ST. PAUL – St. Paul Education will be exploring options to address safety concerns at the busy crosswalk and bus lane at École Racette Junior High School, located along main street in St. Paul.
“I do drive by the . . . crosswalk and the bus lane area regularly on my way to work and it is a very busy intersection,” said Sylvie Smyl, St. Paul Education’s board of trustee chair. “I really think we should highly consider what it looks like for the safety of all.”
“So, I wanted to just ask . . . is this an initiative that we should do some advocacy for and [have] discussion with the Town?” she asked.
Trustee Dwight Wiebe acknowledged the area is an ongoing issue. He acknowledged the issue was a matter of discussion for the board of trustees in the past too, “But what we do need to do is . . . look at it again.”
Wiebe suggested St. Paul Education administration look at the area and explore potential options to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety.
“I think anyone who drives there in the morning and afternoon knows that it’s very congested and there’s a possibility that things can be done differently,” said Wiebe.
Trustee Jan Rajoo agreed. “It’s pretty chaotic there,” she said, adding she’s not sure if Alberta Transportation must be involved since the area is on a provincial highway, but she believes exploration of possibilities to fix the area is necessary.
Trustee Darcy Younghans said that ultimately, the board will have to wait for recommendations if it were to direct administration to look at the area.
Wiebe made a motion to explore options to address traffic congestion at Racette School. The motion was carried.
