More crossing guards for north end schools

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

Oshawa will soon bolster its crossing guard corps in the city’s north end.

Council has approved a staff recommendation to hire six permanent school crossing guards for Northern Dancer Public School, located at 2200 Bridle Road.

The school opened last September.

The city will also hire one temporary crossing guard at the intersection of Grandview Street North and Douglas Langtree Drive/Woodstream Avenue for Seneca Trail Public School.

According to a staff report, the request for crossing guards near Northern Dancer Public School was made by Durham Student Transportation Services and the Durham District School Board.

A feasibility study was performed shortly after by city staff.

“The study found that crossing guards are required to assist students across the west and south legs of the Bridle Road and Northern Dancer Drive roundabout, and the west leg of the Bridle Road and Britannia Avenue East roundabout,” the report reads.

Two crossing guards will be placed at each leg of the roundabout.

The reason for this is because each leg has a centre island with two lanes on the roadway.

Each crossing guard will be responsible for stopping traffic on one of the lanes.

In the area of Seneca Trail Public School, there is currently a temporary crossing guard location at the intersection of Grandview Street North and Eastbrook Drive/Greenhill Avenue.

This location is only expected to remain until a sidewalk is completed on the west side of Grandview Avenue.

This construction is expected to be completed early this year.

A number of parents living along Douglas Langtree Drive made the request for a crossing guard on the north side of the intersection with Grandview Street North.

Several of the homes have recently become occupied, and it is estimated about 20 students cross the intersection to attend the school.

Once the sidewalk project on the west of Grandview is completed, the new temporary crossing guard location will become permanent.

Staff has identified the cost to hire the new crossing guards to be approximately $50,000.