Council for the Rural Municipality of Hanover is throwing its support behind a request by the Mitchell Middle School. Principal Andrew Mead would like the province to make safety improvements along Highway 52 through that community.

In a letter to Hanover Council, Mead notes each year there are multiple reports of Mitchell students involved in dangerous situations with traffic as they head to and from school. He says the most recent report was made on June 13, 2018, when a parent mentioned she almost struck a student crossing the highway. He adds one of their teachers was involved in a collision last spring while attempting to cross Highway 52 at Ash Street.

Toews says the request is for either traffic lights at Highway 52 and Ash Street, or a crosswalk or reduced speed limit.

"They will probably take whatever they can get," he says.

Toews says this isn't the first time the RM of Hanover has heard of safety concerns from schools in Mitchell. It also won't be the first time a request will be made to the province for safety improvements in that community.

"The answer has always been no," says Toews. "Highways says our mandate is to move traffic not to stop it."

According to the Mitchell Middle School handbook, students living south of Highway 52 are advised to take the bus to school. If students opt to walk or ride their bicycles, the school asks for them to be supervised by an adult. According to Mead, it is only a matter of when, not if, a major accident happens along Highway 52 in that community.

But Toews notes Hanover Council is actually eying a different spot along Highway 52 for traffic lights. He says they foresee a housing development on the south side of Highway 52, east of Centre Street South. Once that happens, the plan is to angle Centre Street South to then connect with Centre Street North.

"Highways has indicated that if Centre Street ever gets aligned with the north and the south at some future point when that corner gets developed, then they would be interested with having lights at that corner," says Toews.

Hanover Council discussed the letter at this week's meeting. Councillor Gord Meneer notes it will be difficult enough to get one set of traffic lights, never mind multiple stops.

Chief Administrative Officer Luc Lahaie says the province compares provincial highways to American interstates and is not interested in stopping traffic. However, he says Manitoba Infrastructure has indicated that if you don't ask you don't get and you may as well try.

The Local Urban District committee for Mitchell also voted unanimously to support the request to the province.