By Matthew Sims
Harkaway resident Hayley Byrne said she was concerned for the safety of her daughter Edie after Casey Council had removed the school crossing at Harkaway Primary School at the end of Term 1.
Grade 5 pupil Edie Byrne was walking across King Road earlier this year when a car sped down the road, narrowly missing her after she had started crossing at the former crossing site.
Hayley said it was “quite frightening” to see her daughter off each day without the safety of a school crossing.
“It’s just put a lot of anxiety on me,” she said.
“It freaked the life out of me.”
Hayley said she often saw tradespeople speed along King Road.
“Whatever signage they got up, it does not matter,” she said.
Casey Council connected communities manager Sara Ball said while school crossings were operated by Council, the state-wide rules around how they operate were enforced through the Road Safety Act (1986).
“Under the State Government’s School Crossing Subsidy Program – which provides partial operational funding for school crossings – and to meet the VicRoads standards – more than 20 primary school children must use a crossing during both the morning and afternoon times for it to qualify as a designated crossing site,” she said.
“A review of the school crossing on King Road, Harkaway, showed that, given the very low pedestrian numbers using this crossing, it does not meet the VicRoads criteria to retain funding for a supervisor at this location.
“We therefore had to remove the crossing at this location, effective from the end of Term 1, 2023.”
Ms Bell said the way to increase funding for school crossings was to increase the use of the crossings.
“While Council advocates to the State Government for increased school crossing program funding, the most effective way schools can work to retain or reactivate their school crossings is by encouraging their students, parents and guardians to walk, ride or scoot to school, and to cross roads at the crossing locations,” she said.
“This will naturally increase use of the crossings, thus meeting the VicRoads criteria for funding school crossing supervisors.”
Harkaway Primary School principal Leigh Johnson said the crossing had been a mainstay for the school and broader Harkaway community since 1876.
“The Harkaway school council has raised significant concerns with Casey Council in relation to the removal of the King Road school crossing,” he said.
“This decision left our community with no designated school crossing for students to get to school from the north side of the road.”
“As a community, we all want a safe way for students and families to cross King Road – whether that’s a designated school crossing or zebra crossing, flashing lights, or some other traffic management system to remind motorists to travel at a safe speed in the school zone.
“We want to make sure it is a safe place to cross for the next 150 years.”
Mr Johnson said the school had used the issue as a way to teach the pupils about the power of community advocacy.
“Our students are currently exploring the theme ‘How we organise ourselves’ as part of our teaching and learning program,” he said.
“Taking action in response to the removal of our school crossing is a real-world opportunity for our kids.
“It is a unique chance to learn how decisions are made by local government – and most importantly, a chance to learn how to influence decisions.”
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday 22 June, Berwick MP Brad Battin called for Education Minister Natalie Hutchins to visit the school community.
“They are a small school, but they deserve to be respected and to be safe going to and from school when people are dropping them off, whether it is down at the milk bar in Harkaway, across the road at the tennis court or at Harkaway Hall, from where they have to walk to go to their local school,” he said.
Mr Battin also read out a letter from school captain Natasha in Parliament.
“Us kids and staff at H.P.S. find it really disturbing and unsafe that our school crossing is gone,” the letter read.
“All schools deserve a crossing to make sure all lives are protected.
“Every year more than 9,000 kids are driven to the emergency room for injuries that occur when they aren’t supervised near motor vehicles.”
Natasha said it was time for the State Government to act and support the Harkaway Primary School community.
“It shouldn’t matter if we’re a smaller school we need a crossing because our lives matter,” the letter read.
“You have the opportunity to save thousands of children’s lives right in front of you, so why not choose to?
“Now that I’ve done my part, it is time for you to do your part.”
