Crosswalk Painting Initiative Gets Green Light

Monday, 22 April 2019 08:52

The project will see students, along with Southwestern Public Health and other community partners, paint the crosswalk at the intersection of Hunter and Light Street.

WOODSTOCK - Students at the Central Public School will be able to paint the crosswalk at the intersection of Hunter and Light Street.

The project will also involve Southwestern Public Health and other community partners.

Mayor Trevor Birtch says the crosswalks will stand out to pedestrians and make it safer for children to get to school.

"In a project with many different community partners, including the staff at Central Public School, as well as students, Southwestern Public Health, our engineering department and CAA, we've made various improvements throughout the city to help with child safety. At the Hunter and Light Street, we have now installed a new four-way stop and the engineering department is recommending painted crosswalks and Southwestern Public Health would like to work with the students to make those crosswalks stand out, so that motorists will slow down and watch for the children getting to school."

The initiative is a part of the Active and Safe Routes to School program at the school. The program is in partnership with organizations to get students to seek active transportation to school.

Mayor Birtch says the project has benefited other communities as well.

"What we have heard from other communities that have done this, it has improved the public awareness regarding safety and people start to pay a little bit more attention, not just at those intersections and crosswalks, but everywhere when they're driving and they see the young people on the sidewalks."

Public Health Nurse for Southwestern Public Health, Meagan Lichti says she hopes the project provides the children a sense of belonging in their community, along with making them feel safe.

"We hope it increases awareness of all the benefits that children can get from walking and cycling to school, there can be huge physical and mental health improvements. We want to increase that traffic safety around the school, even by decreasing the amount of car trips we want to improve the air quality and help the environment. And we want students to have a sense of belonging in their community, we feel that this is a very community-driven project and we want the kids to be able to walk by and say, 'I was a part of this, I helped create this,' and take some ownership. In the painting of the crosswalk itself and even in the design, we're hoping to have the students be part of the design process, so we just want them to have the ownership that they helped do that for that better sense of belonging to their community."

Southwestern Public Health was in charge of bringing all of the community partners together for this event. The paint and supplies will be funded by others involved with the project.

According to the report, the Woodstock Police was asked to assist in the event, however Woodstock City Council would like Public Works to sweep and close the intersection. Hunter and Light Street would be closed off for two days for the paint to be applied and to dry.

The painting is expected to start on June 4th.