EDMONTON -- A pedestrian crossing light was installed at a northeast Edmonton school after its students wrote to city council.
Students at Homesteader Elementary School asked Ward 4 Coun. Aaron Paquette for the pedestrian crossing light on Hermitage Road near the school "to increase traffic safety in their community," an Edmonton Public Schools spokesperson said.
Paquette took the letter to city administration, and after some research, it was deemed an "actual, real need."
"By their actions, they effected change in the city that led to an investment in their community that is now going to keep, not only themselves safe, but everyone. And that is very powerful," Paquette told CTV News Edmonton.
When the city works to determine whether a road needs a crosswalk or crossing lights, Paquette says it looks at traffic volume, collisions and near misses.
Keyla Marin is one of the students who wrote to Paquette. She walks through that intersection with her mother and sister, and one day, there was a close call.
"My sister almost get hit by a car," Marin told CTV News Edmonton. "It was lucky because my mom take her hoodie and hold it back."
Traffic safety also hits home for Paquette. In 2012, his wife was struck in an unmarked crosswalk by two vehicles while jogging in northeast Edmonton.
"That was a tough journey for us, but one thing that it did for me is that it raised my awareness about safety in our community," Paquette said.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk
