Speeding drivers on a Rowville street spark safety fears

LEADFOOT motorists are tearing past two schools and a kinder as they treat a Rowville road as a racetrack, regularly clocking speeds of up to 120km/h.

LEADFOOT motorists are tearing past two schools and a kinder as they treat a Rowville road as a racetrack, regularly clocking speeds of up to 120km/h.

Wentworth Ave resident Rod Carne said the street has a permanent 40km/h limit but motorists often did twice or three times that speed.

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“Every day there are cars going past at 100km/h, 120km/h it’s insanity,” he said.

“Sooner or later it’s going to go pear-shaped.

“I’m just worried it’s going to be an accident involving one of the kids.”

On the western side of Wentworth Ave is Silkwood Stars childcare, Park Ridge Primary and Rowville Secondary College’s Eastern Campus.

Mr Carne said there had been multiple crashes on the street, including a driver who recently smashed into the back of his car when he was pulling into his driveway.

In 2014, a motorist was killed after they ploughed into a tree near the Malmsbury Cres intersection.

Mr Carne said the combination of the wide road and a lack of speed bumps or chicanes attracted commuters looking for a ‘rat run’ alternative route.

Mr Carne’s partner Meg Nicoll described the speeding issue as the “worst possible combination when you’ve got a kinder, primary and secondary school in the street”.

“It’s a lovely street. I just wish people would slow down,” she said.

Rowville Secondary College assistant principal Craig Jamieson urged motorists to take care around school zones to ensure safety.”

Knox highway patrol Sergeant Heather Allan said speeding drivers in the area would be targeted.

“It’s a permanent 40km/h zone for a reason, because you’ve got schools there and kids going there after hours, so you’d hope people are abiding by the road rules,” she said.

“If not we’ll be out there monitoring and those offenders will be caught.”

Knox Council’s engineering and infrastructure director Ian Bell said Wentworth Avenue was listed on its Local Area Traffic Management Program — which means it could be in line for “traffic devices”.

“However there are currently a number of other streets ranked as needing treatment before Wentworth Ave, and no funding has been allocated as yet, for this project in the current budget”.