Goonellabah school parents back pedestrian crossing call

With more than 900 vehicle movements a day, parents say a school crossing on busy Jubilee Avenue is well overdue. Here’s why.

Goonellabah Public School has called for Lismore City Council to install a pedestrian crossing on Jubilee Avenue, citing safety concerns.

The NSW Education Department made the request to council for a children’s crossing on Jubilee Avenue and also a safety barrier for the footpath.

Jess Collie, mother of a Year 6 student at Goonellabah Public, said Jubilee Avenue gets “extremely” busy at pick-up times and installing a kids crossing would come “not a moment too soon”.

“At least then there’s a safe way for kids to get across the street,” she said.

Jubilee is two-way dual lane undivided sealed road approximately 11 metres wide in sections and runs north-south, between Ballina Road and Oliver Avenue.

The possibility of a crossing on Jubilee Avenue will be discussed at a council meeting. Picture: Liana Boss

Lawson Jackson, who also has children at the school, said a safety fence skirting the footpath would be a great idea, but parking in the area also needs to be addressed.

“If they fixed the road on the houses’ side of Jubilee Avenue, you’d make parking lot easier,” he said. “It’s always a nightmare to find a park there.”

Another parent argued two pedestrian crossings in the street wouldn’t go astray, because “they’re unpredictable, kids these days”.

Traffic data (2016) indicates the average daily traffic in the 50kph zone is approximately 930 vehicles, with 85 per cent of motorists doing 52kph.

There was one ‘incident’ in 2018 resulting in a moderate injury.

Both Lismore City Council and the NSW Education Department declined to comment on the push for a crossing at the school.

The possibility of a crossing on Jubilee Avenue will be discussed at a council meeting once the Traffic Advisory Committee’s recommendations are reviewed by councillors.