Parents unite to curb speed demons at Browns Plains High

Residents of a southside suburb say one-in-three people who drive past their local high school at pick-up time are speeding, bringing their neighbourhood to its knees. WATCH THE VIDEO

Residents of a southside suburb say speed demons and a busy strip of road outside a large high school are bringing their neighbourhood to its knees.

Parents and teachers of Browns Plains State High School joined forces with concerned residents to wage war against the speedsters and put the local council on notice for failing to install a pedestrian crossing on busy Waller Rd.

More than 130 parents and two teachers from the high school signed a petition organised by resident Anoushka Arro asking Logan City Council for the pedestrian crossing.

Ms Arro, who lives two streets from the school, said the petition was drafted after two recent near misses on Waller Rd outside the school.

The neighbourhood outcry follows a threat from nearby Marsden State School, which told parents last week students not collected by 3pm would be reported to police.

Ms Arro said neighbours were worried after data they collected from dashcams showed one in three drivers was speeding through the school zone at pick-up time.

Browns Plains resident Anoushka Arro talks to police who carried out a patrol of the area in March after a complaint was lodged with Logan City Council.

“It’s only a matter of time before a student is hit by a car and killed on Waller Rd, which is a major council road,” Ms Arro said.

“We’ve watched the level of bad behaviour from drivers in the area especially at pick up times and nothing has been done by the council despite me pushing for a crossing for three years.

“We know councils don’t patrol speeding but it can paint a crossing on Waller Rd which would force students to cross at the one safe place.

“Residents avoid that area at drop-off and pick-up times because it’s so dangerous as there are kids weaving between cars to cross the road because there is no dedicated crossing.

“This affects the whole community because there is gridlock at certain times of the day but more importantly locals are avoiding the area and the council is sitting back doing nothing.”

The petition was lodged in March with Logan council, which said it was investigating using vacant land opposite the school for extra off-street parking.

The pick-up zone on Waller Rd where parents wait for students to cross the busy Waller Rd, which does not have a pedestrian crossing painted on the road.

However, the council was not looking into providing the dedicated crossing and had not painted school zone road markings on Waller Rd.

Ms Arro said there had been two police patrols around the school this term.

Parent Lee Maddox said he had dashcam footage of speeding cars in the school zone “almost every day” and was concerned about the council’s lack of action.

He drops off and picks up his two children every day and contacted the council and school principal Blair Hanna asking for the crossing.

“Every single day we notice people greatly exceeding the speed limit,” he said.

“It would easily be one in three speed through doing more than 40km/h during the drop-off and pick-up times.

“I have spoken to the police about this with no luck seeing any extra police activity.

“My wife has emailed the school with no response.

“Aside from wearing a high-vis vest and urging drivers think I’m a cop, I don’t know what else to do.

“We have seen so many close-calls with kids and cars since term 1 started.

“It’s only a matter of time until you’re attending a funeral for a child. I don’t want it to be mine.”

Logan City Council said it had no data on the number of speeding incidents at Browns Plains High even though it issues more than 400 fines each year for parking illegally and dangerously in the city’s school zones.

The council said it had not received any official requests from residents or parents about speeding at Browns Plains apart from a resident advising of his concerns this month.

It said it patrolled the schools with a camera car and reviewed signs in school zones.

Nearby schools did not have the same issues as they did not pick-up and drop-off zones on a major council road.

Parents of students at Browns Plains State School, opposite the high school, can pick-up children on the smaller Ivor St which has a designated pedestrian crossing.

Waller Rd where parents say a pedestrian crossing is needed.

Nearby Yugumbir State School was one of 11 in Logan named in 2019 for having high incidences of illegal parking near drop-off zones and dangerous driver behaviour.

The council issued 26 fines for up to $261 at that school in one term in 2018, including for parking in a bus or a disabled zone or near children or pedestrian crossings.

However, recent Logan council road works and a new pick-up and drop-off zone at Yugumbir State School fixed that problem.

Other state schools that have come under close Logan council surveillance were Crestmead, Edens Landing, Greenbank, Kimberley Park, Marsden, Mount Warren Park, Regents Park, Shailer Park, Windaroo and Woodridge.

Bollards at nearby Regents Park State School where there is a lollipop crossing.

The carpark at Burrowes State School was also renowned for causing traffic gridlock during early morning drop offs and afternoon pick ups until Logan council stepped in and widened the carpark exit to two lanes in 2019.

The state government stepped in to fund a lollipop lady at Logan Reserve State School after a mum and her four kids were nearly wiped out by a truck on School Rd in 2017.

Logan council dispatched a special patrol vehicle, equipped with a roof camera and facilities to issue $87 on-the-spot fines after Crestmead pensioner Abigail Major was abused, spat on and threatened by motorists during school pick up when they parked across her driveway.

It is illegal to stop or park within 20 metres before, or 10 metres after, a pedestrian crossing.

Drivers who double park outside schools or park in loading zones or areas signed “No Stopping” can cop fines of up to $130.

Parking across a driveway will set the driver back $87 as will parking on the footpath or nature strip.

Those exceeding the maximum 40k/h speed in school zones will also be fined.