Report to: Development Services Committee Date Report Authored:
SUBJECT: Proposed
PREPARED BY: David Porretta, Traffic Operations Supervisor, ext. 2040
Monday
Iyamu, Traffic Coordinator, ext. 4020
RECOMMENDATION:
1) That the staff report entitled “Proposed Adult School Crossing Guard Service at Riverwalk Drive and Barter Street / Revision to Crossing Guard Approval Process”, be received;
2) And
that the Operations Department be authorized to establish an adult school
crossing guard service at the intersection of
3) And that the adult school crossing guard services be funded
through the 2010 budget, account # 740-998-5642;
4) And that the Operations Department be directed to install
the school crossing signs and crosswalk pavement
5) And that additional school crossing guard services be
implemented as warranted and approved by the Director of Operations, with
notification provided to the applicable Ward Councillor and without providing a
staff report to Council;
6) And that a staff memorandum be provided to the applicable Ward
Councillor advising of new location(s);
7) And that staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
1. Purpose 2.
Background 3. Discussion 4. Financial
5. Others
(Environmental, Accessibility,
Engage 21st, Affected Units) 6.
Attachment(s)
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is
two-fold. (1) To implement school crossing guard services at the intersection
of
BACKGROUND:
The Operations
Department received concerns from the Principal of David Suzuki Public School
regarding students crossing
DISCUSSION:
Crossing Guard Warrant Guidelines
The Ministry
of
(1) Students Observed Crossing
Children
must be observed crossing at, or near the subject location. OTC recommends 5
to 10
students is typical during each of the AM or PM peak crossing periods for
crossing
guard
service to be considered.
(2) Safe Gaps in Traffic
A safe gap is a break in the flow of traffic
that permits sufficient time for a child to safely
cross the street. These safe gaps are measured during 5-minute
intervals, typically over a
30-minute period during each of the AM and
PM peak periods where students are found
to be crossing. When there are an insufficient number of safe
gaps during 50% of the 5-
minute timed intervals, a crossing guard
may be considered.
(3) Student/Vehicle Conflict Observations
If the observed or potential conflict is
high due to poor visibility, poor road geometric
design or the lack of a logical crossing
point, a crossing guard may be considered.
Staff recommend school
crossing guard service at Riverwalk Drive & Barter Street
The Operations Department conducted an Adult School Crossing
warrant study at the intersection of
An insufficient number of safe
gaps in traffic to allow children to cross were also recorded during the same
periods. It is expected that the number
of children crossing
There is also potential for
conflict at this intersection, due to the frequency of turning movements at the
intersection into the school driveway and also the increasing traffic volumes on
Based on the
results of the study, an Adult School Crossing Guard Service is warranted at the
subject intersection.
The process of implementing new School Crossing
Guard service needs improvement
Town Staff
currently adhere to the following process when implementing school crossing
guard service at new locations:
·
Warrant analysis & recommendation made by Traffic
Operations staff
·
Staff report to Committee & Council, seeking authorization
to proceed
·
Recruitment & training of crossing guard,
concurrent with installation of signs and crosswalk
Under this
process, it can take up to 3 months to implement the new school crossing guard
service. At least half of this time is spent
preparing the Staff Report to Committee and Council and its subsequent
approval.
In the spirit
of the Town’s E3 initiative, it is recommended that authority to implement
additional school crossing guard services be delegated to the Director of
Operations, provided that warrant guidelines are met and a memorandum is sent
to the applicable Ward Councillor. The
memorandum will confirm the location of where the school crossing guard service
is warranted and the anticipated commencement of the service. By doing so, the time to implement the
crossing guard can be halved.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The cost of an adult school crossing guard for this location is $4,931.64 per annum, at an annual increase of 3%, exclusive of GST. The annual budget, account # 740-998-5642, includes a contingency amount to provide school crossing guard services at four additional locations.
The cost of materials to install the signs is included for in the Operations Department account # 83-5399-8402-005. On-going maintenance costs for this installation will be included in future Operations Department budgets.
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
This report aligns with the community safety component of transportation/transit strategic priority.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
Not applicable.
RECOMMENDED BY:
________________________ ________________________
Paul Ingham, Peter Loukes,
General
Manager, Operations Director,
________________________ Brenda Librecz,
Commissioner, Community & Fire Services
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A – Proposed School Crossing Guard Location (Map)
Y:\Operations
and Asset Management\Reports\2010\Operations\Business & Technical\Traffic
Operations\FEB\Riverwalk Drive and Barter Street Proposed Adult Crossing Guard
Report\Proposed Adult School Crossing Guard Report.doc