Attention all families of students of Jackman Avenue Public School. Your support is needed. The safety of our kids could be at risk.

Many of you no doubt have observed that traffic along Jackman south of Browning to as far south as Hurndale is sometimes crazy and potentially dangerous. The same is true of traffic on Butternut going to and from Jackman. Many drivers speed. As well, many drivers barely stop - and sometimes just don't stop at all - at the stop signs at Jackman and Butternut, or at Jackman and Playter Crescent, south of the school yard. This bad traffic happens at all hours, but especially during school drop-off and pick up times. The drivers no doubt include locals but also those passing through the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, some of these drivers likely are dropping off or picking up kids.

Things got sufficiently bad this past winter that a school staff member, dressed with a safety vest and equipped with traffic cones, volunteered to act as an unofficial school crossing guard, to try to bring some sanity to drop off and pick up times.

Something must be done!

Steps have been taken. An application for an official school crossing guard at Jackman and Butternut, supported by Principal Lee and Councillor Fletcher, has been submitted to the City of Toronto. Hopefully that guard will be in action by the fall.

Still, we need more, and not something time limited, like the occasional Toronto Police Service ticket blitz.

This is where you come in.

Depending on local interest, the City of Toronto can conduct a traffic study, to determine whether traffic might be improved by the installation of calming measures, such as speed humps. The City might also decide to install additional parking control islands, like the one at Jackman and Butternut.

However, before the City will conduct such a study, City policy requires a petition signed by 25% of the affected population. Who is the affected population? That includes residents who, in this case, live along Butternut or Jackman from Browning to Hurndale. However, Councillor Fletcher's office also advises that it can include the families/guardians of students who go to Jackman Avenue Public School!

So ... please sign the petition for a traffic study!!! Let's try to bring a bit of sanity to these busy streets before someone gets hurt.

NOTE: There is nothing to indicate that a family cannot provide more than one signature. However, please note that there are two petitions being circulated. They are the same petition. However, this Facebook linked e-petition is for families, etc. of Jackman school kids. The other one is for residents with either Butternut or Jackman addresses, who may or may not have children attending the school. Please sign only one of the petitions! Also, petitioners must include their e-mail address (not our rule).

Thank you!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We, the undersigned, are parents/guardians of a student of Jackman Ave Public School. We request the City of Toronto install traffic calming measures, such as speed humps, on Jackman Avenue from Browning Avenue to Hurndale Avenue, and on Butternut street from Ellerbeck Street to Jackman Avenue, to reduce the speed of vehicles and improve safety for residents and pedestrians, including staff and students of Jackman Avenue PS.