Ivanhoe Primary School principal Mark Kent slams ‘dreadful’ driver behaviour

Careless parents are speeding, hitting fences and having screaming matches over parking spaces outside a busy Ivanhoe primary school during pick-up and drop-off times. Now, the principal and students are appealing for the ‘dreadful’ behaviour to stop.

Ivanhoe Primary School Principal Mark Kent with some of the school’s Grade 4 students. They have put signs up outside the school warning drivers to slow down. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Drivers are speeding, hitting fences and having screaming matches over parking spaces outside Ivanhoe Primary School during pick-up and drop-off times, with the principal and students calling for an end to the “dreadful” behaviour.

Principal Mark Kent said not only was the school strapped for space, but it also had to deal with terrible driver behaviour.

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“We are boundarised by three dead end streets, so the traffic is dreadful at pick-up and drop-off times,” he said.

Mr Kent said the school had partnered up with the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation to put its own street signs up along Waterdale Rd warning drivers to slow down.

Student numbers have grown enormously in the four years since Mr Kent has been principal, with 610 students now enrolled.

The school has been forced to increase its classes from 25 to 28 in that time.

Kevan Hill, who lives on Lowe St at the school’s southern border, said the growing student population was causing traffic chaos.

“It is the most appalling risk situation I can ever imagine,” he said.

“Property damage is happening every day — cars are hitting gates and fence posts and other cars; people are having screaming matches over parking spaces.”

“When traffic increases, so does risk and nothing has been done to manage it.”

Banyule Mayor Wayne Phillips said the streets surrounding the school were areas of concern for the council.

“We are seeking co-funding from the State Government to install additional safety measures and electronic speed limit signs at Waterdale Rd,” he said.

“Council doesn’t have responsibility for enforcing speed limits but has requested police patrol the area to enforce speed limits.”

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