It didn't take much to convince Port Moody council to speed up the process for a crosswalk on Ioco Road.

On Tuesday, council unanimously passed a resolution to move up scheduled road-safety improvements, including a crosswalk at Campbell Drive, to 2013. The work was originally planned for 2014.

The timeline change came about at the previous council meeting, after a delegation of two Grade 5 students asked politicians to consider putting in a crosswalk sooner than planned.

Pleasantside Elementary students Lucy Benson and Caitlin Miller also presented council with a petition signed by about 50 residents.

Mayor Mike Clay, who received a personal visit from the girls earlier in the month, said he hopes the new upgrades and crosswalk will make a difference in safety.

"There are so many issues on Ioco Road," he said. "This [Campbell Drive] one, when you look at it, it's in a really bad spot. It's an obvious one that jumps out at you."

Clay is confident the city will be able to find the money for the upgrades from the capital budget by moving other projects around. According to a staff report, the city looked into a temporary crossing at the location, but concluded it wouldn't be possible due to an existing bus stop and intersection alignment. The only option is to undertake a "full intersection improvement" the report noted.

The Ioco improvements are budgeted for $190,000, with $50,000 going toward the design and another $140,000 for construction.

Half of the construction cost is shared with TransLink through taxation and grants.

The project includes improvements to the intersection of Barber Street and April Road. A 2010 report noted more than a dozen short-and long-term safety-improvement projects on a list for Ioco totalling more than $2.2 million.

jdeutsch@thenownews.com