Are steps being taken toward adult crossing guards at Barrie elementary schools?
The city’s community safety committee will hear a presentation on Wednesday requesting the guards because of near-misses, increasing traffic, distracted and inexperienced drivers, speeding, congestion at school drop-off/pick-up locations, illegal parking, and poorly placed pedestrian crossing lights.
The open delegation will be made by Tannis McCarthy, who in early May initiated a change.org petition asking for guards to help keep children safe. As of this afternoon, it had 1,088 signatures.
“Parents have told me that they’ve been involved in near-misses,” she said. “Also the perceived threats to our children are preventing us from allowing them to walk to school.
“Studies show that students feel safer and parents have a lower perception of danger where crossing guards are deployed," McCarthy added.
McCarthy is a secondary school teacher with the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board in Bradford, where she said there are adult crossing guards.
“I would notice it every day, and I was also worried about my son eventually having to cross Prince William Way (in south-end Barrie) as we get busier,” said the local resident. “It’s the adult crossing guards we need at the riskier locations.”
Why adults, instead of student safety patrols of 11- to 13-year-olds?
McCarthy says adult school crossing guards can direct children with more authority, have the power to carry a stop sign, can help report violations that impose fines, can assist in an emergency, and give parents greater confidence.
An adult crossing guard program’s objectives include encouraging safe crossing and street behaviour, deterring pedestrian violations, enforcing motorist compliance with the law and safe behaviour, reporting hazardous conditions to school boards and the city, and providing one-on-one instruction with children.
McCarthy’s request would be to implement an adult crossing guard program gradually and increase locations incrementally. It would start with the most essential locations, as warranted by the Ontario Traffic Council’s Crossing Guard Guide.
“It’s not going to be at every elementary school, just where warranted,” McCarthy said.
In 2015, city council looked at having crossing guards at Barrie’s elementary schools in 2017, at a cost of $650,000. It was not approved.
McCarthy doesn’t have numbers for Barrie now, but noted Guelph — a comparator for Barrie in terms of population and number of schools — has a program for $497,000 annually.
The Ontario Highway Traffic Act says school crossing guards are to be under contract with the municipality to provide this service.
McCarthy said the death of an eight-year-old Burlington girl, who was struck in a parking lot in May 2022, caused her to begin the petition and speak to Barrie councillors about adult crossing guards.
It reads: "Traffic is busy in Barrie. Crossing guards are needed at intersections near schools in the mornings and afternoons. Concern for our children’s safety is paramount. Barrie has been looking at this issue for years, it’s time to act."
McCarthy’s petition can be found by clicking here.
The Simcoe County District School Board has 25 elementary schools and five secondary schools in Barrie, while the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board has 13 elementary schools and three high schools in the city.
Wednesday’s community safety committee meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., virtually, and in the Council Chambers at Barrie City Hall.
