Infrastructure and Corporate Services Committee Reviews School Crossing Guard Program

The Infrastructure and Corporate Services Committee reviewed London's school crossing guard program, focusing on outdated placement criteria, funding limits, and whether future decisions should rely on more than numerical warrants alone. The committee also approved a change to sidewalk snow plowing equipment intended to reduce lawn damage along sidewalks.

Topics Discussed

SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD PROGRAM REVIEW

Staff reported that London currently employs 106 crossing guards at an annual cost of about $1.6 million, funded through property taxes. The program was transferred from London Police Service in 2013 and has remained at a similar size since then. Staff said the current placement criteria dates from 2013 and may have been inherited from the police service. Mr. McCrae told the committee, "To be honest, we're not 100% sure where that criteria came from," adding that "it appears to be quite stringent," so "not a lot of new locations are approved."

UPDATED CRITERIA AND NEXT REPORT

Staff said they plan to update London's criteria using the 2023 Ontario Traffic Council guide. Mr. McCrae said, "Our recommendation is to follow the Ontario Traffic Council guide. It was developed quite recently 2023 and it was based on a review of best practices across North America." He added that the guide "does recommend a focus on children between the ages of junior kindergarten and grade five."

Staff said a follow-up report is expected next year with recommendations on whether the program should expand, contract, or reallocate existing resources. They also said recently rejected requests would be reviewed under the new criteria and that any expansion would require council approval through the budget process.

REQUESTS, SAFETY CONCERNS, AND EVALUATION METHODS

Staff said they have received requests for crossing guards "at approximately 30 different locations across the city" since 2023.

Councillor Paul Van Meerbergen argued the next review should include more than a numerical warrant analysis. He said, "I believe that amendments are needed to broaden the scope of the criteria to inform the new revised exposure warrant criteria to include things beyond a quantitative warrant numerical analysis," including "local traffic conditions," existing or anticipated calming measures, "nearby accidents also near accidents," and "perhaps most significantly from my point of view ... the feedback and observation from adjoining neighbors the crossing guards themselves the principles the teachers the parents and the students."

Van Meerbergen also pointed to a specific location: "I keep coming back to ... the corner of Colbourne and St. James where crossing guard was actually hit and that was over a year ago and we still do not have a four-way stop sign there."

Staff said crossing guards are not mandatory under provincial rules. Mr. McCrae said, "The gist of it is that crossing guards are discretionary. Some municipalities are not obliged to provide them." He added that the provincial guide recommends municipalities develop their own criteria to maintain consistency with existing programs.

Mr. McCrae also said the evidence on collision reduction is limited: "On the other side though there's no quantitative evidence that crossing guards reduce collisions between motor vehicles and pedestrians."

SCHOOL ZONE FUNDING AND TRAFFIC CALMING

Committee members discussed whether school safety funding should support crossing guards, traffic calming, or both. Van Meerbergen said he wanted staff to examine whether some funding could instead address school-zone design issues, including "more speed cushions a lit up pedestrian crossover and a marked crossover."

Staff said one-time reserve funding is not suitable for ongoing staffing costs. Mr. McCrae said, "We're at the whim of council when it comes to it's another budgetary item," adding that if council wanted to incorporate expansion into the city budget, staff could prepare "a business case."

SIDEWALK SNOW PLOWING CHANGE

The committee also discussed grass and sod damage caused by sidewalk snow plows. Staff recommended reducing the wear blade width from 1.5 metres to about 1.3 metres while still meeting the provincial minimum maintenance standard for a one-metre clear path.

Councillor Van Meerbergen asked whether narrower blades were being considered "wide enough for the minimum and wheelchairs, but ... the damages are not as significant as they have been?" The motion carried 4-0.

Motions

• School Crossing Guard Program Review (File Item 2.1) — Received and discussed; staff to return with a follow-up report and updated criteria work.
• Agenda Items 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 — Scheduled for voting.
• Sidewalk Snow Plowing Wear Blade Reduction — Passed, 4-0.

Attendees

• Councillor Paul Van Meerbergen
• Councillor Jerry Pribil
• Councillor Skylar Franke