Cabana Road gets second crossing guard

Ward 9 Coun. Hilary Payne says he’s confirmed that a Cabana Road crosswalk at Roseland elementary school will be getting a second crossing guard, amid safety concerns as classes are about to begin. Payne said he only became aware of the issue on the weekend when he was contacted by public board trustee Jessica Sartori. Concerns about the crossing had arisen after the Cabana widening project turned the two-lane road into four lanes with two bike lanes. This week, a group of residents held a news conference to protest the fact that the Cabana/Karen Street location — which they called the “most dangerous school crossing in Windsor” — didn’t make the list of locations being recommended for new push-button crossovers. A staff report said a road like Cabana was too wide for these kinds of crossings, which have flashing lights telling drivers to stop for pedestrians.

“I’m pushing ahead as hard as I can to deal with the situation,” Payne said Thursday, referring to the fact he asked a council question Monday asking that staff make a more comprehensive report. “And for the time being, we are getting this second crossing guard starting Sept. 4.” He said there are currently about 12 other locations in the city that have two crossing guards, usually because students are crossing four lanes of traffic. “We should definitely have two crossing guards,” he said.