Concerned parents want safety measures at London school crosswalk to prevent tragedies

Crosswalk safety concerns outside Mountsfield Public School have parents worried for their children, with one parent reporting an incident that was "so close, it was terrifying."

They're calling for safety measures such as crossing guards and flashing lights at the busy crosswalk on Wortley Road, north of Commissioners Road, in south London.

"Some drivers don't see a need to stop and to yield to the children who are trying to safely use the pedestrian crosswalk," said Jeremy McCall, whose three kids attend the school.

The concerned dad is leading a campaign he hopes will help to prevent injury or worse from happening outside the school. He is already preparing to take matters into his own hands, and has ordered a high-visibility vest, a stop sign, and an air horn, he said.

According to McCall, after years of concerns from Mountsfield Drive residents, the school took steps to encourage parking behind the nearby Redemption Bible Chapel in order to reduce congestion on their street.

An east–west crosswalk was installed to facilitate people who park behind the church. But McCall said there were reports of drivers failing to stop almost immediately after it was installed last spring.

He said the school has always had crossing guards at the four-way stop at Wortley and Base Line roads and another crossing guard at the light at Ridout Street and Base Line, but so far no crossing guards or pedestrian flashing lights have been placed at the new crosswalk.

McCall said there have been near misses at the crosswalk, including incidents involving his own kids in recent days when they were trying to cross with some friends.

"The last few days, there've been cars blow right through as kids are trying to cross," he said.

"A northbound driver blew through the crosswalk as my daughter and her friend were about to step out … and the girls jumped back, and this person just kept going. A parent who was watching screamed. It was so close, it was terrifying."

"We're coming up on 10 months of that, but nothing has changed, though," he said. "I am fed up with all these near misses. Eventually it's not going to be a near-miss, it's going to be a tragic accident."

While he would prefer a crossing guard, McCall thinks "installing the crossing button and the flashing lights is a permanent one-time cost and a much stronger solution," he said.

He has highlighted his concerns in a letter to the school's superintendent and other relevant stakeholders, including the school's principal and Coun. Skylar Franke.

CBC News reached out to the school's principal for comment but did not hear back before publication.