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Southern River College: School traffic congestion issues must be tackled

Francis CurroComment News

TEACHERS and parents from Southern River College want to improve the flow of traffic during school drop-off and pick-up times so Southern River Road does not become gridlocked.

College principal Everal Pearse said the school had grown from 400 students five years ago to just under 1000 students today.

Ms Pearse predicted there would be 1200 students attending the college by 2017.

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Because of this – and the growth of primary schools in the area – Southern River Road has become a hotspot for traffic.

Traffic congestion forced parents to wait for up to 30 minutes just to drop off or pick up their children.

Ms Pearse said students sometimes jumped out of the car and ran across the road because they were afraid they would be late for school.

“The road is creating a quagmire for all the traffic in the area and for the students,” she said.

“You cannot move and parents are getting caught up in traffic for up to half an hour.

“It is just an accident waiting to happen.”

City of Gosnells chief executive officer Ian Cowie said the council was considering a 4-way roundabout at Ashburton Street, with the fourth leg providing access to the school car park.

“This is an important upgrade for the City as concerns have been raised by both the school and the wider community,” he said.

“The City’s proposal is to minimise traffic congestion and improve traffic safety at school entry and exit points, and once

the plans are prepared they will be costed.”

Ms Pearse said she wanted to beautify Southern River Road and establish a place for students to be dropped off.

“We want to turn a basketball court into another car park,” she said.

“We also want to create a kiss and drop-off area so staff and visitors go to different car parks.

“We want a safe place for the students to be dropped off and buses to come in.”

School board chairwoman and former City of Gosnells mayor Pat Morris said something had to be done.

“To get into the school from my own experience is pandemonium,” she said.

“We need something to happen before more new students come along.”