Motion to restore busing not debated

October 2, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
Trustees came close to debating a call to restore busing to some 100 students at St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School in Bolton Tuesday night, but the motion never made it to the table.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School board heard from delegations of parents asking for action. The main concern has been that students are expected to walk to school, crossing Coleraine Drive at the intersection with King Street and Emil Kolb Parkway. This came after Student Transportation of Peel Region (STOPR) announced it would not be busing students living east of Coleraine to St. Nicholas.
Mississauga Trustee Esther O’Toole put forth the motion calling on STOPR to re-instate the busing until Caledon can get its Traffic Safety Committee off the ground and it’s had a chance to comment on the situation at the intersection. She commented the Board had information that such a safety council is coming, adding it would be “good customer relations” to restore the service in the interim.
Board Chair Mario Pascucci ruled the motion out of order, arguing the Board doesn’t have the authority to get involved in the operations of STOPR. Caledon representative Frank Di Cosola, who seconded the motion, challenged the ruling, but it was upheld by most of the trustees.
Parents are concerned about the safety of children crossing a road like Coleraine, which is considered a designated truck route. This is in light of trucks being banned from the village core since the Bolton Arterial Road (BAR) opened up. Coleraine and Emil Kolb Parkway are both part of BAR.
Parent Michelle Pacek told trustees she has two children attending St. Nicholas as she stressed her concerns over them crossing such a road. She said a lot of truck traffic is already using that route, as well as other traffic that is seeking a quick way around congestion in the core. She added the posted speed limit along Coleraine in that area is 60 km-h, but most traffic is going faster. She also pointed out there are about 1,400 vehicles passing there per day, and that number is sure to increase when the Canadian Tire Distribution Centre to the south opens.
She also handed trustees a petition with some 1,400 signatures calling for the buses to be restored. Pacek added the Town supports the effort.
Pacek’s 12-year-old daughter Ashley told trustees she’s seen a number of dangerous situations over the last couple of weeks, including trucks running red lights.
Pacek told Mississauga Trustee Bruno Iannicca police are aware of the situation and have had a presence there since the start of school. She has not noticed an improvement in the situation.
She also said the town has posted crossing guards at the intersection.
Mississauga Trustee Sharon Hobin said STOPR seems to be looking for someone to declare the intersection unsafe.
Pacek replied that Town council has passed two motions. One of them asking that busing be restored until the Traffic Safety Council can act. Both were declined by STOPR, she said.
Di Cosola told his colleagues has been to the intersection several times, and has spoken to the crossing guards.
“There have been several close calls,” he said he’s been told.