New yellow hatched road markings have been installed at two Airdrie school crosswalks, the City said in a social media post Tuesday, turning a Grade 6 student’s Mayor for a Day idea into reality.
The markings are intended to make the required five-metre clearance under the Traffic Safety Act more visible to drivers and improve safety as the new school year begins.
At the June 17 council meeting, Youth Engagement Liaison Jessica Dudek told councillors the idea aimed to “improve crosswalk safety and driver awareness by educating drivers and creating more space around busy areas, especially during pick-up and drop-off times.”
The proposal was originally described to the council as “five-metre zebra stripes” near crosswalks. The City ultimately implemented yellow hatched markings to achieve the same goal of keeping the buffer clear.
The project came from 11-year-old Aiden Stewart, who won the 2025 Mayor for a Day Challenge after proposing the measure. Stewart, a crosswalk patroller, told council that cars parking too close to crossings pushed him to suggest the change.
“So I figured it out kind of, there’s a bit of help from like my mom and stuff like that, yep,” he said at the June 17 council meeting. “But, you know, being a patrol patroller and all and seeing the cars parked too close, kind of boosted that idea.”
The Airdrie Board of Youth Affairs helped review applications and select the top three finalists. Council had allocated $10,000 in this year’s budget to support the winning project.
During the June meeting, Deputy Mayor Candice Kolson asked whether physical bump-outs could be required in future school zones. Staff said a traffic-calming policy is being developed for the 2026 budget cycle, but road markings would still be needed.
Mayor Peter Brown praised the proposal at the time. “You picked an item that’s number one on our list,” he told Stewart. “We want to make sure everyone is safe and everyone is healthy.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version referred to “zebra stripes,” the term used at a June council meeting. The City ultimately installed yellow hatched markings to achieve the same goal.
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