Kitchener School Children Now Have Crossing Guard at Roundabout

October 04, 2018, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Kitchener council has determined that the kids need help crossing Fischer-Hallman and Seabrook Drive roundabout and they have agreed to pay for the crossing guard. Roundabouts have proven to be dangerous for pedestrians, and there have been children struck in and near them since they’ve been installed.

The council also asked the Region to reduce the speed on the section of road to 50 km/h to reduce danger to life for all pedestrians. Twenty-seven kids in grade seven cross the road at least twice a day. Parents are dismayed by the speed that drivers are flying through, and by the lack of regard for all pedestrians. This is the only roundabout near a school with a speed limit over 50 km/h.

When police attended the crossing they too were dismayed with people speeding through the roundabout even with a clear police presence. Safety of pedestrians is of utmost importance to the Region, City and the police. Council has also asked the Region to trim back the vegetation at the roundabout to improve site lines, to install flashing lights to warn drivers about pedestrians, and to review the crossing situation annually.

According to the Region:

 Safety Benefits

• reduce speeds of vehicles
• eliminate right-angle crashes
• reduce the number of vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-pedestrian conflicts at an intersection
• reduced speeds allows for all users to judge better when they should enter the roundabout, and to detect and correct their mistakes 
• eliminate any type of high-speed collision, opposing left turn collisions, and head on collisions

Pedestrain Safety Statistics

A 2011 study completed by Regional staff found:

• Approximately 900 pedestrians cross 13 Regional roundabouts every day.
• An estimated 300,000 pedestrians cross 13 Regional roundabouts per year.
• An estimated 1,200,000 pedestrians have crossed Regional roundabouts safely over the past 5 years.
• Less serious injuries occur at roundabouts compared to traffic signals.
• A study of 30 roundabouts in Ontario found that pedestrian collision rates are approximately 40 to 60 per cent less than pedestrian collision rates at comparable traffic signals with similar traffic and pedestrian volumes.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

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