Down hill danger

By Kath Gannaway
CISKA Vanspankeren listens for the big trucks coming down the Warburton Highway towards her school crossing at Wandin North Primary School.
“I can’t see them until they come around the corner, but if I even hear one I don’t attempt to step out,” she said.
“Some come down so fast, it’s very scary.”
Last week the popular Shire of Yarra Ranges school crossing supervisor backed a plea by Evelyn MP Christine Fyffe to the Minister of Ports and Roads Tim Pallas to make the installation of electronic speed limit signs on the highway a top priority.
The signs operate automatically during school start and finish times.
Mrs Fyffe said it was almost two years since the Government promised the installation of the lights at all schools within 70km/h speed zones.
Last week, however, when Mrs Fyffe asked Mr Pallas when Wandin North would get the high-visibility signs, she was told VicRoads was preparing a contract for the works.
Mr Pallas said the list of schools to be included in the program would be finalised early in 2008 after the contract had been awarded and that installation of the electronic signs would be progressively implemented during 2008.
Mrs Fyffe said last week the delay was unacceptable and was putting children’s lives at risk.
“I have raised this issue a couple of times in Parliament and we now find out they have not even prepared the contracts.
“This school has been very patient. Other schools have these warning lights – there are lights at Yering and the situation here is more dangerous than the Melba Highway.”
School principal Hetty Thomas said the school had been pushing for lights since before she took over eight years ago.
She said the speed limit was raised from 70 to 80km/h when the announcement was first made that 70km/h zone schools would get the lights.
Now the highway speed has been reduced to 60km/h and despite assurances from VicRoads that it is a temporary roadworks limit, Ms Thomas said she is concerned the new road limit will put the school on the lower priority (60km/h) schedule which is based on traffic volume.
“Those signs are now permanently fixed in the ground. There are no road works going on so it’s hard to believe it is just a coincidence that it changed at the time the legislation (for the 70km/h priority) came out again.”
She said despite the usual 40km/h school zone signs on the highway, people are regularly caught speeding by police.
“Drivers coming up the hill have enough time to stop but a lot of the time drivers coming down the hill, especially those in bigger vehicles, just don’t have that time. “If there were warning lights at the top, just in the school times, it would make sense to drivers who would immediately realise a school was coming up and they need to slow down.”
Adding to what is already a dangerous situation, according to Mrs Vanspankeren and Ms Thomas, is the fact the crossing can be left without a supervisor with little or no notice.
“Ciska can be just told by the shire that she has to go to a more needy crossing. Sometimes we’re told, at other times we’re not,” Ms Thomas said.
“I’m not sure what makes one child more needy than another – just numbers probably,” she said.
Ms Fyffe said she will continue to pressure the Government to ensure the Wandin North Primary School community gets the protection it needs.