Huntsville staff is exploring different avenues in order to help alleviate traffic congestion and hazards along Brunel Road, stemming from the high school and Canada Summit Centre.
Mayor Scott Aitchison said he learned early this week that a Huntsville High School student had been hit by a bus. He said he called to inquire how she was doing and was told by the family that she’s on the mend. He said the issue of traffic problems in the vicinity of the high school has been discussed at Huntsville’s youth council and staff has also held discussions about the issue with the school board.
“I wanted to bring it before council so that council is aware of it,” Aitchison told councillors at their October 26 meeting.
“Preliminary discussions and the direction from committee of youth council (is) we need to make haste and do something sooner rather than later.” Huntsville Mayor Scott Aitchison
Huntsville CAO/Clerk Denise Corry said a traffic study in the area will be proposed as a new initiative in the 2016 budget.
In the meantime, she told council the Director of Community Services and Economic Development has been in touch with the high school and interim solutions are being sought. “Which could mean anything from putting in a designated crossing area in that location as well as another number of things that we’re looking at,” said Corry.
“I certainly wanted to make council aware… many discussions have been taking place with the school board and we need to come up with a joint solution because obviously the school board has just as much of a vested interest in making sure people are safe in that area, as we (do).” Huntsville CAO/Clerk Denise Corry
In terms of cost, Aitchison said he hoped the school board would also come to the table and suggested development charge money could be used as opposed to taxation money, especially as it could be argued that there’s a lot of growth in that area.
BTW, I keep seeing headlines about a student being hit by a bus, but it sounded to me more like a female student walked in to the side of a moving bus; not that it changes anything related to this article. I could be wrong though.
HPS is just as bad, the traffic situation is terrible. Parents are asked not to park or drop off / pick up kids on Caroline Street West (where the buses go) but most people still do it and it is extremely dangerous because you have two-way traffic and kids trying to cross where the buses are. Luckily the bus monitors are very good at stopping traffic for these people that should not even be there. It is only a matter of time before an accident happens there too.
I heard that the school has requested that Caroline West be made one way, and I think that might be a good start for making it safer. Someone also needs to enforce the bus time black out period. Regardless of how difficult it is, we have to make it easy and safe for the bus drivers and therefore the kids.
The drive by Riverside Public school at bus time is horrible. You have cars and busses holding up traffic on Brunel Road as one bus after another pulls out. Brunel Rd traffic has the right of way but you have cars & busses stopped letting several busses out. All this does is cause confussion. Maybe we need a traffic cop or light. I avoid going past the two schools I have to travel by at bus time. I’m afraid of getting caught up at this busy time. Something really needs to be done. We as drivers want to pass thru these areas safely, as do all the pedestrians.