FALL RIVER: There’s a lot of smiles in the Schwarzwald area after ongoing pressure for a crosswalk to get across the busy Highway 2 has resulted in it becoming a reality very soon.
On Sept. 25, Councillor Steve Streatch announced that after hearing from the community through emails and phone messages, and a petition from youngster Jack Lerner with more than 200 names on it, Halifax Traffic Authority agreed to the installation.
Streatch said the initial crosswalk will be on the right hand side of Coach Avenue—the entrance to Schwarzwald subdivision—across to Fletcher Drive.
“We will be installing a crosswalk and as well we will be reducing the speed limit in this area to 60 kilometres per hour,” said Streatch.
VIDEO: Councillor Streatch talks about the installation of the crosswalk
In budget discussions he plans to seek a light standard to go over it warning motorists of it being a crosswalk as well as advance warning signs along the road in both directions.He hopes to have that in place by next Spring.
“It’s not only important to add the crosswalk, but to have advance warning lights and there’s a new style of flashing beacon that I think would work really well in this situation,” said Streatch.
The speed reduction will occur for 1.3 kilometres from the 60 sign near the Sobeys in Fall River to just past Coach Avenue. It won’t be as far as Holland Road, as some had hoped.
He said the community is the one who has to pat themselves on the back because it was their persistence that got the action needed for the crosswalk to happen. Streatch feels the change in STOCK’s busing issue may have exasperated the need, with students that were deemed outside the busing area now deemed ineligible for busing.
“I want to say a very special thank you to all the residents, parents especially, who made their concerns known, Jack Lerner for his initiative on getting the 200 signatures on his petition,” he said.
“It allowed me to make the case to not only the Traffic Authority, but our CAO strongly of the need for this crosswalk here.”
