Municipality of Chatham-Kent

Infrastructure and Engineering Services

Engineering and Transportation Division

To: Mayor and Members of Council

From: Mark Ceppi, Engineering Technologist

Date: July 11, 2016

Subject: Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings

Recommendations

It is recommended that:

1. The following School Crossing locations be converted to a Pedestrian

Crossover (Type B) per the guidelines of the Ontario Traffic Manual:
a. Talbot Street West at Little Street in Blenheim,
b. Baldoon Road at Oxley Drive in Chatham,
c. Lacroix Street at Alexandra Avenue in Chatham,
d. Erie Street North at Richard Street in Wheatley.

2. The All-way Stop located at the intersection of Murray Street and Reaume
Avenue in Wallaceburg be removed and the School Crossing located at the
same intersection be converted to a Pedestrian Crossover (Type B) per the
guidelines of the Ontario Traffic Manual.

3. The School Crossing located on Stewart Street at Mable Street in Tilbury be

converted to a Pedestrian Crossover (Type C) per the guidelines of the Ontario
Traffic Manual.

4. The Adult Crossing Guard Program be further extended to the end of the
2016/2017 school year at the School Crossing locations specified in
Recommendations 1, 2 and 3 to provide adequate time for design and
construction of the new Pedestrian Crossovers.

5. The School Crossing located in Dresden on North Street at Dresden Area

Central School continue to operate with an Adult Crossing Guard with reduced
hours until the potential closure of the school is realized, or the location is re-
evaluated by administration upon confirmation that the school will remain open
long term.
Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 2

6. The School Crossing located in Wallaceburg on Lawrence Avenue at H.W

Burgess School be removed following the September to November 2016
extension of the Adult Crossing Guard program unless an agreement is reached
with school officials to implement a School Child Safety Patroller continuously at
the School Crossing.

7. The following School Crossing locations be removed per the guidelines of the
Ontario Traffic Manual following the September to November 2016 extension of
the Adult Crossing Guard program:
a. McNaughton Avenue East at Country Lane in Chatham,
b. Merritt Avenue at King Street West in Chatham,
c. Erie Street South at David Street in Ridgetown,
d. Main Street East at Cecil Street in Ridgetown.

8. Administration amend Chatham-Kent Traffic and Parking By-law #245-2004, as

required, as the recommendations of this report are implemented. These
amendments will be brought back to Council for approval at a future meeting.

Background

The Adult Crossing Guard program provides adult supervision at 12 School Crossings
in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. The school crossing guards are trained to use a
“Stop Paddle” to provide right of way for pedestrians, typically students, to cross the
road. The Highway Traffic Act (HTA) provides regulations that require motorists to stop
when the stop paddle is displayed to traffic at the school crossing. The HTA requires the
crossing guard using the Stop Paddle to be at least sixteen years of age and be either a
municipal employee or a contractor employed by the municipality to provide the service.

The ongoing issue with the Adult Crossing Guard program is keeping full time and
backup positions fully staffed. Attracting suitable applicants for vacant adult crossing
guard positions has been difficult. With full time and backup positions unfilled some
school crossings went unsupervised for extended periods of time. The lack of backup
guards in some communities also left school crossings unsupervised if the fulltime
guard required time off or was sick. When this occurs on a morning shift it is difficult to
alert the area schools and parents in a timely manner.

In January of 2014 Customer Services Division presented a report to Council under the
Service Sustainability Review Process (SSRP) which outlined potential cost savings by
discontinuing the Adult Crossing Guard program.

During 2016 Budget Deliberations defunding of the Adult Crossing Guard program was
approved by Council. As a result, all adult crossing guard activity was to cease at the
end of the 2015/2016 school year. Engineering and Transportation Division was
directed to conduct a traffic study at each of the school crossings supervised through
Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 3

the adult crossing guard program and determine if an alternate pedestrian crossing
device is warranted.

In June of 2016, Council approved a motion to extend funding for the Adult Crossing
Guard program from September to November 2016. The intent is to maintain adult
crossing guard supervision of the school crossing until the traffic study is completed and
an alternative pedestrian crossing can be installed, if warranted.

