Stop Signs Urgently Required for Hamlet Public School Zone

On behalf of the concerned citizens who reside within proximity of Hamlet Elementary School regarding a request to have stop signs placed at several key intersections along the West Gore and Cambria streets.

These streets are considered direct access routes to the hospital however they are also direct walking routes for all students, parents and elderly community members to and from Hamlet Elementary School, Cedarcroft Place as well as the Jenny Trout Centre. The fact that the streets are direct routes to the hospital should in no way mean that stop signs should not be utilized, especially with in the school zone and retirement home area. There are many communities where the hospital routes have stop signs on route, and we see no reason why that should not apply here for the safety of all individuals and in particular our children.

Unfortunately crossing guards are not sufficient as they are not available when a child is late, a parent is arriving at the school at an off hour to the crossing guards regular duty, if a community member is making their way to the Jenny Trout Centre, or if an elderly person with or with out escort wishes to make their way safely to and from either downtown or the Jenny Trout Centre. In addition we feel that the crossing guards have been placing their lives at risk due to the lack of stop signs. Example; at the corner of Church Street & West Gore the crossing guard has been hit almost 5 times in the past 2 months due to driver negligence. Most recently as of January 6, 2010 at 8:25AM, I, Kimberley Butler, personally witnessed and was a part if such an altercation. I escort a total of 5 children to and from school on occasion, some of my own and others of a neighbour’s, on this day the children were a little ahead of me and when the crossing guard felt that it was safe and all cars had come to a complete stop he directed the children across the road, the youngest child was just about half way across the street and I was just about to step off the curb with my 9 month old baby in my arms and our 4 month old puppy on leash when a driver decided to proceed from her stopped position though the vacant opening between the crossing guard, the youngest child and myself. The crossing guard flagged the driver down and proceeded to let her know what she had done, however it is not the first instance of this type of situation. Most times drivers altogether are traveling so fast along these streets that they don’t even notice the crossing guard emerging from the side street. The speed limit is 40/kph; however the majority of drivers do well above the posted speed due to the complete lack of stop signs through out the length of these streets.