P.E.I. parents frustrated by 'unsafe' walking conditions near schools

Some P.E.I. parents are frustrated by what they call unsafe walking conditions around their childrens' schools, made worse by the return to school plan created in response to COVID-19.

They say the Department of Education shouldn't be encouraging more students to walk and bike to school if the routes aren't safe for students.

In August, Education Minister Brad Trivers said the Public Schools Branch would be encouraging parents and students to consider other forms of transportation in an effort to reduce the number of students it is transporting. 

"The goal is still to reduce ridership on buses ... that's where there is potential of spread through a larger group," Trivers said at the time. 

"We are still asking parents if they're willing and able to rearrange alternate methods to get their children to school, and I personally would like to see them walk or bike and do that in an active way, if possible."

• P.E.I. return to schools relies heavily on grouping students, enhanced cleaning
• Public Schools Branch reviewing routes as more children take the bus

'It's a little scary'

Cornwall parent Susan Morse has a son in Grade 1 at Westwood Primary school, and takes two other young neighbours to and from school.

She said she and other parents heard the minister's message.

"To get their children to school, if they could, without using the bus, to help decrease the loads on the bus because of COVID," Morse said. 

"I felt that I would like to walk more often with the kids because we can and we're close by." 

But now, just two months later, Morse has gone back to sending the children on the school bus, after too many close calls crossing Meadowbank Road to get to the school.

"It's a little scary. I wouldn't let my children do it by themselves, even though they're smart and they know how to," Morse said, who has two older children who also attended Westwood.

"The traffic on the road is really fast and they don't stop at the crosswalk, even sometimes when they see you. Lots of people do, but lots of people don't, and it's just not safe."

Crossing guard being hired

Morse said she and other parents have raised their concerns with the Town of Cornwall, which has responded. 

The Town is now in the process of hiring a crossing guard for Westwood, and is working with the provincial government to install a blinking light at the crosswalk near the school. 

The Town has also placed two silhouettes of children, with a message asking motorists to slow down. 

"The communication from the school is that it's on the town, and the communication from the town is that their hands are tied by budget, and they need the province to address the road issues, that they can provide only so much," Morse said.

"The council has been wonderful and supportive, but I do get the impression that it's budgetary reasons that it hasn't been addressed."

In an email to CBC, a spokesperson for the town said: "We had reached out to both the province and the Public Schools Branch to partner on the [crossing guard] pilot. We received support but no funds to this point, so Cornwall is providing the funding for the pilot project."

Morse said she wishes the Department of Education had considered the potential safety issues before encouraging parents to send their children to school on foot or by bicycle.

"I think that they should have looked into whether it was safe before they asked people to do that, because people are wanting to follow the regulations regarding COVID. They want to be safe. They want to keep our province the way it is," Morse said. 

"So they're doing what they were asked to do by the department. But it's just not safe at some schools."

Morse said the experience has left her, as a parent, feeling "very frustrated." 

Similar concerns

The transportation issues were raised by the District Advisory Council for the Bluefield family of schools at a presentation to the Standing Committee on Education and Economic Growth. 

There were similar concerns at several schools, including Gulf Shore Consolidated, where parent traffic has increased since September and students have no sidewalk or paved shoulder to walk or bike on up to the school.

The school has also been asking for a crosswalk on Route 6 so students can cross safely.

Stephanie Arnold has two children at Gulf Shore and represents the school on the District Advisory Council.

"I think it would be nice for the government, they probably know who to talk to and they probably can identify easier the schools that have more needs, to maybe prioritize those needs," Arnold said. 

"You probably can't get to everything at once, but if there's a good sense of what work is needed and where, then maybe they can get the ball rolling, to make it easier for the other departments or different governments, to really pay attention to it." 

Education minister Brad Trivers said he hears what parents, and the District Advisory Council, are saying.

"Thank you for considering that option and trying to do it the best that you can and thank you for the feedback, because we need to know where the challenges are and where the shortcomings are so we can address them," Trivers said.

"We'll be working in the Department of Education, with the Public Schools Branch, as well as the Commission scolaire de langue française, to make sure that we put the money where it's needed, if that's what's required, to solve these issues." 

Trivers said active transportation remains a priority for the province. 

"During the the first eight months where we've been addressing COVID, we haven't been able to solve all the problems and we haven't been able to make every school accessible through active transportation to the extent we want," Trivers said. 

"That's why it's important to listen, find out what the problems are, and then give those supports as needed, so that we can we can solve them and have really great active transportation solutions to schools and elsewhere." 

More from CBC P.E.I.