Rochedale State School mum fears for her daughter’s safety as ‘joke’ road descends into chaos daily
Each afternoon, a single-lane road in Brisbane groans under the weight of three schools sending students home for the day, while a school mum says she now fears for her daughter’s safety.
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A SCHOOL mum of more than 15 years in a Brisbane suburb groaning under the weight of new families says she now fears for her daughter’s safety, as each afternoon school pick-up descends into chaos on a road which services three expanding schools.
The mother at Rochedale State School, who asked not be named, says she frequently witnesses instances of road rage and unsafe driving, as more than 1000 students at her daughter’s school are disgorged each afternoon onto single-lane Rochedale Rd, which has only one signalled pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Miles Platting Rd, near her school.
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“Rochedale Rd has been a joke since my two eldest, who have now finished high school, started in primary school,” she said.
“Over 15 years I’ve watched it get worse and worse. I’m at my wit’s end.
“Those kids need to cross safely but they can’t. We either need a lollipop person or another set of lights to cross.”
More than 11,000 vehicles use Rochedale Rd each day, but once the three schools send their students home, the road quickly becomes a carpark, as vehicles in school pick-up zones back onto the street, shoulders become clogged with anxious parents waiting for their children and vehicles regularly idle over the signalled pedestrian crossing.
She is quick to point out it’s not Rochedale State School’s fault – she said its because there are two other schools on Rochedale Rd within a kilometre of the state school, Redeemer Lutheran College and St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, with another two, Rochedale South State School and Rochedale State High School, nearby, and road infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the burgeoning suburbs.
She said her experience on Rochedale Rd has been so harrowing that she elected to send her two eldest sons away from the local high school in order that the pick-up dramas not be repeated throughout their schooling years.
Meanwhile, a possible solution, the upgrade of a nearby roundabout notorious for worsening the gridlock to a signalled intersection, which would provide a second crossing point for students, is not expected to be complete for another two years at least, as the Federal Government tries to wrangle $7 million each from Brisbane and Logan councils to fully fund the project.
Last year, it was announced that an upgrade to the Rochedale Rd Priestdale Rd intersection upgrade would receive $14 million from the Federal Government under its 10 year, $4 billion Urban Congestion Fund, to be matched by joint $7 million contributions from Brisbane and Logan councils.
However, those joint contributions are yet to be agreed upon, with both councils awaiting a business case on the project to show their hands. Its release may precipitate a further round of positioning on costs.
A spokesman for Logan City Council said the upgrade has been included in its Major Roads Program and has been given an “indicative funding commitment”.
A spokesman for Brisbane City Council said the two councils are in “discussions about their respective funding contributions for this project”.
The need for the intersection upgrade is well known at all levels of government.
“During AM and PM peaks, the roundabout is becoming congested and particularly during school drop-off and pick-up periods, pedestrians and cyclists are also impacted when using un-signalised road crossings which currently exist nearby on most approach legs,” said Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta.
MacGregor Ward councillor Steven Huang said since Rochedale came into his division during the redistribution last election, traffic congestion and infrastructure funding have been the issues “consistently at the top of the list” when he speaks to locals.
He urged residents to make their viewpoint known during the upcoming ‘Your Suburb, Your Say’ Rochedale and Burbank survey.
“I want to take a holistic approach to resolving the traffic management and infrastructure issues and encourage people to have their say,” Cr Huang said.
State Member for Mansfield Corrine McMillan accused Brisbane City Council of taking developers’ infrastructure charges without putting the necessary amount back into road infrastructure.
“There’s so much development and no commitment from council,” she said.
“Miles Platting Rd is a disgrace too.”
Both roads are controlled by council.
A council spokesman said that in the past year they had received 10 pothole complains from the public, all of which had been repaired, and a single report of illegal parking opposite Rochedale State School, which was followed.
Education Queensland said Rochedale State School’s principal has taken active steps to reduce traffic congestion around the school.
These include discussions with Redeemer Lutheran College about staggering pick-up times to alleviate congestion, engaging Transport and Main Roads to consider increasing the duration of the green pedestrian light at the intersection of Rochedale and Miles Platting roads, and requesting an additional Queensland Police presence to monitor peak hour.
A TMR representative said that while Rochedale State School does not currently have a supervised school crossing, it may apply for one through its local road safety office, southeast Queensland, on 1300 360 135.
The population of Rochedale, meanwhile, continues to grow. Between the 2011 and 2016 Census’, the number of residents listing the suburb as home almost tripled to 3175, while its median age dropped from 43 to 32 as young families flocked to affordable new developments.
According to Brisbane City Council’s Brisbane Community Profiles, as at June 30 last year there were 8642 people living in the Rochedale – Burbank Statistic Area, which also includes part of Mackenzie.
In this larger area, 20,147 people are predicted to live by 2041, growing from now until then at an average rate of 4.5 per cent.
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