Families are outraged over the Minister for Roads and Roads Safety’s lack of urgency in arranging funding for the school crossing at Colbinabbin Primary School.
The Nationals have been calling on the Labor Government to provide funding for the crossing for over a year now, with progress initially looking likely after inspections were carried out and safety measures were proposed.
However, in a recent response to a letter from Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland on behalf of the Colbinabbin community, Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne said the Department of Transport and Planning was “still monitoring this location” a year later.
The school principal, parents, and local police have been concerned about the high level of heavy traffic and risk to student safety on the Mitchell Street crossing.
The lack of safe options has forced school principal Michael Greenaway to mark a walking zone with chalk to provide a space for students to walk safely to and from school.
The dangerous crossing has prompted calls from the community for urgent action, yet the responses from Government continue to understand the seriousness of the issue.
“This community has been campaigning on this issue for over a decade now,” Ms Cleeland said.
“The minister not seeing this as an urgent matter reflects the level of care this Labor Government has for regional towns like Colbinabbin.”
Some of the safety measures requested by the community include variable, flashing speed signs to reduce the speed of the vehicles, and a safety barrier between the road and crossing.
Ms Cleeland said several constituents had expressed their concerns about the crossing since being elected to Parliament.
“Residents of Colbinabbin have made it very clear to me – this crossing is not safe for their children,” Ms Cleeland said.
“They have told me of several near misses between the children and the heavy traffic and are rightfully concerned. Local families are so concerned about the crossing that a parent roster has been created to get kids to and from school safely.”
