Temporary safety measures have been put in place near St. Andre Bessette Catholic Secondary School where a dispute between a developer and the city has caused a delay in the installation of traffic lights.

Students have been spotted regularly darting across the busy Fanshawe Park Road to get to and from the new school and local businesses, raising safety concerns within the school community and at city hall.

Councillor Matt Brown has pushed for temporary measures since it will take time to get the promised traffic lights in place.

And it’s not a moment too soon, according to the school’s principal Peter Cassidy, "I think the footage caught a lot of people in the community by surprise. It certainly brought their attention to the issue."

London police will be increasing patrols in the area during peak school-crossing hours until the stoplights have been installed.

Const. Ken Steeves says "We’ve had contact with Councillor Brown, as well as other concerned members within the community, in relation to the potential for tragedy to occur. We want to ensure pedestrians as well as motorists make it home safe at the end of the day."

Other measures being put in place include signs warning motorists of a student crossing area ahead and speed monitors, which should help remind motorists of the posted speed limit of 70 km/h.

It will likely take at least 30 days before traffic lights can be installed to help ensure students cross the road safely.

The issue will come up at council next week, but the logistics of getting the lights installed are a roadblock. The debate over who will pay - and how much - is also still unresolved.

However, if councillors give staff the go-ahead, the city’s Roads and Transportation Department says preliminary steps have been taken to try to speed up the process.

For Cassidy that’s good news, "any efforts to put that in, sooner rather than later is going to help to ensure the safety of our students when they cross the road."

But police know not all of the responsibility rests with drivers. They say they’ll be looking to remind the teens of the risks they’re taking trying to cross five lanes of traffic on Fanshawe Park Road.

It’s a message the school has already tried to send, telling students the best place for them over the lunch break is safe inside the school.