The school councils at both Selkirk Elementary School and F.H. Collins Secondary School are calling for a 30 kilometre per hour (km/h) speed limit along both sides of Lewes Boulevard.

Janet Clarke and Liza Mannen, co-chairs of the F.H. Collins and Selkirk school councils respectively, presented council with the request Monday evening.

Currently, the side of Lewes Boulevard directly adjacent to the schools is a school zone.

It has a maximum speed limit outlined in the territory’s Motor Vehicles Act of 30 km/h between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. when school is in.

The other side of the boulevard has a 50 km/h speed limit at all times.

The differing speed limits creates significant safety concerns, the two school council chairs told the city.

They cited “near misses” students have had with vehicles as they cross the road to get to school.

It doesn’t help that visibility is reduced because of the trees in the median, the two speakers pointed out, urging the city to trim the vegetation.

As Mannen argued, the city should not be waiting until a child dies or is seriously hurt crossing the road to do something about the issue.

Clarke pointed out that it was in September 2014 that the F.H. Collins school council first raised the issue.

Last fall, as the issues continued to come up, another letter from both schools was sent, with nothing yet appearing to be done on the matter.

“The issues were still there,” Clarke said.

The new F.H. Collins school, which opened this week, is closer to the traffic lights at Lewes Boulevard and Hospital Road, providing a safer crossing option for students, she noted.

However, there are still a number of students who will likely use the crosswalk further down Lewes Boulevard where the safety concerns continue.

Mannen was also quick to note that other schools in the city have the 30 km/h school zone on both sides of the street the schools are on.

In the case of Elijah Smith Elementary School, for example, the zone applies to both sides of Hamilton Boulevard ­– even with the school grounds further off the roadway and a median dividing the road.

“I don’t see where the difference is,” she said.

The two school council co-chairs were reassured they weren’t alone in their concerns, with Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu sharing her own experiences driving in the area.

In some cases, drivers aren’t even pulling over to drop students off, but rather coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road. Students then get out of the vehicle to cross the road.

Mayor Dan Curtis also expressed concerns, saying: “We take it very, very seriously.” He also wondered whether it would be under the city’s jurisdiction, however.

City manager Christine Smith said she would get back to council with an answer on whose jurisdiction the issue falls under.

Similarly, Coun. Samson Hartland asked whether the school councils have contacted the RCMP or Yukon government on the matter.

Clarke noted the 2014 letter to the city had come from the office of the territory’s then-deputy minister of education.

The city establishes speed limits around town through its traffic bylaw.

Regulations around school zones – including the 30 km/h speed limit between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in municipalities and 40 km/h during the same hours outside municipalities – fall under the territory’s Motor Vehicles Act.

Smith explained in an interview this morning that after looking into the matter, it was found the initial correspondences on the matter from the school councils had been directed at the Department of Education.

She noted the concerns brought up at Monday’s meeting will be referred to the city’s traffic committee, comprised of staff from various departments.

The city may look at establishing a slower speed limit on the road and dealing with the visibility issues from vegetation in the median.

An extension of the school zone would fall under the jurisdiction of the Yukon government, while enforcement of any speed limit falls under the jurisdiction of the RCMP.

Coun. Rob Fendrick was absent from Monday’s meeting.