Comments

The Ontario Traffic Manual provides guidelines for the implementation of School
Crossings. A school crossing is a crosswalk location designated by signs and pavement
markings where schools or municipalities provide either a School Child Safety Patroller
or Adult School Crossing Guard, respectively, to supervise the crossing of pedestrians.
The manual also states that school crossings must be supervised and if supervision is
discontinued the signs and markings for the school crossing must be removed.

The School Child Safety Patroller is typically a grade 7 or 8 student from the area
school. They do not stop traffic but they remain on the side of the road to provide
guidance to the younger pedestrians. The patrollers operate at locations that are visible
from school property. The School Safety Patroller program is supervised by school
officials and are supported by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) and also
receive assistance from the Chatham-Kent Police Service. Typically the School Child
Safety Patroller is only used at school crossings located on low speed, low traffic
volume roadways, as determined by traffic study.

The discontinuation of the Adult Crossing Guard program means that several school
crossings in Chatham-Kent will no longer be supervised and therefore must be removed
or converted to an alternative pedestrian crossing device that is warranted for the
location.

Traffic Study Scope

A total of twelve school crossing guard supervised school crossing locations were
reviewed in this traffic study. The school crossings are located in:

· Blenheim on Talbot Street West at Little Street

· Chatham on:
o Baldoon Road at Oxley Drive
o Lacroix Street at Alexandra Avenue
o McNaughton Avenue East at Country Lane
o Merritt Avenue at King Street West
· Dresden on North Street at Dresden Area Central School (mid-block south of
Holden Street)
· Ridgetown on:
Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 4

o Erie Street South at David Street

o Main Street East at Cecil Street
· Tilbury on Stewart Street at Mable Street
· Wallaceburg on:
o Lawrence Avenue at H.W. Burgess School (mid-block east of Emma
Crescent)
o Murray Street at Reaume Avenue
· Wheatley on Erie Street North at Richard Street

School crossing alternatives considered for this traffic study include all-way stops,
pedestrian crossovers (PXOs), pedestrian signals, and traffic signal. All-way stops and
traffic signals are not valid options at school crossings located at mid-block locations
and therefore were not considered for the Dresden location and the Lawrence Avenue
at H.W. Burgess School location.

Analysis

The Ontario Traffic Manual provides warrants for all-way stop, PXO, pedestrian signal,
and traffic signal controls. Traffic counts were completed in May and June of the current
year and the highest 8 hours of vehicle and pedestrian volume was collected at each
school crossing. Collision data was also collected and reviewed for each location. This
data was then applied to the warrants for each traffic control device.

The warrants for a PXO and Pedestrian Signal device applies an adjustment factor of
two to each pedestrian counted that is classified as assisted. An assisted pedestrian
includes children under 12, disabled pedestrians, and seniors and also includes an adult
that is accompanying the assisted pedestrian. This factor recognizes the higher
vulnerability the assisted pedestrian and their companions can have while crossing a
roadway.

When the analysis determines a PXO device is warranted an additional set of criteria is
used to determine which of four different types of PXO device is warranted for a
location. The criteria includes vehicle volume, speed limit, and the amount of lanes or
width of the roadway at the location. This warrant assesses the amount of risk to the
pedestrian while crossing the roadway and assigns the appropriate amount of signals,
signs, and pavement markings to warn motorists of the need to stop for pedestrians.

The traffic count conducted at the intersection of Merritt Avenue and King Street West in
Chatham occurred during the closure of the Parry Bridge on Keil Drive. As a result the
vehicle volume numbers are higher than normal due to the intersection becoming an
alternative route during the bridge closure. The pedestrian volume numbers should not
be affected by the bridge closure.
 Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 5

A summary of the traffic study warrant analysis results for each location are listed below
in Table 1.

