Parents plea for road safety improvements at Blacktown North Public

PARENTS at Blacktown North Public School say road safety improvements are urgently needed at the school before a child is hurt.

Rekha Bhardwaj with her daugehr Ojasavi Sharma on the busy road in front of the school. Picture: Carmela Roche.

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PARENTS at Blacktown North Public School say road safety improvements are urgently needed at the school before a child is hurt.

But the RMS said it needed to arrange an investigation and gave no time frame for when it would be completed.

Parent Rekha Bhardwaj said the footpath the children use along Sunnyholt Rd on their way to the Bessemer St school was unsafe because of overhanging trees, long grass, the narrow width of the footpath and the speed limit along Sunnyholt Rd.

“The trucks are coming along so speedily it will shake your whole body,” she said.

“My daughter, just a couple of months ago, she slipped on the concrete and fell down on the road. I had to pick her up.

“Are they going to wait for a death to happen then they will do something? We can’t risk their lives.’’

Mrs Bhardwaj said the P & C Committee would like pedestrian fencing to be installed along Sunnyhold Rd and for the 40km school zone to be extended.

“The school zone limit begins at Fifth Ave. However, a high percentage of our families are walking from Fourth Ave towards the school,” she said.

She said parents were also concerned about the lack of flashing lights, speed bumps and a zebra crossing at the Bessemer St entrance.

A RMS spokeswoman said it had not received any complaints about road safety at the school.

After learning about the issue from the Advocate, the spokeswoman in an email said the RMS contacted the school principal to arrange an investigation.

“The investigation will include recording traffic counts, the number of students accessing the school from different roads, crash history, whether a school crossing supervisor is appropriate and the extension of the 40km school zone,” she said.

“The safety of children is of highest priority to Roads and Maritime Services.”