HSC students in Frenchs Forest fear exam preparation will be impacted by traffic chaos
STRESSED out students on the northern beaches preparing for their HSC say roadworks in Frenchs Forest will take away precious hours of study time in the lead up to exams.
Manly
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STRESSED out students on the northern beaches preparing for their HSC say roadworks in Frenchs Forest will take away precious hours of study time in the lead up to exams.
With the first English exam six days away, students Eliza Rowley and Sasha Follett say their stress levels are already high.
But a decision by the Roads and Maritime Services to make a major stretch of road one-way as part of upgrades to the road network around Northern Beaches Hospital has put them at breaking point.
The students, both 17 and from Frenchs Forest, attend Northern Beaches Secondary College Mackellar Girls campus in Manly Vale.
They will have to leave two hours before exams to get to school, a trip that usually takes under 40 minutes.
“It is so frustrating sitting in the traffic and thinking I could be studying,” Eliza, who lives on The Esplanade, said. “I am already stressed enough, the changes make it even more stressful.”
She has considered public transport but it would mean three buses, which she says were unreliable even before the most recent work began.
Her parents Linda and Chris will each drive a car to her exams and leave one for her to return home after.
“We have talked about leaving early, but the problem is everyone is leaving early,” Ms Rowley said.
“We are just going to have to join the queue and have breakfast in the car.”
Mr Rowley said there were very few alternatives: “It doesn’t help the congestion problem, but it solves our problem temporarily.”
Sasha said the extra travel time would add pressure.
The Dundilla St resident criticised the latest works, which started on Sunday.
“I feel like the timing is really bad,” she said. “We are already having to get through the traffic as it is, then they have made it worse for us, right before the HSC.”
Hollie Fraser, 18, studies at Killarney Heights High and also has concerns about travel times.
She lives on Rabbett St, opposite Forestway Shopping Centre, one of the major traffic jam hot spots.
Her mother, Kylie said the drive to school should take 10 minutes, but traffic outside their house was so bad she didn’t even know how long it would take to pull out of her driveway: “It’s been chaos outside my house for the last few days,” she said.
The family have suffered broken sleep due night roadworks. Ms Fraser said the company behind the project were offering free accommodation at Checkers Resort in Terrey Hills.
On Tuesday students from The Forest High walked more than 1km after buses were stalled in traffic at Skyline Shops.
Forest High student Matt Johnson, 17, said his classmates were concerned about the impact on their studies.
“It is a bit inconvenient for kids coming form Dee Why, Narraweena and Cromer,” he said.
The Manly Daily made calls to the school, which were returned by an Education Department spokesman.
He said students who legitimately arrived late to an HSC exam would not be disadvantaged.
“The examination presiding officer for The Forest High School is aware of the roadworks,” he said.
TRAFFIC HOTSPOTS:
A number of issues have opened up after upgrades made Frenchs Forest and Naree roads one-way for 10 months.
● Rabbett St, which leads on to Warringah Rd, has been so busy residents have been unable to get out of their driveways.
● Forest Way has become more congested, spilling on to Warringah Rd and stopping traffic to and from the city and Dee Why.
● Adams St crosses with Forest Way and is one of the only entry and exit points for residents who used to turn out of Frenchs Forest Rd on to Forest Way.
● Backroads such as Oxford Falls Rd and Morgan Rd have seen more traffic.