Residents of Fallingbrook short-changed by lack of leadership!

Orléans-Cumberland Catholic School Board Trustee Stephen Blais is urging the City of Ottawa to reverse its decision not to fund a crossing guard at the intersection of Gardenway Drive and Thicket Way in Fallingbrook.

“Parents have serious safety concerns about their children walking to school every morning”, says Trustee Blais. “The City’s lack of leadership in ensuring the safety of children is troubling to our community.”

Children walking from the eastern edge of Fallingbrook to St. Clare Catholic School are not provided a sidewalk all the way to school. The sidewalk on the south side of Gardenway Drive ends at Thicket Way, which forces children to either cross the street or continue to walk on the road. To make matters worse, there is no stop sign at the intersection.

“Residents pay exorbitant property taxes to the City and a crossing guard is a price worth paying,” added Trustee Blais. “The City is once again short-changing the residents of our community.”

Following only two hours of analysis in the middle of winter, the City of Ottawa has deemed that there are not enough children crossing at this point to justify a crossing guard.

The intersection of Gardenway Drive and Thicket is adjacent to the soccer fields located in the Gardenway crater. Residents often park on Gardenway and side streets while taking their children to soccer. A stop sign will ensure they are able to safely cross the street without having to dodge vehicles and OC Transpo buses travelling well above the speed limit, which is normal for Gardenway Drive.

“In addition to the crossing guard a stop sign must also be installed,” adds Blais. “Essentially the City is saying it wants both children walking to school and residents using the soccer fields to j-walk across one of the busiest streets in Orléans.”