No timeline on school road safety despite will to fix problem
Road design to boost safety for students north of Wollongong's CBD could occur next year, but school advocates say the process is taking far too long
Parents who say their children’s lives are at risk daily as they navigate their way to and from school have put Wollongong City Council on notice.
Addressing Monday night’s council meeting, Wollongong Public School P&C vice president Mark Johnston said hundreds of children walk to school daily, crossing Campbell Street to reach Smiths Hill High and Wollongong PS.
As reported in The Illawarra Flame, since Smith Street was converted to a one-way traffic/designated cycleway street, Campbell Street is the only east/west link north of the CBD, and it’s becoming more congested each year.
Mark told council the two schools’ populations combined is 1350 and increasing with more high density residential in the pipeline for the next five years.
Increased dangers
With no traffic lights and no pedestrian crossings on the journey to the schools along Campbell Street, Mark said parents were reluctant to walk their children to school due to the increasing dangers.
“Pedestrians to the north of the CBD are being treated like third-class citizens behind drivers of vehicles and bikes,” Mark said.
He said communications with council has been a long, drawn-out and fruitless process, starting in 2021, with follow-up discussions involving the school principals in 2022, 2024 and 2026
“As a solicitor myself, that communication history would be quite useful if a subpoena had to be issued on council if there was to be something happen to a pedestrian to cause a claim, and I hope that doesn’t happen,” Mark said.
He said four intersections on Campbell Street has been identified as needing action “but there’s no date for implementation. So what we’re asking is that action on Campbell Street be fast-tracked so that it can be safer for all pedestrians, particularly children, to make Wollongong a safer place to walk around.
Lord mayor's commitment
In response, Lord Mayor Tania Brown said “I’m aware in tonight’s budget we do have listed a pedestrian upgrade for Campbell Street in our infrastructure delivery program. Our understanding is that staff are talking to Wollongong Public School around safe routes to school but I’ll commit to getting a letter to you that captures what comes through tonight’s meeting … because like you, none of us want to see an accident happening to a child in that area.”
Council staff told the meeting design work would take place next year, followed by construction the following year. The P&C still believes the process is taking far too long.
“Sympathetic applause will not ensure our children’s safety,” Wollongong PS P&C President, Jenny Blunden told the Flame after the meeting. She said while Mark Johnston’s presentation highlighting the safety risk was “well received”, it “fell short of soliciting commitment to a firm timeline to rectify the issue”.
“Of course, we understand there is a “process” to be adhered to, and traffic assessments must be carried out. But in the meantime, students of Smiths Hill High and Wollongong Public School are forced to navigate this busy road in a terrifyingly improvised fashion,” Jenny said.
“I implore council to consider interim solutions. A temporary zebra crossing? A (wo)manned stop/go corridor to facilitate safe passage on the way to and from school?
“It is patently clear that this is a huge oversight on the part of council, and that it is only a matter of time before a terrible accident occurs. A solution must be found immediately, or council will be held responsible the grave consequences of inaction.”
