STAFF and parents within the St Mary MacKillop Catholic Primary School community in Bannockburn are calling out for safer conditions following a near-miss incident that took place earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Dropping her children off at the school on the morning of Friday 3 November, Hayley Turner said she\u2019d heard the sound of screeching tyres resounding from the crossing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could hear it streets away,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat had happened was there was a man with a trailer on the back and he was distracted. He nearly went through the crossing and Kay, the school\u2019s crossing lady, was on it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy eight-year-old daughter saw it and was quite upset by it. There were tyre marks on the road where it had skidded to stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t the first time this has happened. I was standing there when a truck driver went straight through. There\u2019s been so many near-misses at that crossing.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the school\u2019s major crossing at High Street, Bannockburn\u2019s major thoroughfare, principal Anthony Drill shared Ms Turner\u2019s sentiment, saying the issue isn\u2019t an isolated one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat might have been the worst one I\u2019ve been involved with but we do have trouble with people not stopping or slowing down enough,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not the safest crossing.<\/p>\n
\u201cA permanent solution would be wonderful, something like pedestrian lights. One of the parents mentioned a fly-over but that\u2019s not going to happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a school of 300-something students. We\u2019d have about 150 kids cross that road every morning and afternoon plus kids from Bannockburn College. There\u2019s quite a lot of movement.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of our parents has written to our local member, and we\u2019ll be doing the same and encourage some of the parents to copy that letter to send through as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Golden Plain Shire spokesperson said there\u2019s been an uptick in the number of incidents reported in the area over the last few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cCouncil has received four reports of traffic incidents within the school\u2019s vicinity over the past year, however three of those have been in the past fortnight,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll road users are reminded to be extra careful around schools and obey the speed limits as well as stopping at school crossings when attendants step out with the stop signs.<\/p>\n
\u201cCouncil is aware that at least some of the incidents that have occurred in the High Street area are due to drivers being distracted and not being attentive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spokesperson said the municipality has been lobbying to the Department of Transport and Planning, who manages the road, for changes to High Street as a whole.<\/p>\n
These include a speed reduction from 60kph to 50kph between the railway line and Burnside Road, pavement repairs to the through traffic lanes, and a pedestrian crossing between the railway line and Milton Street.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Planning said the community\u2019s concerns are being heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictorian kids should always be safe while using our roads as they get to and from school,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand the community\u2019s concerns and will work with Golden Plains Shire council to review the school crossing site.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all have a shared responsibility to do the right thing by avoiding distractions, never driving after drinking or taking drugs, always wearing a seatbelt and never speeding.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are currently no improvements proposed at this time for the site.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson also said school crossing infrastructure is a municipal responsibility, and that no injury-resulting crashes have been reported at the site in the last five years.<\/p>\n
Despite this, Ms Turner said more needs to be done to provide a safer crossing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a stronger police presence but then it dies off and then another near-incident happens,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what the solution is but the flags and the lights that flash 40kph, they\u2019re just not doing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cKay, the crossing lady, before she blows the whistle for the children to cross, the front two cars are always stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, there\u2019s not as much issue with the children, but she\u2019s been nearly hit multiple times.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d hate for there to be a tragic accident before something happens.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STAFF and parents within the St Mary MacKillop Catholic Primary School community in Bannockburn are calling out for safer conditions following a near-miss incident that took place earlier this month. Dropping her children off at the school on the morning of Friday 3 November, Hayley Turner said she\u2019d heard the sound of screeching tyres resounding […]<\/p>\n