PENHOLD - The community may take a second look at posted speed limits along Highway 2A through town after a child going to school was struck by a car while walking through a crosswalk with flashing lights.
“Everybody is truly concerned about the speed of Highway 2A and the children crossing,” said Mayor Dennis Cooper, noting about 125 children use the crosswalks twice a day from Monday to Friday, 200 times a year. “That's a lot of crossings. We've encouraged the children to use the two crosswalks and they are doing that. We have to start enforcing the rules on the highway and if they are going too fast start to ticket them, get people to slow down.”
The speed limit on Highway 2A as it goes through town is 50 km/h, except when lights at two crosswalks are flashing and motorists are required to slow down to 30 km/h.
At about 8:15 a.m. on Dec. 19, an 11-year-old child on his way to Penhold Crossing Secondary School was walking through a crosswalk at the intersection of Highway 2A at Hawkridge Boulevard when he was struck by a northbound motor vehicle. The child sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital for medical care. The 79-year-old driver was uninjured.
Innisfail RCMP are investigating and charges are pending.
In the meantime, Cooper said the town invested $16,000 two years ago to install pedestrian lights at the intersection of Highway 2A at Hawkridge Boulevard, with the province later adding crosswalk markings. The crosswalk is the second in town along Highway 2A, with another long-standing one just south at Lucina Street.
“We are a very young community and we have lots of children and we have to help protect those children,” said Cooper, adding another crosswalk is being planned across Highway 42 to accommodate new families with children.
“I think one of the things we have to do is hopefully have some peace officers watching those crosswalks, and maybe look at the speed people are driving through town,” added the mayor, noting the decision to deploy peace officers is in the hands of senior administration. “Our peace officers have been out there patrolling, but maybe with more effort on their part we can maybe get everybody to slow down.”
Meanwhile, Kurt Sacher, the superintendent of schools for the Chinook's Edge School Division, said children's safety is always a top priority, and is satisfied the province and the town are doing the best they can to address issues that may arise at crosswalks along Highway 2A. Sacher said the school division is also “very pleased” with the town's initiative two years ago to create a crosswalk with flashing lights at the intersection to make it safer for young students.
Mayor Dennis Cooper
"We have to start enforcing the rules on the highway and if they are going too fast start to ticket them, get people to slow down."
