Safety fears after crash at local primary school

About 8am on Thursday, August 29, two cars were involved in a crash at the intersection of Hamer Parade and Eighth Avenue, outside the pre primary school site.

One of the cars involved in the minor accident ended up against the cyclone fencing that divides the school’s playground and the pedestrian footpath.

Parent Aileen Johnson said she was concerned that this incident could have been a lot worse.

‘The cyclone fence is merely designed to keep the children in the school grounds,’ she said. ‘I am astonished that as a minimum there are no safety bollards protecting the other side corner of the fence and the footpath from heavy traffic, given it is such a busy intersection at peak times.

‘Hamer Parade is a 40km/h school zone area but this seems ineffective at slowing traffic and it is not very visibly marked. Flashing signs showing 40km/h at school peak times would certainly contribute to calming traffic and making it safer for our children.’

Department of Education north metropolitan education regional executive director Jim Webb said the department would support any efforts to improve the intersection.

City of Stirling engineering design manager Paul Giamov said the City had not received any specific complaints about the intersection, and did not consider it a priority for upgrades, with only six reported crashes in the past five years. Four of the crashes occurred on weekends and one of the remaining two during school pick-up and drop-off times.

He said the speed and traffic volumes recorded at the intersection and on surrounding roads were all within acceptable ranges.

Mr Giamov said the City could provide the school community with appropriate data to lobby the State Government to install an electronic school zone sign.

‘The City’s practice is to avoid installation of bollards in the verge as any structure in the road reserve provides an additional hazard for road users,’ Mr Giamov said.