Parents, teachers and students are asking the city to adopt traffic safety measures that will ensure children aren't hit by speeding cars on their walk to and from a west side elementary school.

"I've cried to police officers, city workers, council people," said Joanne McGrath, a resource teacher whose seven-year-old son attends Island View School. "[I've] sobbed to them on the phone."

The Island View parent school support committee recently sent a letter to Saint John council about its concerns. In the letter, the committee asked for proper road signs and a sidewalk on Forest Hill Drive, a road leading up to the elementary school.

The committee also asked for more discussion between education administrators and people concerned about safety.

The committee hopes Island View School will be a priority in the city's Safer School Zones Program, which implements measures such as flashing crosswalks and speed radar signs to ensure traffic safety at different school zones across the city. 

Washel's letter

Washel and some of his schoolmates sent letters telling councillors how current driving conditions worry them. (Council agenda)

McGrath said not enough signage exists in the school area now. As a result, she said, motorists are driving at 50 km/h on a street that includes a blind hill without sidewalks.

"Cars don't stop at the stop sign at the top of the hill and come flying down," said the mother of three. "There's no need to go more than 20 or 30 kilometres."

Island View School

The community surrounding Island View School is asking for proper road signage and a sidewalk on Forest Hill Drive. (Google Street View)

The Saint John mother is also calling for more speed bumps. While speed bumps have been placed on the school property, none exist on streets leading up to it.

"There have been some really, really close calls," said McGrath. "I had to jump into a bush and still almost got hit. One time, when I was walking down I did have the passenger rear-view mirror hit me on the side."

'I want to feel safe'

But parents and teachers aren't the only ones calling for change.

McGrath's son Washel and some of his schoolmates sent additional letters to council, expressing their concerns.

"I am scared to walk to and from school," the seven-year-old said in a letter to Coun. Greg Norton. "Cars and buses speed down my road everyday and almost hit me, my mom and my two little brothers."

"I want to feel safe walking to school and I do not."

Greg norton

Saint John Coun. Greg Norton says proper funding for the city's Safer School Zones Program is important. (Twitter)

While Monday night's council meeting adjourned before the letters were addressed, Norton said the danger is a strong example of the importance of properly funding the Safer School Zones Program.

"The consequence of decreased funding in this core service area, that directly impacts residents on the ground is a much further delayed roll-out of a valuable program," Norton said in an emailed statement to CBC News.  

"This creates an additional pain-point for neighbourhoods and their respective school communities, who are looking to have already significantly delayed pedestrian and traffic concerns addressed in a reasonable timeframe."