By JESSE GRAHAM
DRIVERS passing the Woori Yallock Primary School at pick-up and drop-off times may have been surprised to see students standing at road signs, holding signs of their own.
Bearing signs that read, “Please slow down” and “Thank you for slowing down”, the life-sized and incredibly life-like cut-outs of students are part of a road safety program to improve driver awareness.
The Yarra Ranges Council’s Slow Down and Walk program has been running at the school for the last two weeks, after being trialled in Lilydale last year.
The project involves placing cut-outs that resemble students near 40km/h school zone signs during the times they are active, to remind drivers to be wary of their speed as students are around.
Principal Danny Hyndman told the Mail that the school had been actively pushing for drivers to be more aware of the variable speed limit on the Healesville-Kooweerup Road.
“We’ve tried to turn every stone, so we could get these signs,” Mr Hyndman said.
“We heard about Lilydale doing the cut-outs, so we went and had a look at that – this is where we’ve got to.
“We wheel them out every morning and bring them back in.”
The signs have been a success thus far, according to Mr Hyndman, who said people he knew that used the road had contacted him in support of the program.
“The parents can see that we’re really proactive about the safety of our kids, and we can see that cars are really slowing down,” he said.
Yarra Ranges Council’s executive officer of Emergency Management Kate Siebert said the cut-out program was in its pilot stages, but was “definitely making a difference”.
“Drivers are noticing the cut-outs of the children and changing their behaviour,” she said.
Ms Siebert said the project started at Lilydale Primary School and a number of surrounding schools, with each location recording positive results.
“Each location showed a reduction in speeding, and it certainly generated discussions in the school community and with the local residents,” she said.
She said that more research would need to be done once the pilot was complete, to know the impact of the program in the long-term.
But the cut-out program, which will only run at the school for two weeks, is a stepping stone towards an ultimate goal of having 40km/h flashing signs to alert drivers of the lower speed limit.
Currently, the road features static speed signs around the school, which list the times that the lower speed is enforced, but Mr Hyndman said the signs weren’t enough.
“The thing is … that we don’t benefit in terms of financial gain if this gets funded,” he said.
“It’s outside the school – it’s purely around that we want our community to be safe, particularly our kids.”
Eildon MP Cindy McLeish has also voiced her support of replacing the signs with electronic versions, and has lobbied the government for a change.
Con Stasinos, VicRoads’ director of Transport and Planning, Metro South East, told the Mail that the existing signs at the school were consistent with similar locations around the state.
Mr Stasinos said that, for electronic 40km/h speed signs to be installed, at least 20,000 vehicles needed to use the section of road per day.
“We will continue to work with the primary school and Yarra Ranges Council to improve pedestrian safety within the area,” he said.
“Any future electronic school speed signs are subject to the criteria and other statewide funding priorities.”
Other schools interested in the cut-outs can contact Yarra Ranges Council’s Community Safety Team on 1300 368 333 or communitysafety@yarraranges.vic.gov.au.
