A Blenheim woman is feeling some relief as the municipality prepares to install several new pedestrian crosswalks in Chatham-Kent.
Council will get a recommendation on Monday night to award a $183,913 tender contract for the installation of pedestrian crosswalks in Chatham, Ridgetown and Blenheim.
The crosswalks were approved during past council meetings.
Chatham's newest crosswalk will be on Grand Avenue West in front of the Village on the Thames retirement home. It will be a “PXO” type crossing with rapid flashing rectangular beacons facing both directions on both sides of the roadway. The new crosswalk in Ridgetown will also be a “PXO” type and installed in front of Naahii Ridge School.
Because of the width of the roadway, a pedestrian signal was chosen for Chatham Street North at Anger Street in Blenheim. The signal device will have standard traffic lights for stopping vehicle traffic on Chatham Street North and separate lights for controlling pedestrian crossing movements.
Blenheim resident Maureen Kent was the driving force behind getting a crosswalk installed in the community.
Kent said she had brought the concerns to previous councillors throughout the years but was told a crosswalk wasn't needed. She kept insisting, though, and eventually brought the idea to Councillor Trevor Thompson, who was able to successfully bring the motion to council in April 2020.
"I've seen lots of accidents on Chatham Street," said Kent. "There's people that use it as a drag strip, they don't slow down. It's just a very dangerous street."
According to Kent, over a dozen school-aged children live on her block alone and she said she knew something had to be done to make the area safer. With four kids of her own ranging in ages from six to 13, Kent said she's seen first hand the importance of having a safe way to cross the street.
"My 13-year-old would love to walk to school by himself but I will not let him because Chatham Street is dangerous, especially at school time. He wants to run errands for us and I say 'no' because it's just too dangerous," she explained. "My husband walks to work at four o'clock in the morning. If it's too dark, it's rainy, it's snowy, there's the potential for him getting hit by a car."
After years of advocating for a crosswalk, Kent said it's amazing to actually see it come to fruition.
"I just hope everybody is seeing it the same way. Knowing that it's a blessing that our families down here are safe. All the little children, the older folks that live down here trying to get across the road. I know my grandma will not come down here because it's too dangerous," said Kent. "Maybe now she can come to visit."
The tender is set to go to Chatham-based company Ron Field & Son Electrical Limited. Funding for the project will come from the municipality's 2020 strategic reserves.