By Michael Doran
Many schools along the Warburton Highway and surrounds have fought long and hard to provide safe crossings across busy roads for their students. Some, like Woori Yallock Primary and Yarra Junction Primary have been successful in having electronic 40km/h flashing signs installed but Wesburn Primary has not been so lucky.
Despite numerous campaigns, petitions and pleas to VicRoads, the school remains one of the few left behind and the Member for Eildon Cindy McLeish has continued the fight by again calling for action from the state government.
Speaking in the Victorian Parliament Ms McLeish called on the Minister for Roads and Road Safety to fund the much-needed project.
“I have raised the matter in Parliament a number of times already because our schoolchildren should be safe in their travels to and from school,” she said. “The school community have long been concerned about the volume and speed of the traffic that passes by but nothing has changed.”
“The current signage there is proving to be quite ineffective and school community members have for some time been concerned that vehicles are speeding in excess of 40 kilometres per hour on a regular basis.”
Ms McLeish said Wesburn Primary School has raised this matter in the past with very little success, and the school community is particularly frustrated.
“This frustration is exacerbated when they see other schools in the Yarra Ranges having these signs installed, and they are sure that the risk to the students, the staff and the traffic supervisor is lower, as are the traffic volumes,” Ms McLeish said.
The calls come after four years of lobbying by Ms McLeish and the Woori Yallock Primary School to have electronic speed signs installed on the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road resulted in signs finally being installed this year.
