The new school year has brought with it new concerns about student safety.
Or rather, heightened ones.
That’s particularly true in Ward 3, where already two teens have been struck by vehicles in the roundabout at Louis St. Laurent Avenue and Kennedy Circle while on their way to school.
Thankfully neither student suffered serious injuries. However, the collisions have left many parents worried about safety in an area where three schools – including the newly-open St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Secondary School – have created heavy pedestrian traffic.
With numerous roundabouts across both urban Milton and its outskirts – many installed in the last few years – motorists are reminded to follow these four basic rules.
- Watch and stop for pedestrians
- To turn left or go straight, use the left lane
- To turn right or go straight, use the right lane
- Signal as you exit the roundabout
A staunch advocate for traffic safety, Ward 3 town councillor Adil Khalqi successfully pushed to have a speed bump recently added to the north leg of the Kennedy/Louis St. Laurent roundabout.
The installation no doubt comes as welcome news to many in the area, which will soon see an elementary school and daycare facility added to the St. Kateri school site.
Adding to foot traffic are three commercial plazas a short distance away. Furthermore, Mattamy Homes is proposing a 600-unit development in the area -- at Ferguson Drive, south of Louis St. Laurent.
“In the case of this particular roundabout, lots of advocacy took place, and continues to take place to make additional safety improvements, given the heavy traffic in the area,” said Khalqi, who’s spoken with St. Kateri principal Kevin Wong and his staff about safety concerns.
Meanwhile, the Town of Milton has also added RRFBs (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons) to the roundabout, specifically to the PXO (pedestrian crossing) at the east leg.
A number of local parents have taken to social media to express their concerns.
Among them is Rod McLachlan, a father of two young children who believes traditional intersections are safer than roundabouts in areas with multiple schools.
He points to nearby Cambridge -- where he lived 20 years ago -- as a community where talks are underway for the possible building of a pedestrian tunnel under a roundabout near a school. Pedestrian tunnels and bridges at roundabouts is a concept embraced in many European cities.
"Waterloo (Region) is 10-plus years ahead of us on this debate," McLachlan wrote on the St. Kateri parents Facebook page. "Half-measures aren't going to cut it when a new elementary school goes in next door as well. We always like to think we are unique and special and the very first people in history to have encountered this problem. Wrong!
"Learn from others' mistakes, save time and lives. It's not too late to find a better way. Of course, reverting to a signalized intersection would be the most affordable solution."
In his monthly email newsletter, Khalqi said he’s heard from several concerned parents and is currently in discussions with Town staff “advocating for further road safety improvements in this area.”
Before the school year began, Town traffic staff met with school board representatives to discuss the situation around Cobban Neighbourhood’s Cedar Ridge and St. Veronica Catholic elementary.
The roundabout at Kennedy Circle and Whitlock Avenue has PXOs at all four legs, and staff will be monitoring the site to assess the need for a crossing guard.
Visit the Town website's traffic page to learn more about projects and safety measures. To share a concern, email Khalqi at [email protected] or call 905-878-7252, ext. 2398.