Dear Editor:

Can I possibly be the only taxpayer in Prince Edward County who thinks that $163,119.59 is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on “constructing” a crosswalk in Bloomfield?  A crosswalk consists of some lines painted on the road, a few signs installed on either side, and some flashing lights, probably connected to push buttons on the sidewalks.

I would have thought all of this could be purchased and installed for under $5,000.  According to the US group SafeRoutesInfo.org, the average cost of a “striped crosswalk” in 2013 was $750, while the average of a “high visibility crosswalk” was $2,600. The maximum cost of the high visibility model, based on their 2013 study, was US$5,710.  Kamloops, BC, installed a new crosswalk in 2018. News stories say the cost estimates had ranged from $5,000 for a “regular crosswalk” to $12,000 for a special rainbow diversity model.

Apparently, one of the options PEC council considered was not installing a crosswalk in Bloomfield at all. As someone who pays taxes on two properties here, this would have been my preference.  I’m not aware of any pedestrian injuries in Bloomfield over the 37 years I’ve lived here.

My local council member didn’t know of any either, when I inquired. If some people think an expenditure of $163,119.59 is warranted for the installation of a crosswalk, I’d suggest they take up a voluntary collection and put their own money where their mouths are, instead of forcing others to pay for this exorbitant whim.

Karen Selick

Bloomfield