Table 1: School Crossing Review Summary

Traffic Control Warrant Result (% Compliance)

Location Recommendation
All-way Pedestrian Traffic
PXO
Stop Signal Signal
1) Blenheim – Talbot Street No Yes No No Convert to PXO
West at Little Street (58%) (100%) (23%) (67%) Type B
2) Chatham - Baldoon Road at No Yes No No Convert to PXO
Oxley Drive (45%) (100%) (22%) (49%) Type B
3) Chatham - Lacroix Street at No Yes No No Convert to PXO
Alexandra Avenue (15%) (100%) (32%) (15%) Type B
4) Chatham - McNaughton No No No No Remove School
Avenue East at Country Lane (11%) (40%) (6%) (8%) Crossing
5) Chatham – Merritt Avenue at Yes1 Yes No Yes1 Remove School
King Street West (100%) (100%) (93%) (100%) Crossing
6) Dresden – North Street at Yes No Continue Operating
n/a2 n/a3
Dresden Area Central School (100%) (93%) Adult Guard
7) Ridgetown - Erie Street South No No No No Remove School
at David Street (9%) (43%) (5%) (12%) Crossing
8) Ridgetown - Main Street East No No No No Remove School
at Cecil Street (24%) (73%) (13%) (38%) Crossing
9) Tilbury – Stewart Street at No Yes No No Convert to PXO
Mable Street (13%) (100%) (0%) (14%) Type C
10) Wallaceburg - Lawrence
Convert to Safety
Avenue at H.W. Burgess No No
n/a2 n/a3 Patroller or Remove
School (mid-block east of (51%) (0%)
School Crossing
Emma Crescent)
11) Wallaceburg - Murray Street Remove All-way Stop.
No Yes No No
at Reaume Avenue & Convert to PXO
(83%) (100%) (70%) (86%)
Type B
12) Wheatley – Erie Street North No Yes No No Convert to PXO
at Richard Street (10%) (100%) (12%) (25%) Type B
Notes:
1) Abnormal traffic conditions due to closure of Parry Bridge on Keil Drive.
2) All-way stop control is not applicable to mid-block location.
3) Traffic signal control is not applicable to mid-block location.

The recommendation for each location is based on the assumption that Adult Crossing
Guard program will be discontinued. Therefore, if no alternative pedestrian crossing
device is warranted the recommendation is to remove the school crossing from the
roadway.

Analysis Discussion

Based on the traffic study and analysis the school crossings in Blenheim on Talbot
Street West, Chatham on Baldoon Road and Lacroix Street, and Wheatley on Erie
Street North warrant a straight conversion to a PXO when the adult crossing guards are
discontinued. These would be the Type B PXO due to the vehicle volumes and road
Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 6

widths. The Chatham on Baldoon Road location may be relocated further north in a mid-
block location due to problems reported of right turning vehicles from Oxley Drive not
yielding to pedestrians using the current school crossing.

The school crossing in Tilbury on Stewart Street warrants a conversion to a Type C

PXO due to the low vehicle volumes.

The school crossing in Wallaceburg on Murray Street is currently located at an all-way

stop controlled intersection. A Type B PXO is warranted for this location however this
traffic control device cannot operate at an all-way stop location. One option is to remove
the school crossing and leave the crosswalk lines in place with the control device being
the existing all-way stop. The second option is to remove the all-way stop and install the
PXO. The results of the analysis indicate that all-way stop is not warranted based on the
traffic volume conditions. Therefore the second option is recommended for this location.

The school crossing located in Dresden at the Dresden Area Central School warrants a
conversion to a Type B PXO. However a review of Lambton Kent District School
Board’s Pupil Accommodation Report 2015/2016 indicates the school has been
identified as a candidate for closure but does not provide a definitive time frame for this
to happen.

The closure of Dresden Area Central School will reduce the amount of pedestrian
volume at the crossing location and a PXO device may no longer be warranted if this
happens. As an option to investing in infrastructure that may longer be required in a few
years the Adult Crossing Guard program could be extended on a yearly basis until plans
for the school are finalized by the school board.

The adult crossing guard position in Dresden included a lunch period shift, which was
unique to this and the two Wallaceburg locations. There is no requirement to operate
this shift and therefore it can be eliminated for cost savings.

The school crossing in Wallaceburg on Lawrence Avenue does not warrant conversion
to another form of pedestrian crossing device and will be removed when the Adult
Crossing Guard program is discontinued. An alternative to removal is for H.W. Burgess
School officials to implement a School Child Safety Patroller at this location, which
would then allow for the school crossing to remain in place. The location is ideal for a
School Child Safety Patroller due to the low speed, low vehicle volume, and short
crossing distance on the roadway. The location is also within sight distance of the
school property.

