Correspondence regarding Crossing Guard Funding (Items j through o)
Additional resident emails supporting crossing guards and safe routes to school, including requests for active transportation improvements.
Correspondence Regarding View Royal Elementary School Crossing Guards and Active Transportation
Email from Marc Cittone
From: Marc Cittone Sent: January 13, 2023 3:08 PM To: Mayor And Council Email mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca Subject: Please support crossing guards, safe routes to school and covered bicycle parking at View Royal Elementary
To Mayor Tobias and Council Members,
As a parent of an elementary student, I am writing to ask that you continue funding for the crossing guard program, as request by the school district. When I pick my daughter up, I see that the guard on Helmcken Street is a visual presence that reminds cars they need to slow down, with good compliance to school zone speed limits and politeness to pedestrians and drivers; and that they guards keep kids (and parents) crossing safely on a busy street.
As importantly, we need to make sure it is comfortable and attractive to reach school by walking and cycling, and that older elementary kids can even feel confident going on their own, as part of walking groups, or cycling with an adult. We are lucky in that we live near the E&N Trail and have access to the school by trails, sidewalks and local streets. We realize not everyone is lucky, and kids need to navigate busy streets and streets with no bike lanes. It is a sad testament to our planning, that North American parents often report driving their kids to school because "it is not safe to walk because of traffic", and in doing so, schools become generators of auto traffic. Therefore, I applaud you for taking the first steps in creating an Active Transportation Plan.
One thing we have noticed as parents is that there is no covered bicycle lock-up at View Royal School, despite our rainy climate, and that if we want one, we as parents are expected to raise funds for it. It feels odd to have to point out that our zoning bylaws, facilities standards, and even union agreements require automobile parking and specify its dimensions and design. Could we imagine a world in which people had to fundraise to create a parking lot? This is exactly what we are called on to have safe bicycle and scooter parking. Yet active transportation is associated with better physical and mental health. There are ways we can address this, such as through grants. I have seen other municipalities, such as Victoria and Saanich, provide fundign the SD61 for bicycle shelters. If we don't do this already, I do hope it can be one of the immediate outcomes of the Active Transportation Plan.
Thanks sincerely for your time.
Marc Cittone 26 Demos Place
Email from Heather Yamasaki
From: Yamasaki, Heather Sent: Friday, January 13, 2023 3:01:17 PM To: Sid Tobias mayortobias@viewroyal.ca Cc: Don Brown dbrown@viewroyal.ca; Damian Kowalewich DKowalewich@viewroyal.ca; Gery Lemon GLemon@viewroyal.ca; Alison MacKenzie amackenzie@viewroyal.ca; Ron Mattson RMattson@viewroyal.ca; John Rogers JRogers@viewroyal.ca Subject: Crossing Guard for View Royal Elementary
To Mayor Tobias and Council Members of the Town of View Royal,
I am writing to you having recently been informed about the concerns regarding the ongoing funding for the View Royal Elementary Schools’ Crossing Guards beyond the 2022/2023 school year. As a parent of a child attending View Royal Elementary School, we rely heavily on the Crossing Guard to ensure my child and other students cross the street safely to school. As Helmcken is a major car traffic corridor and on a significant slope, I see cars frequently above the speed limit passing the school between the periods of 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Having a Crossing Guard before and after school significantly raises the visibility of the crossing and the safety of our children, parents and families and other community members.
As a parent of a child at View Royal Elementary, I feel emphatically that this is a major safety concern for the students and the community that the Crossing Guards funding is in jeopardy and that it is part of the responsibility of the View Royal Town to continue supporting it and keeping our children safe.
I am sure that you have all heard the request from SD61 School Board Chair Ms. N Duncan for Crossing Guard funding beyond the 2022/2023 school year. As a parent in the View Royal School community, I write to you in request that you continue the funding needed to protect and keep our children safe when going to and from school.
In short, my question to you all is will you fully support the partnership with School District 61 and the Crossing Guard services moving forward?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Heather
Heather Yamasaki Leasing & Resident Experience Manager
Email from Daniel Wood
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2023 2:45:07 PM To: Sid Tobias mayortobias@viewroyal.ca; Don Brown dbrown@viewroyal.ca; Damian Kowalewich DKowalewich@viewroyal.ca; Gery Lemon GLemon@viewroyal.ca; Alison MacKenzie amackenzie@viewroyal.ca; Ron Mattson RMattson@viewroyal.ca; John Rogers JRogers@viewroyal.ca Subject: Funding the crossing guard program
To Mayor Tobias and Council Members of the Town of View Royal,
I am writing to you having recently been informed about the concerns regarding the ongoing funding for the View Royal Elementary Schools’ Crossing Guards beyond the 2022/2023 school year. As a parent of a child attending View Royal Elementary School, we rely heavily on the Crossing Guard to ensure my child and other students cross the street safely to school. As Helmcken is a major car traffic corridor and on a significant slope, I see cars frequently above the speed limit passing the school between the periods of 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Having a Crossing Guard before and after school significantly raises the visibility of the crossing and the safety of our children, parents and families and other community members.
