It’s been three weeks since the start of the new school year. But twice now, Amanda Charbonneau says her seven-year-old daughter Amira has come close to a collision incident at an intersection she and her classmates cross daily on their way to school.
“She got honked at, yelled at and a lot of the kids have had close calls with drivers,” Charbonneau said as she stood at the corner of the Charing Road and Bertona Road during a Wednesday afternoon rush hour.
Bertona is a main route for students attending two schools in the Craig Henry and Manordale neighbourhood in Ottawa’s west end: the St. John XXIII Catholic School and Manordale Public School .
During rush hour, Charbonneau says the typically quiet neighbourhood is a “mess,” and a number of concerned parents often gather near the intersection monitoring their children as they make their way across.
“I just can’t imagine my own kids having to cross the street on their own,” Johannah Sabino, another parent, said Wednesday, as she grasped for her son James’ hands.
The issue hadn’t always been front of mind for Sabino. It became glaring when four-year-old James started attending school this year.
“I’ve only really noticed this issue recently because my kids were not school age,” said Sabino, who has been living in the area for the last three years.
Sabino says the snow mountains at the side of the road can cause even more danger for kids over the winter. The snow often piles higher than most kids are tall, making it harder for drivers to spot them.
“In the summer maybe you might be able to see far enough but in the winter it can be tricky to see around the curb,” Sabino says.
Charbonneau, who had moved into her Craig Henry neighbourhood around the same time, says her own children, Amina and Karim, had been in after-school programs over the last two years. This year, they are walking back home with the rest of their classmates during the busy hours.
“The drivers have to brake abruptly because there’s kids just bolting everywhere,” Charbonneau said.
Charbonneau and Sabino are among the dozens of concerned parents in the area who worry their children are in harm’s way on a daily basis.
Charbonneau says a pedestrian crossover or a stop sign for the intersection could solve the problem. She launched a petition that has now gained the support of more than 290 community members, who are urging local authorities to take action by creating a crossover and having a crossing guard present at the intersection during school hours.
Can the city install pedestrian crossovers upon request?
An Ottawa intersection can get a crossover or an upgraded traffic signal after a provincial test. The Pedestrian Crossover Warrant Matrix test exists because crossovers fall under provincial jurisdiction.
The study is the same in every ward and must meet the criteria including traffic flow need, the number of pedestrians and speeding norms.
While municipalities cannot simply pick up a white paint brush and outline a crossover, Ottawa residents can request this review by calling 3-1-1 and naming the intersection in question.
According to the City of Ottawa’s open database on crossovers, the city has added 159 of them since 2019, as of July 2024 the most recent year data was available.
What each candidate says they will do?
The Ottawa Citizen reached out to each candidate in the Knoxdale-Merivale Ward to see how they would address the issue.
While councillors have a limited role and in an issue that falls under the province’s jurisdiction, their hands are not completely tied.
All three candidates who are presently running for a seat said they have met with parents in the ward to discuss the issue.
Cole Fraser Jones says he would get a review of the intersection and publish the answers to three questions, “Was the warrant ever done here? What did it score? What year is it scheduled for?”
“The fix starts with the councillor’s office picking up the phone and helping the lot operator find somewhere better to put it. I have heard the same complaint near other schools in the ward, so this corner is not an isolated case,” Jones says.
For Sean Devine, who is running for relection as the ward’s councillor, the issue can be mitigated by installing “Slow Down For Us” signs and said he would look into the potential of installing speed bumps to slow down traffic, which he says will be done this week.
“From my recent success in helping to lower the cost of speed bumps by half, this location is the kind of site where I can now afford to deploy speed bumps from my limited budget,” he said.
Ward councillors get a budget for traffic calming projects they are able to personally direct.
The budget cannot be used to install a crossover since it requires a warrant test but Devine says the speed bumps are within his jurisdiction.
Anna lelo Tal, a councillor candidate also running for Ward 9, says the first step should be meaningful consultation with parents and residents who are directly affected by the issue.
“This is about children’s safety and the concerns surrounding this intersection need to be properly assessed and addressed,” she wrote in a statement.
Tal, who also met with parents and visited the intersection, said parents should not have to wait under there is an accident before action is taken.”
Parents in the area say the issue is one of visibility and not speed. “We don’t need speed bumps, we need flashing signs or designated crosswalks,” Charbonneau said.
Following the Ottawa Citizen’s visit Wednesday, Devine said posted on social media that he installed “Slow Down for Us” signs in the area.
“After a long night of planting 50 more campaign lawn signs, I went to Bertona and Woodvale Green to plant 10 of these “Slow Down For Us” traffic calming signs (5 on either side of the intersection),” Devine wrote on social media. “It’s far from the ideal solution, but it will raise driver awareness and hopefully get them to slow down at this busy intersection where tons of kids cross on their way to two local schools.”
Tal, said she noticed the signs Wednesday following increased attention to the issue on social media.
“While any effort to encourage drivers to slow down is welcome, residents deserve more than a temporary response,” Tal said. “The underlying safety concerns need to be assessed and parents need to be heard.”
Brandon Ly, who was certified as a candidate in the race, dropped out as of Sept. 1, according to a statement.
Take control of your search results. Make the Ottawa Citizen a preferred source on Google to see verified local reporting first.
