is not warranted at either location. It is recommended however that a Student Safety Patrol assisted School Crossing be established on Caryndale Drive at Chapel Hill Drive. The school has agreed to provide crossing assistance there. Appropriate school crossing signs and road markings will be installed before the start of the 2006 -07 School Year. In addition the location of Biehn Drive and Caryndale Drive will be closely monitored in terms of pedestrian safety as development continues in this area. 2 In terms of the concerns regarding the stopping and parking of school related vehicles in front of the school additional no stopping and school zone signs have been installed in front of the school. Additional enforcement of the increased school zone fines has also been a deterrent to illegal parking and stopping in this area. III. Balanced School Day and Impending Bell Time Changes at Waterloo District School Board Schools. In September 2006 the Waterloo District School Board adopted the Balanced School Day which replaced the traditional lunch in the middle of the school day and the two recesses with two equal nutrition breaks which essentially breaks up the school day into equal thirds. This had a major impact on crossing guard operations. Significant scheduling changes were made and the lunch hour service at a number of locations were eliminated before the start of the 2005 -06 School Year, as well as more lunch hour service reductions during the School Year. At the start of the 2005 -06 School Year lunch hour service was eliminated at the following locations: 1. Belmont Avenue & Highland Road 2. Eagen Drive & Highland Road 3. Fairway Road & River Road 4. Highview Drive & Willow Green Court 5. Ottawa Street and Weber Street 6. Queens Boulevard and Spadina Avenue 7. River Road West of Ottawa Street In addition, as the School Year progressed and with the monitoring of lunch time usage the following additional locations were subject to lunch time service elimination: 1. Doon Village Road & Pioneer Drive 2. Kinzie Avenue & River Road 3. Traynor Avenue & Wilson Avenue 4. Westmount Road & Forest Hill Public School. Transportation Planning will continue to monitor locations and make service adjustments where they are deemed necessary. To address teacher supervision issues the Waterloo District School Board is once again making system wide adjustments to bell times for the 2006 -07 School Year. It is anticipated that entry and dismissal bell times will be shifted between 5 and 10 minutes at the majority of schools. The actual changes will vary from school to school. It is anticipated that several schools will have morning entry bells after 9:00 a.m., which will set a precedent for any Public or Separate school in the Region. Adult Crossing Guard Duty Times will be adjusted to accommodate any changes prior to the start of the 2006 -07 School Year. If changes are received in a timely fashion, the updated crossing guard duty times will be published in the School Route Maps, which are distributed to all elementary school aged children in the City. IV. W.T. Townshend Public School W.T. Townshend Public School is located on Activa Avenue in Ward 4. At the request of the school, pylons will be available for a school designate to place on the edge of the curb on Activa Avenue approximately 30 metres on either side of the Adult Crossing Guard location there. This is to reinforce the stopping restrictions that are present at that location. In addition the following locations will be studied with regards to school traffic safety: 1. Activa Avenue & David Bergey Drive 2. Activa Avenue & Wilderness Drive Traditionally numerous requests for crossing guard assistance are received at the start of a new School Year. Transportation will respond to each request and conduct appropriate studies. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The elimination of the Adult Crossing Guard Service at Kinzie Avenue and River Road will create a savings of $2400 for the Operating Budget for 2006. The savings created by the elimination of lunch time service at the seven locations at the start of the 2005 -06 School Year were offset by increased service levels at various locations to accommodate both public and separate schools. The four locations where lunch hour service was eliminated after the start of the 2005 -06 School Year has created a savings of approximately $8000 for the Operating Budget for 2006. With respect to further changes to the bell times for Waterloo District School Board elementary schools, there could be some effect on the Crossing Guard Operational Budget as hours may need to be expanded for locations where the service is both for Public and Separate Schools. It is not anticipated at this time that there will be a significant financial effect COMMUNICATIONS: Students who use the Adult Crossing Guard Facility at Kinzie Avenue and River Road will be notified by the distribution of a flyer directly to them by the Adult Crossing Guard pending approval. Principal Rod Eckert at St. Patrick Separate School has been notified of the recommendation to eliminate the Adult Crossing Guard location at Kinzie Avenue and River Road. In addition Mr. Fred Bittner, Manager at the Co- operative Transportation Services at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board has been notified. Both have agreed to the recommended elimination of the Adult Crossing Guard Location. Ronald K. Schirm, Supervisor Adult Crossing Guards Transportation Planning 91 John P. McBride Director of Transportation Planning