As a parent of a child at View Royal Elementary, I feel emphatically that this is a major safety concern for the students and the community that the Crossing Guards funding is in jeopardy and that it is part of the responsibility of the View Royal Town to continue supporting it and keeping our children safe.
I am sure that you have all heard the request from SD61 School Board Chair Ms. N Duncan for Crossing Guard funding beyond the 2022/2023 school year. As a parent in the View Royal School community, I write to you in request that you continue the funding needed to protect and keep our children safe when going to and from school.
In short, my question to you all is will you fully support the partnership with School District 61 and the Crossing Guard services moving forward?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Daniel Wood
Email from N Carter-Sim
From: N Carter-Sim Sent: Friday, January 13, 2023 2:50 PM To: Sid Tobias mayortobias@viewroyal.ca; Don Brown dbrown@viewroyal.ca; Damian Kowalewich DKowalewich@viewroyal.ca; Gery Lemon GLemon@viewroyal.ca; Alison MacKenzie amackenzie@viewroyal.ca; Ron Mattson RMattson@viewroyal.ca; John Rogers JRogers@viewroyal.ca Cc: jfahr@sd61.bc.ca jfahr@sd61.bc.ca Subject: School Crossing Guards at View Royal Elementary School
To Mayor Tobias and Council Members of the Town of View Royal,
I find it very odd that I have to write to you in the hope that you will continue to fund a program that keeps children safe. Why is the topic of cancelling school crossing guards even a discussion item at View Royal town council? In any case...
I am writing to you having recently been informed about the concerns regarding the ongoing funding for the View Royal Elementary Schools’ Crossing Guards beyond the 2022/2023 school year. As a parent of a child attending View Royal Elementary School, we rely heavily on the Crossing Guard to ensure my child and other students cross the street safely to school. As Helmcken is a major car traffic corridor and on a significant slope, I see cars frequently above the speed limit passing the school between the periods of 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Having a Crossing Guard before and after school significantly raises the visibility of the crossing and the safety of our children, parents and families and other community members.
As a parent of a child at View Royal Elementary, I feel emphatically that this is a major safety concern for the students and the community that the Crossing Guards funding is in jeopardy and that it is part of the responsibility of the View Royal Town to continue supporting it and keeping our children safe.
I am sure that you have all heard the request from SD61 School Board Chair Ms. N Duncan for Crossing Guard funding beyond the 2022/2023 school year. As a parent in the View Royal School community, I write to you in request that you continue the funding needed to protect and keep our children safe when going to and from school.
In short, my question to you all is will you fully support the partnership with School District 61 and the Crossing Guard services moving forward?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Norman Carter-Sim
Email from Teresa Rawsthorne
From: Teresa Rawsthorne Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2023 8:29:06 PM To: Sid Tobias mayortobias@viewroyal.ca; Don Brown dbrown@viewroyal.ca; Alison MacKenzie amackenzie@viewroyal.ca; Ron Mattson RMattson@viewroyal.ca; John Rogers JRogers@viewroyal.ca Subject: View Royal Crossing Guard funding
To Mayor Tobias and Council Members of the Town of View Royal,
I am writing to you having recently been informed about the concerns regarding the ongoing funding for the View Royal Elementary Schools’ Crossing Guards beyond the 2022/2023 school year. As a parent of three children attending View Royal Elementary School, we rely heavily on the Crossing Guard to ensure my children and other students cross the street safely to school. As Helmcken is a major car traffic corridor and on a significant slope, I see cars frequently above the speed limit passing the school between the periods of 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Having a Crossing Guard before and after school significantly raises the visibility of the crossing and the safety of our children, parents and families and other community members.
As a parent of children at View Royal Elementary, I feel emphatically that this is a major safety concern for the students and the community that the Crossing Guards funding is in jeopardy and that it is part of the responsibility of the View Royal Town to continue supporting it and keeping our children safe.
I am sure that you have all heard the request from SD61 School Board Chair Ms. N Duncan for Crossing Guard funding beyond the 2022/2023 school year. As a parent in the View Royal School community, I write to you in request that you continue the funding needed to protect and keep our children safe when going to and from school.
In short, my question to you all is will you fully support the partnership with School District 61 and the Crossing Guard services moving forward?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Teresa Cameron
Email Thread from Dean Burton
From: Dean Burton Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2023 5:43 PM To: Alison MacKenzie amackenzie@viewroyal.ca Subject: Re: School Crossing Guards
Hello, I haven’t heard back yet on your stance on our children’s safety. I’ve written all of the counsellors and the mayor as well. These crossing guards are super heroes. West Burnside and Watkiss Way crossroad is so dangerous and I’ve witnessed a lot of accidents and near misses there. It’s become that much more difficult to navigate safely with the bike light for those turning. There needs to be a no turning signal when bike light is green in my opinion. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Dean
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 12, 2023, at 8:33 PM, Dean Burton wrote:
You have all heard the request from SD61 School Board Chair Ms. N. Duncan for crossing guard funding support beyond June 2023. As parents, we respectfully implore that you please continue the funding needed to protect our children every day when they arrive and leave the school.
Councillor are you in favour, and will you fully support entering into a joint partnership with School District 61 to ensure the ongoing delivery of crossing guard services for our two elementary schools for 2023 and beyond?
Sent from my iPhone