BERWICK
Thursday, 29 June, 2023
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Angst over new phone tower
Crossing culled 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. Her concern has been echoed by the school community. 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 explained that, while school crossings were operated by council, the state-wide rules around how they operated 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
Harkaway Primary School pupil Lola and school captain Natasha are calling for Casey Council to reinstate their school crossing along King Road. Picture: SUPPLIED 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 Gov-
ernment 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.“ Continued page 10
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