Charing Cross intersection: Parents call for urgent safety changes

Parents believe it will take one of their children being killed for authorities to finally act on a “dangerous” Charing Cross intersection.

Parents say their pleas to improve a “dangerous” intersection at Charing Cross have fallen on deaf ears even though it is within 700m of six schools and used by hundreds of children daily.

A group of parents has been fighting for safety improvements at the intersection of Bronte and Carrington roads with Victoria Street for the past five years.

The intersection is used heavily by students attending Waverley Public School, St Charles, St Clare’s, St Catherine’s and the Waverley College junior and senior campuses.

Children wait to cross the bustling Charing Cross intersection to get to school

Parents say in their haste to navigate the congested intersection, drivers regularly ignore the green pedestrian signals and turn into the path of groups of children attempting to cross the road.

While they would ideally like the school zone extended to encompass the intersection, the Charing Cross Pedestrian and Driver Safety group, which numbers over 100 members, have also asked for other safety measures.

They include red light and speed cameras, a three second delay between the red light and green pedestrian signal, new line marking allowing for a wider pedestrian path on the road and a greater police presence.

While Transport for NSW has installed a 20m section of fence on the western side of Carrington Road to contain the waiting children from spilling onto the roadway, Chairwoman of the St Charles‘ Primary School Advisory Committee and Randwick mother-of-four Maria Moran said it is not enough.

Jo Haylen MP, Shadow Minister for Active Transport, Marjorie O’Neill MP, Member for Coogee, Principal of St Charles’ Primary Paul Croker, Maria Moran parent and Chair of the St Charles’ Advisory Committee and parents Lisa Kanani, Vanessa Power, Emily Daley and Kerry Pinkstone.

Although she lets her children catch the bus home because the location of the bus stop doesn’t require them to cross the road, Ms Moran drives her children to school every day because she can’t bear the thought of them negotiating the intersection.

“I fear for their lives,” she said.

“The kids regularly report cars hurtling through the green pedestrian man.

“Every day there’s honking, there’s beeping, there’s near misses.”

Fellow Randwick mum Emily Daley said she just wanted TfNSW to undertake a genuine safety audit of the intersection.

“I feel if they would go and spend 20 minutes observing the situation of a morning they would realise what we are concerned about,” Ms Daley said.

The group brought its concerns to Coogee MP Marjorie O’Neill who tabled a 500 signature petition on their behalf in parliament late last year and wrote to Transport Minister Andrew Constance about the issue.

Dr O’Neill and Shadow Minister for Active Transport Jo Haylen met with the parents and St Charles principal Paul Croker this week.

“We’re just asking for the Minister to cut a bit of red tape and make this intersection safer for everyone,” Dr O’Neill said.

“Things like slightly changing signalling just at the start and the end of the day so there’s a delay between when a car goes racing through there and a little kid steps out. Repainting white lines on the road so the pedestrian walking path is a bit wider.

“You can’t tell me that’s going to cost millions of dollars.”

Principals and parents alike are deeply concerned.

Ms Haylen said she was hearing all too often of parents refusing to let their children walk, ride or catch the bus to school because of safety concerns.

“Charing Cross is a classic example of a complicated intersection where simple changes could be made to improve safety and the government just isn’t listening,” Ms Haylen said.

“It’s not like these parents are asking for pedestrian over passes or bridges.

“The solutions aren’t complicated and they aren’t expensive. We want the government to listen to the experts and the experts are the parents and the schools.”

A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the safety of all road users was a top priority.

“Transport for NSW installs school zones on roads which front entry points to schools,” she said.

“Installing school zones where there is no evidence of a school for an extended distance, such as at the Bronte and Carrington roads intersection, can be unsafe as motorists can become complacent and ignore the speed limit.

“Transport for NSW is currently investigating measures to improve safety at the Bronte Road and Victoria Street intersection, and will continue to work with local council on plans to reduce the speed limit to 40 km/h.”

Waverley Council plans to reduce the speed limit to all local roads south of Bondi Road by the end of the year.

This applies to Bronte Road and Victoria Street however Carrington Road is exempt and will remain at 50km/h.