Tilbury District High School. Fall 2018. (Photo by Matt Weverink)Tilbury District High School. Fall 2018. (Photo by Matt Weverink)
Chatham

Tilbury woman petitions for crosswalk

A local woman is hoping the voices of hundreds of local residents will be heard when it comes to installing a crosswalk in front of Tilbury District High School.

Martina Roach has been working for the past year at getting a safer walkway for residents to cross on Queen Street, one of the city’s busiest stretches of road. Roach said that many cars and trucks are coming from a 90 kilometre-per-hour zone and are unaware of the 50 kilometre speed reduction when they enter the school zone. With over 400 students attending the school daily, she said this is an accident waiting to happen.

Although no injuries have taken place on that stretch of road yet, Roach knows too well what could happen.

Her nephew, Morgan Harder, was killed in 2017 after being struck by a vehicle while he was crossing the street on his way to work at the Highbury Canco factory in Leamington, just one week shy of his 19th birthday.

“It really hits home. If I can save anyone the feeling my family’s going through, I will try my hardest,” Roach said.

Roach has been working with Ward 1 councillor Mark Authier and together they created a paper petition in September, which has garnered over 1,000 signatures in two months. She has since also received support from incoming Ward 1 councillor Melissa Harrigan.

Roach said Chatham-Kent council has already sent out a team to monitor traffic in the area and see if there is a need for a crosswalk in that area. Roach hopes they will see how badly it is needed.

“That corner is also where pedestrians cross over to come to the main park in Tilbury,” said Roach. “It’s not just high school students that use that corner, it’s all of Tilbury.”

Roach will go in front of council on November 19 to present her case.

-- with files from Greg Higgins 

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