New schools opened in London before traffic calming and other pedestrian safety measures completed

A City Councillor is expressing their concern after two schools were open without proper road safety measures in place. CTV London’s Daryl Newcombe reports.

Earlier this year, a pair of new schools opened in northwest London before a system of speed bumps, no-stopping zones, and other safety infrastructure was fully installed on the street.

Coun. Corrine Rahman said parents of students attending Northwest Public School and St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School, both on Buroak Drive, expressed concern that their children were travelling to school before pedestrian and cyclist safety measures were in place.

“One of the things that I heard was, why wasn’t this done before the school opened?” Rahman told CTV News.

“We need speed bumps around (Northwest Public) school. The way that this traffic flows with 700 kids may be different than a school that has 300 kids.”

During Monday’s meeting of the Infrastructure and Corporate Services Committee, Rahman asked city staff how the city can ensure road safety features are in place before future schools open in fast-growing parts of London.

“There’s been ongoing dialog recently, prompted out of this learning, but also other sites,” replied Doug MacRae, Director of Transportation and Mobility.

“We certainly want access to schools to be convenient and safe.”

Rahman acknowledges the school locations on Buroak Drive were chosen after the subdivision agreement was in place between the developer and City Hall.

However, she wants to ensure future subdivision agreements include language requiring that traffic calming, crosswalks, and other safety measures are in place when new schools are completed.

“For residents, what they want to know is that these things will be in place beforehand. And we do that through good communication,” she added.

Updates to the Traffic and Parking Bylaw, including no-stopping zones near Northwest Public School, will be considered by Council on Dec. 16.