STELLARTON, NS - Micah Osborne worries every day he takes his son to the bus stop near the intersection of South Foord and Fairview Street in Stellarton.
Last May, Osborne was walking with his three children when his five-year-old, Carson, was struck by a car on the busy street that passes between the heart of Stellarton and Riverton.
Carson was monitored for a concussion and had soft tissue damage, but escaped more serious harm.
Still, Osborne worries that something like this could happen again.
And his fear is legitimate.
On a recent school day, Stellarton police parked at the intersection and watched as an adult with two children - both carrying brightly-coloured umbrellas - tried to cross at the marked crosswalk. Two cars passed by without stopping and the police followed to hand out tickets. After the police vehicle left, cars continued to go through the crosswalk.
“The cars still don’t slow down no matter what,” Osborne said. “It’s super frustrating. I’m scared for all the kids.”
Osborne isn’t alone in his frustration. Brandy Fraser-Henley and her husband, Rauce Henley, said they’ve seen cars speed through the intersection or even go around a parked school bus with its lights going every single day since their son Brodie started Primary this year.
“It’s not like it’s a one-time occurrence,” said Henley. “It’s every single day something happens.”
Fraser-Henley recently vented her frustration about the drivers on Facebook and the post was shared repeatedly from people who have similar experiences.
She hopes that with the awareness people will get the message to slow down and watch for kids before someone is hit again.
The couple said they are particularly concerned about small, elementary-aged kids like Brodie.
“They say on the bus, they don’t even see them in the seat because they’re so little, so imagine a car hitting them,” Fraser-Henley said.
Osborne doesn’t believe anyone’s driving recklessly on purpose.
“I think they’re just in a hurry to go nowhere fast really,” he said.
But, as someone who watched his son get hit by a vehicle while he pulled two other children out of harm’s way, he hopes drivers take the time to slow down.
“Slow down because there are kids around. One getting hit is bad enough, but if another kid gets hit, it could be worse. It could be life-threatening. They could die.”
Stellarton Police Chief Don Hussher said they are monitoring the area, as they do with other intersections.
“We step up our patrols for the safety of the pedestrians and in particular the children,” he said.
He said it’s a shared responsibility for both pedestrians and drivers to pay attention and that is particularly important during school hours when children are present.
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