RELATED:
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A statewide review into school crossings will not delay a verdict on supervision at the Quarry Hill Primary School, according to VicRoads.
The state government’s traffic authority said a recent decision for joint funding of the School Crossing Program provided long-term certainty for crossing supervision across the state.
From July 1, 2017, all funding will be a 50:50 between the state government and local councils.
“Council can appoint a supervisor at any time, on a voluntary or paid basis, provided the person is properly trained and equipped,” said VicRoads’ director Road User and Vehicle Access, Robyn Seymour.
The City of Greater Bendigo formally supported a supervised marked crossing outside the school at a council meeting last week.
That followed a parent-led petition to council, which stated the perilous area near Peel Street had been the subject of numerous near misses.
The petition received 200 signatures.
However, deputy mayor Cr Fyffe told the Bendigo Advertiser he hoped VicRoads’ review into school crossings would not complicate, or delay, a decision for the school.
The traffic authority said eligibility criteria was determined by a number of children per hour and the number of vehicles on the roads and said a supervisor was not dependent on government funding.
VicRoads said councils may also use other sources of funding to supplement the government subsidy
The traffic authority reviews local council requests for supervision because of special needs (e.g. children with disabilities) or other safety issues, like excessive vehicle speed, road geometry, limited sight distance, volume of heavy vehicles or road width.
VicRoads said although funding was based on specific supervised crossing arrangements, it did not determine which crossings are supervised once the bulk subsidy to council was approved.
Management of a crossing site that no longer met the eligibility criteria for supervision, was up to the council’s discretion, VicRoads said.
Bendigo and its surrounds has 43 supervised school crossings, but parents at Quarry Hill Primary School are in desperate need for another.