Recognizing our crosswalk heroes!

Celebrating School Crossing Guard Appreciation Week from June 2 to 6

Join us to thank our community heroes! The City of Vaughan has proclaimed Monday, June 2 to Friday, June 6 School Crossing Guard Week. It’s an opportunity to recognize our dedicated team of 133 crossing guards who help students, parents and guardians travel safely to and from school each day. 

This is an important and rewarding role that supports our ongoing commitment to advancing road safety. With more than 120 crosswalk locations across the City and continuous growth, both permanent and standby crossing guards are needed to service locations across Vaughan. Interested in becoming a school crossing guard? Visit vaughan.ca/CrossingGuard to find out how.

As we celebrate this week, here are some reminders to ensure you put safety in the drivers seat, especially in and around school zones. 

Road safety reminders

Streets and sidewalks can be busy in the morning when people are heading to school and in the afternoon when they leave. That’s why it’s important for students, parents and drivers to be alert, follow road rules and walk safely – especially in school zones. Take extra precautions around crosswalks, pedestrian crossovers, stopped school buses and intersections. Remember, road safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Tips for drivers:

• Check weather and road conditions before leaving home or work. In bad conditions, allow extra travel time to get to your destination or wait until conditions improve.

• Expect the unexpected. Children may cross the street at the wrong place, run into oncoming traffic or ride a bike in front of a vehicle without warning.

• Obey the rules of the road, including posted speed limits.

• Pay attention to your surroundings and obey all traffic signs and signals. Watch for, stop and yield to those walking when you approach a pedestrian crossover. Failing to do so may result in fines from York Regional Police of up to $1,000 and four demerit points.

• Leave nine metres (30 feet) between your car and the crosswalks and/or stop signs when parking. Parking too close to these locations makes it difficult to see children when crossing the road.

• Take extra time to look for children at intersections, on medians or curbs. 

• Enter and exit driveways and laneways slowly and with extra caution.

• Avoid distractions within the vehicle and ensure children are secured in a correctly installed child restraint seat, if required.

• Ensure children exit on the passenger side of the vehicle.

• Slow down and be alert in residential neighbourhoods, especially at night as it may be harder to see people in the dark. 

Tips for pedestrians:

• Be mindful of slippery conditions on sidewalks and roadways.

• Follow all road rules and always obey crossing signals.
• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals or stop signs and crosswalks, and follow the instructions of crossing guards.
• Put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk – don’t run – across the street.
• Walk – don’t ride – scooters, skateboards and bicycles across crosswalks.
• Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
• Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them and watch for moving vehicles in driveways and lanes.
• Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Never run out onto the street or cross between parked cars.

• Wear reflective clothing, fasten reflective tape to bags, or bring a flashlight to make yourself visible to drivers in low light or dark conditions.

You can support your local school crossing guards by remembering to STOP:

• Stop when a school crossing guard raises their stop sign.

• Take notice of whether a crossing guard is on duty and slow down when approaching school crossing locations.

• Obey the law. Remain stopped until all children and the crossing guard have completely exited the roadway.

• Proceed with caution. Obey posted speed limits and observe all “No Stopping” and “No Parking” signs, and park in designated areas only.

School zone safety is a joint priority for the City’s Transportation and Fleet Management Services, By-law and Compliance, Licensing and Permit Services, and Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service departments. Together with York Regional Police, York Region, York Region District School Board and York Catholic District School Board, the City is working to ensure the safety of all community members. Visit vaughan.ca/SchoolZoneSafety for more information.

To learn more about our school crossing guard program and job opportunities, visit vaughan.ca/CrossingGuard.

For updates and news as they happen, subscribe to Vaughan News and follow the official corporate channels on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.