St Benedict’s Catholic School to work with council on parking solutions for parents
Changes are on the way to fix a dangerous situation where Townsville parents were forced to queue on a busy road for school pick-up. See what solutions are being considered.
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Work is underway to address the congestion problem plaguing ’s carpark after a petition raising parents’ safety concerns was addressed by Townsville City Council last week.
Opened in 2018, St Benedict’s Catholic School is a coeducational school offering Prep to Year 6, with a kindergarten located onsite, at 890 Dalrymple Road, Shaw.
A carpark traffic jam in the first week of school, which forced parents to queue their vehicles along Dalrymple Road, was the catalyst for Kirwan resident Tara Pilkington to launch a petition calling for additional parking at the school.
Describing the situation as “extremely unsafe for everyone involved”, she gathered 153 signatures in support, which were presented to the council in February and addressed in last Wednesday’s ordinary meeting.
“Since the upgrade of the road and traffic lights on Bishop Putney Ave, the school has no area for overflow parking. The school has been unable to action any changes,” Ms Pilkington’s petition said.
“Our school is located on a highway, with no safe street parking. We also don’t have a reliable bus service like you would in a major city.
“We request council add an overflow car park for families of St Benedict’s to utilise when the school car park is full.”
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority confirmed that the primary school had 590 students enrolled last year, and the current 132 on-site carparking bays were sufficient for a primary school for up to 884 students.
After discussions with representatives of Catholic Education, a council officer recommended several changes, with a particular focus on the first week of terms.
They include staggered times of arrival and departure for Prep to Grade 2, and consideration for limiting time before parents need to vacate the site.
Also having designated drop off areas outside the main school entry / exit for higher grades such as 5 and 6 at the western most portion of Greater Ascot Ave with teachers positioned along Dalrymple Rd footpath to assist in directing students to their classrooms.
Temporary staff parking arrangements on ovals / other temporary carparking areas during the start of term to free up carparking areas for parents was also recommended.
“Catholic Education has been responsive to these suggestions and council will continue to work with the school representatives to implement these initiatives during peak traffic periods,” the officer’s report concluded.
Townsville City Councillors voted unanimously to continue engaging with Catholic Education as it implements strategies to address the issues.
Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said they would work with Catholic Education around timings and collaborate on alternative options, including temporary carparking.
“I think every school experiences (traffic congestion) in some way, shape or form. I know down at St Joey’s had the same sort of thing, then they had that kiss and go kind of thing,” Ms Greaney said.
“Then getting the preppies to be collected a little bit earlier so it stops that sort of traffic. I think that would have to be up to the school to decide (what to do).”
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Originally published as St Benedict’s Catholic School to work with council on parking solutions for parents
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