Many parents will be happy to hear that council has voted in favour of installing a pedestrian activated stop light at a Wallaceburg school cross walk.
At Monday night's council meeting, a motion by Councillor Carmen McGregor to convert the current pedestrian crossover at the intersection of Murray St. and Reaume Ave. in Wallaceburg to a pedestrian activated stop light passed 16-2.
McGregor says many parents have come forward complaining about the current pedestrian crossover at the intersection, which is used by students at Holy Family School and Wallaceburg Christian School. She says many of these parents are concerned about the safety of their children walking to and from school or the bus. She adds that there are many traffic violations that have been committed and many drivers don't notice the flashing lights that are currently installed.
Other sections of the motion were split for voting purposes. McGregor's request for administration to work with the local school boards to increase safety awareness about various crosswalks through an information session was also passed 15-3. However, council rejected her motion 13-5 to waive the tendering process and also, decided to move her request for an update on a speed limit traffic study in school zones to the December 4 council meeting.
The motion sparked debate from several councillors and municipal staff, eager to share their opinions on the issue.
Mayor Randy Hope, on the other hand, says that this is only one of the many traffic problems faced in the municipality. He suggests that a photo radar system would be a good incentive for drivers to follow the rules because "they'll only change their driving habits if they get hit in the pockets."