Miles Randell decided to take matters—and a stop sign—into his own hands.
The Squamish dad had been walking his son to Mamquam Elementary School near his home when he noticed a pattern of cars whizzing through the well-marked crosswalk on Government Road near the school.
"I've been in emergency services for 30 years—I'm traffic conscious," Randell said. "But we've had near misses with vehicles."
Last school year, he said he spoke to the outgoing principal about organizing a crossing guard at the crosswalk, and he was supportive. But he was also retiring.
"He was outgoing, but he told me to get a hold of the incoming principal in July," Randell said. "He also told me we wouldn't be allowed to set up a system of volunteers because it would be in breach of union rules. It had to be someone in the union."
Randell said he reached out to the administration several times before getting a response on the issue.
He said they replied that it was not in the budget, but volunteers could organize a crossing guard program.
(The Sea to Sky School District was given nearly a week to respond to The Squamish Chief, but a spokesperson said they had an “extremely busy schedule” and were unable to reply.)
"It was pretty disappointing," Randell added. "I've been socially engaged in this community for 25 years doing all kinds of things. To get a message like that was disappointing, to say the least."
But Randell decided to roll up his sleeves and get to work. He bought a stop sign and a safety vest, and on Friday, Oct. 11, he started his first shift as a crossing guard.
"So far, it's been incredibly successful," he said. "There's been lots of support from parents rolling their windows down and yelling support. I've had a few people offer support as well."
The one downside: he no longer has time to walk his eight-year-old to school.
"The only reason I don't let him walk to and from school by himself is that crosswalk is so dangerous," he added. "[Now] I can get him to the crosswalk."
Going forward, Randell is hoping that some other parents will join his volunteer crossing guard program. "I do look forward to getting some more parents stepping up to help," he said.
Ideally, the school district would eventually offer help, he said.
"I hope we can set something up," he said. "I would love for drivers to pay more attention and understand that child safety is incredibly important. Being in emergency services, I've seen what happens when kids and cars meet, and it's never good … I would like drivers to pay better attention everywhere."
To volunteer with Randell email him at [email protected].
