Halladay Street sidewalk plan paused as council reviews pedestrian safety
ELGIN — A proposed sidewalk along Halladay Street will not move ahead as of now, as Rideau Lakes council opted to reassess traffic safety in Elgin, especially around the elementary school.
At the Sept. 15 committee of the whole meeting, councillors debated a staff report recommending that a new sidewalk be built on the south side of the Halladay Street between Kingston Road and the Elgin Complex.
Jewell Engineering, hired earlier this year at a cost of $8,350, concluded the south side would be cheaper and safer, avoiding the need to relocate four hydro poles at an estimated $100,000. Staff also suggested adding a solar-powered flashing crosswalk sign to help pedestrians reach the community complex.
But councillors argued that the real pinch point is around South Crosby Public School and the library, where students cross daily for programs and where traffic is heaviest at pick-up and drop-off. After a lively debate, council agreed to defer the project and instead ask staff for a broader review of traffic flow, parking and pedestrian safety in Elgin.
Coun. Sue Dunfield questioned whether consulting only a few families and school bus records gave a true picture of pedestrian needs. She suggested speaking with the village’s new crossing guard.
“I was just curious whether or not a crossing guard had been consulted to see how many children would actually benefit from having a sidewalk along that road,” she said, adding that long-term costs such as repainting crosswalks and maintaining solar panels also needed to be considered.
Coun. Jeff Banks asked staff why Ontario Hydro would bill the township $100,000 for pole relocations, noting he had assumed utilities absorbed those costs when work was on municipal property.
Deputy Mayor Debbie Hutchings stressed that cost should not outweigh safety.
Coun. Dustin Bullock supported the idea of the Halladay Street sidewalk but said the real issues are closer to the school, library and the United Church daycare, where students walk to library programs, parents park on both sides of the narrow road, and buses try to exit at the same time. He suggested council also consider one-way traffic or broader parking controls.
Coun. Linda Carr, who drives a school bus in the village, underscored those concerns from her own daily experience. She said congestion at the school is a constant challenge, especially when buses, parents and children all converge in the same narrow corridor.
Mayor Arie Hoogenboom agreed. “There’s more to it than just the sidewalk,” he said. “We need to look at traffic movement, where parents are parking, and how all of that comes together.”
Council supported deferring the Halladay Street plan until a village-wide safety review is completed.
“I don’t see spending $10,000 on something that isn’t going to give us the whole picture,” said Coun. Marcia Maxwell. “Even if it is only three kids down at Kingston Street, the sidewalk ends before they get to the school.”
The deferral motion carried, directing staff to return with options that consider traffic, parking and pedestrian flow through Elgin. The Halladay Street sidewalk remains in the design phase and is not budgeted for 2025. Council will revisit it during next year’s budget deliberations, after staff complete the broader review.
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