The school crossings located in Chatham on McNaughton Avenue East and Merritt
Avenue, and in Ridgetown at Erie Street South and Main Street East. Each location
except for Merritt Avenue lacks the vehicle and pedestrian volume to warrant an
alternative pedestrian crossing and therefore must be removed the Adult Crossing
Guard program is discontinued.
Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 7

The Merritt Avenue school crossing is situated at an existing all-way stop, which is an
acceptable form of traffic control for a pedestrian crossing. The traffic study analysis for
the Merritt Avenue location indicates that an all-way stop is warranted under the
abnormal vehicle traffic conditions caused by the closure of the Parry Bridge on Keil
Drive. Regardless, the removal of the all-way stop cannot be justified at this time and
therefore must remain in place until another traffic study is conducted under normal
traffic conditions.

PXO Description

The traditional PXO Type A which consists of an overhead illuminated sign with a black
“X” on an orange background and yellow beacons that flash when activated by a
pedestrian. There are also signs and pavement markings installed that are specific to
the Type A PXO.

In 2014 the Ontario Traffic Manual introduced three new versions of PXO that utilize
varying amounts of signals, signs, and pavement markings. Figure 2 and 3 illustrates
the general layout of the new Type B and Type C PXO, respectively.

Figure 1 – PXO Type B at Intersection

Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 8

Figure 2 – PXO Type C at Intersection

The Type B is one of three new versions of the PXO that was introduced in the Ontario
Traffic Manual in 2014. It consists of poles on each side of the crossing with two signs,
audible pedestrian pushbuttons on each pole, and rectangular rapid flashing LED
beacons mounted on each pole facing both directions. One of the signs is mounted on a
mast arm that extends over the roadway. Additional Advance warning signs, no parking
signs, and pavement markings are required. Street lights are required to illuminate the
crossing at night and concrete work may be required to meet accessibility regulations.

The Type C PXO is the similar to the Type B except that it does not require signs
mounted over the roadway.

PXO Installation Timeframe

Upon approval of the new PXOs, administration will begin the design process for the six
locations and draft the contract documents and drawings for tendering. September 1ST
would be the estimated contract bidding closure date with a tender award report sent to
either the September 19TH or October 3RD Council Meetings, depending on status of the
contractor bids after being reviewed by administration.
Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 9

Upon awarding the contract and finalizing the contract agreement, it is estimated that it
will take 4 to 6 weeks for the successful contractor to take delivery of all the PXO
equipment, placing the start date in early to mid-November. It is undesirable to start
projects this late in the season due to the unpredictability of the weather and the
availability of contractors. Extending the adult crossing guard program at the 6 PXO
conversion locations until the end of the 2016/2017 School Year will ensure these
locations are covered should construction be delayed beyond the September to
November Extension period currently set by Council.

Adult Crossing Guard Status

Starting in May 2016 the adult crossing guards were sent notices informing them that
their positions were being discontinued at the conclusion of the 2015/2016 school year.
These notices were sent before Council extended the adult crossing guard program was
extended to November 2016. As a result, HROD/Customer Service Division is in the
process of staffing these positions, mainly by offering the positions back to the
2015/2016 adult crossing guards.

At the drafting of this report, 12 of the 20 fulltime and backup adult crossing guard
positions had been confirmed as filled for the September to November 2016 extension
period. Table 2 lists the current staff conditions for each community affected by the adult
crossing guard program.

Table 2 – Adult Crossing Guard Staffing Status

Actuals Confirmed Status for

Quantity Required
2015/ Sept-Nov 2016
2016 Full- Full- Back-
Community Back-up Total Total
School Time Time up
Guards Guards Guards
Year Guards Guards Guards
Blenheim 2 1 1 2 1 1 2
Chatham 5 4 2 6 2 2 4
Dresden 2 1 1 2 1 0 1
Ridgetown 3 2 1 3 2 1 3
Tilbury 1 1 1 2 1 0 1
Wallaceburg 2 2 1 3 0 0 0
Wheatley 1 1 1 2 1 0 1
Totals 16 12 8 20 8 4 12

There is a possibility that some positions may not be filled in time for the start of the
September to November extension period.
Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 10

Comments on Liability from the Chief Legal Officer

There is no legal requirement that a municipality operate an adult crossing guard

service to assist school children walking to school. School boards have largely
eliminated or do not implement this service because of liability concerns and cost
pressures related to salaries.

Municipalities have responsibility to maintain roads, sidewalks and install signs and
traffic control devices. Parents, volunteers and/or school boards take responsibility for
ensuring that children arrive safely at school, through supervised walking to school,
busing services and “block parent” programs.

The options for providing crossing guard services include the following:

1. Municipal employees at least 16 years old provide crossing guard services

(current model) and have authority to stop traffic under the Highway Traffic Act
2. A corporation under contract with the municipality can provide employees at least
16 years old and who will have authority to stop traffic under the Highway Traffic
Act (for example: a school board agreeing to provide paid crossing guards)
3. Volunteer parents/adults or student “safety patrollers” can be organized by a
municipality or school board to provide assistance to smaller children crossing
roads. In this instance there is no authority to stop traffic under the Highway
Traffic Act.

A Municipality should use the best practices outlined in the “Ontario Traffic Manual” to
determine locations where pedestrian crossovers and school crossings are warranted,
including locations where traffic control devices should be installed.

By-law Amendments

School crossings, PXOs, and all-way stops are designated under the authority of Traffic
and Parking By-law #245-2004. Any removals or additions of these traffic control
devices will require an amendment to the by-law. A by-law will be brought to Council at
a future meeting.
Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 11

Community Strategic Plan

The recommendations in this report support the following Council Directions:

Jobs:
Everyone in Chatham-Kent who wants to work is able to work in
meaningful employment
People:
Chatham-Kent is a welcoming community where people choose to live,
learn, work, and play
Health:
Chatham-Kent is a healthy, active, safe, accessible community within a
healthy natural and built environment
Financial Sustainability:
The Corporation of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent is financially
sustainable

Has the potential to support all Council Directions

Neutral issues (does not support negatively or positively)

Consultation

Customer Services Division was consulted to provide information regarding the Service
Sustainability Review Process report they prepared for the Adult Crossing Guard
Program. They also provide information regarding the current status of refilling the adult
crossing guard positions for the September to November 2016 extension period.

The Lambton Kent School District Board website was researched for information on
future plans for Chatham-Kent public schools. The Pupil Accommodation Report
(2015/2016) was found on the website and was used to obtain information regarding the
Board’s plans for Dresden Area Central School.

Legal Services provided comments regarding liability concerns which have been
incorporated in this report in the comments section.

Financial Implications

A summary of all the costs to install new PXOs and remove unsupervised school
crossings is shown in Table 3. Funding for this work will be provided through the Capital
Budget.
Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 12

Table 3: Estimated Removal and Installation Cost Summary

Item Qty. Unit Cost Total
PXO Type B Installation 5 $45,000 $225,000
PXO Type C Installation 1 $43,000 $43,000
School Crossing Removal1 5 $1,000 $5,000
Operate Crossing Guards for 2016/2017 School
6 $5,700 $34,200
Year2
Dresden Crossing Guard per year (on-going
1 $5,700 $5,700
until possible school closure)
Total $312,700
Note:
1) Includes the Wallaceburg on Lawrence Avenue location.
2) Includes the September to November Extension Period.

Based on the 2013 budget data presented in the Customer Service Sustainability
Review Process (SSRP) – Adult Crossing Guard report from January 2014 it costs
approximately $5,700 per location to operate an adult crossing guard supervised school
crossing. This would be the estimated annual cost to operate a crossing guard at the
Dresden on North Street school crossing until the long term future of the Dresden Area
Central School is determined.

The expected payback of installing the PXO Type B or C in place of an adult crossing
guard, including initial installation cost plus yearly maintenance and lifecycle cost, is 15
years.
Review of Adult Crossing Guard Supervised School Crossings 13

Prepared by:

__________________________
Mark Ceppi
Engineering Technologist
Engineering and Transportation Division

Reviewed by: Reviewed by:

___________________________ ________________________
Adam Sullo, P. Eng. Thomas Kelly, P. Eng., MBA
Director General Manager
Engineering and Transportation Division Infrastructure and Engineering Services

c. Director, Customer Services Division

Director, Human Resources/Customer Service
Director, Public Works Division
Chief Legal Officer/Director, Legislative Services

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Crossings.docx