Page 3736 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 23 October 2013
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the children will cross and there is no means by which children can cross the road in a safe and protected manner.
People speed. I am not condoning this in any way, simply making an observation. And people do speed through Wanniassa. They can treat roads such as Sternberg and McBryde crescents as main roads and drive faster than they should. The ACT Policing crime statistics show that in the three months ending September this year, 72 traffic infringements were issued in Wanniassa. And there were three road collisions causing injury. I do not have a breakdown of where these incidents occurred or where the infringements were issued, but ultimately we need to be aware that it happens anywhere. And it can happen anywhere. We cannot wait for a child to be hit out the front of this school, for a tragedy to take place, before we decide it is a good idea to rectify the issue.
So today we are calling on the government to fix this, to decrease the risks for pedestrians at Trinity Christian School. We are calling on the government to install a pedestrian crossing at this school and consider what other traffic management options might be available. One such option to accompany a pedestrian crossing would be the use of flashing lights in this school zone. It is vital that we provide a safe crossing option for these children, as well as parents and staff members. By installing a pedestrian crossing and associated signage or traffic management measures at Trinity Christian School, the risk to these students would be significantly reduced.
Research points to this being one of the most essential parts of a school zone if we want to increase safety for children. The audit into improving road safety in school zones, completed in February 2010 by the New South Wales Auditor-General, recommended “improve the visibility of school zones by increasing use of flashing lights”. We need to get a crossing at this school first and then we need to act on the best methods of improving visibility in this area. Countless groups and community organisations point to this as a necessity.
The Australian Road Research Board found that flashing lights in school zones were effective in reducing vehicle speed outside schools during the operation of the 40 kilometres per hour school speed zone, because they drew the motorists’ attention to the school and the signs more successfully. The NRMA has stated for many years that a motorist’s awareness of school zones and the ability to comply with the speed limit had been significantly improved where flashing lights and appropriate signage had been installed. The New South Wales Commissioner for Children and Young People believes that every school in New South Wales should have a flashing light warning system in place so that all children enjoy the same level of protection.
I call on the government today to install a pedestrian crossing with appropriate signage in this area and other appropriate traffic management measures. The Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations in New South Wales said that flashing lights remind drivers of the presence of a school in the area and therefore the presence of students as pedestrians. And only last month the Queensland government announced that every school in Queensland will have flashing lights to slow down motorists. They also announced that penalties will be increased for motorists speeding within these school zones.
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