Improvements coming to Kamloops school where traffic safety a concern

The City of Kamloops and the local school district say they may have a solution for a traffic-choked elementary school where safety has been a concern.

Alison Sidow, superintendent of School District 73, said traffic woes at Westmount Elementary are causing concerns during times when parents drop off or pick up their kids.

"There has been a lot of congestion and with that has come some safety issues around students," Sidow told Daybreak Kamloops host Shelley Joyce, who added there was a close call where a student was almost hit by a car.

"That's all it takes. Once we heard that, we invested in an independent traffic consultant."

She said the consultant came back with several ideas.

The ideas that will be implemented immediately include a traffic signal at Walkem Road and barriers for students taking public transit nearby to keep them separated from traffic.

She said there may be an expansion of the drop-off/pick-up area and more supervision of the area.

The next safety issues to be addressed will be those related to overcapacity at the school. She said other levels of government will need to get involved to deal with these issues.

Sidow estimates the improvements will cost $145,000 to $160,000 and will be installed over the summer.

Listen to the full interview: