Kinglake West Primary students face another year with dangerous crossing
Kinglake West Primary has campaigned for a decade for a safe school crossing. But as VicRoads and Murrindindi Council bicker over responsibility, students will return in 2020 to the same dangers — including dodging drivers on an 80km/h main road.
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Students at Kinglake West Primary could spend another school year dodging vehicles at a dangerous crossing unless the “absurd situation” is fixed.
But there is still no solution in sight with the problem reaching a stalemate after VicRoads and Murrindindi Council refused to accept responsibility.
Students are forced to manoeuvre past vehicles on a pothole-riddled gravel service road outside the school, and then again on a main arterial where drivers travel at 80km/h.
The situation has seen several near misses including one incident where a truck nearly mowed down a crossing supervisor and children crossing the road last year.
Principal Mark Portman told the Leader the crossing on Whittlesea-Kinglake Rd did not meet safety standards as it had no barriers preventing children running out onto the busy road.
And two traffic cones, supplied by the school, were the only obstacles stopping kids from darting across the service lane, he said.
A VicRoads spokesperson, who refused to be named, told the Leader the local council was the responsible authority for any safety upgrades.
But Murrindindi Council director of assets and infrastructure Vito Albicini said the service road was not a public road, and instead a VicRoads road reserve.
Mr Albicini also said the school had a drop-and-go zone with the standard safety infrastructure in place and parents were choosing to use the service road instead.
But Mr Portman disagreed.
“If there is a drop-and-go zone here then we know nothing about it,” he said.
“Someone has to take responsibility because no one has for the past 11 years and we are sick of being forgotten about.”
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Mr Albicini said the council was monitoring the service road.
“We applied for a grant from the Transport Accident Commission in August last year to go toward safety improvements in this area,” he said.
“Unfortunately we didn’t get the grant, so council officers have instead submitted a $110,330 project proposal and budget bid for council consideration in its 2020/21 budget. “
He said the money would go towards sealing the service road footpath, adding a pedestrian crossing and installing a metal mesh barrier at the school crossing point on Whittlesea-Kinglake Rd.