By Eleanor Wilson
Parents from a local primary school have shared their outrage after Casey Council announced it would be ceasing the operation of the School Crossing Program at a busy set of lights on the Princes Highway.
Parents from Don Bosco Primary School in Narre Warren received an email from the school on Thursday 12 May outlining the City of Casey’s decision to remove school crossing supervisors from the lights at Princes Highway, near Victor Crescent, located 400 metres from the school.
The council argued low utilisation rates was behind the decision to remove crossing supervisors and said research shows there is no added safety benefit to pedestrians when a school crossing supervisor is present at pedestrian operated signals.
“Under the School Crossing Subsidy Program, to meet the VicRoads standards for the management of a school crossing at pedestrian operated signals, more than 20 primary school children must utilise the crossing, during both the am and pm shift times,” said Casey Council’s safer communities manager Daniel Osborne.
“The crossing on Princes Highway, near Victor Crescent, Narre Warren, has had reports of very low pedestrian usage.
“A count was completed over several days with an average of four primary school children crossing in both AM and PM periods.”
Jim McInerney, who often uses the crossing to walk his grandchildren to school, said the intersection is a hot-spot for collisions and near misses.
“It’s a dangerous, dangerous crossing and [council] will regret [the decision] one day,” he said.
“It’s not just about the numbers of students going across, its the traffic, its ridiculous.”
“It only takes one of those four kids to be knocked over for it be a big mistake.”
Parents also called out the council’s apparent regard for the safety of crossing staff, but not children.
“Working at sets of lights on high speed roads, make our staff extremely vulnerable to many potential safety concerns,” the council said in an email to parents, obtained by Star News.
“Data from our OH&S reporting system demonstrates the high risks to staff working at these intersections, higher rates of near misses and other incidents.”
Another parent of the school, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she will “never” allow her child to walk to school alone following the supervisor removal.
“Whether its one or 100 students crossing, it’s still a highway. Its not a small side street, its a busy, dangerous highway,” she said.
“What independence can I give my child when its not safe for her to walk to school?”
“It’s classic City of Casey cost-cutting.”
Star News contacted the Department of Education regarding the issue, who said despite the council and State Government sharing the costs of running the School Crossing Program, councils manage the logistics of the program.
“Although there are guidelines for placing supervisors, there are no restrictions on where councils choose to place crossing supervisors in their municipality,” said a government spokesperson.
“We will work with the City of Casey to better understand the decision behind this change.”
School crossing supervisors will cease operating at the lights from Monday 30 May.
