Wednesday, 14 August 2024

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (18:39): (1048) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action that I seek is that the minister instruct Regional Roads Victoria to finally carry out the substantial safety upgrades that are so desperately needed to the pedestrian crossing at Kialla West Primary School, which is located on the Goulburn Valley Highway. I first spoke on the matter of safety at the Kialla West Primary School crossing in 2018, almost six years ago, soon after a car picking up children from school was hit by a truck at the school crossing, leaving a mother and three young students seriously injured. One of those students still suffers from the consequences of that accident today. I have raised this matter every single parliamentary year since then, often several times a year, repeatedly pleading for the government to make a serious investment in improving safety at this school crossing. Today is the 22nd time I have spoken on it in Parliament, and I will keep speaking about it as long as the government fails to take any serious action. A concerned parent whose child attends Kialla West Primary School recently contacted me to say that it is increasingly evident that the measures in place at the crossing are insufficient to ensure the safety of the students and the school community.

The school sits on the Goulburn Valley Highway, a major arterial road used by thousands of freight trucks every day. The highway drops from 100 kilometres down to 80 kilometres at the stretch of road where the school is. Near the school the road is signed for 40 kilometres during drop-off and pick-up times, but the truth is that these signs are not always seen or heeded by visitors and even familiar locals. The danger at the crossing is about to be made worse by two new factors. First, the state Labor government has basically given up on building the Shepparton bypass, which would have diverted trucks away from the school. This means that heavy freight traffic outside the school will be a reality not only for the foreseeable future but for many years to come. Secondly, the government is planning to build a new kinder on the school site which is due to open in term 1 2026. The kinder will increase student numbers and car traffic along the highway and the school’s access roads.

If Regional Roads Victoria is going to deliver the optimal safety improvement, it needs to build a pedestrian underpass to separate students from highway traffic, and it should be done before the new kinder opens and traffic booms. However, I am aware that there is a heritage issue with trees due to the school being located within the Calder Woodburn Memorial Avenue, which spans 20 kilometres and includes over 2400 native trees. The heritage issue has been known for many years now, and the government needs to sort it out. But given those trees were planted by a father who lost his son in World War II, I would like to think that Mr Woodburn would be in favour of a few trees being removed and replacement ones planted at the end of the avenue to improve safety and perhaps save lives at the crossing. If an underpass cannot be achieved, the government must come up with an alternative plan to improve safety at this crossing as soon as possible.