Wednesday, 30 October 2024

 Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:44): (1238) The matter I have for the adjournment debate is actually a matter for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. I speak tonight about a school that is close to my heart, and that is Antonio Park Primary School. Those of you in this place who are familiar with that school might recall that I have spoken on a number of occasions about the need for a reduced traffic limit outside the front of the school and to the eastern boundary a reduced traffic signal as well. Some time ago I wrote to the minister, and the minister has responded and undertaken, as was committed to, a review. That review considered a number of speed reductions along Whitehorse Road and also along Deep Creek Road, and specifically it looked at four key aspects. One was to reduce the speed limit from 80 kilometres – that is right, 80 kilometres – to 60 kilometres along Whitehorse Road between Cook Road and Dampier Grove. The second thing was to reduce the speed limit from 80 k’s to 70 k’s along Whitehorse Road west of Cook Road to match the existing speed limit between Convent Lane and Thomas Street. The third was to reduce the 60-k school-time zone to 40. I will repeat that: to reduce the 60-k school-time zone to 40 – entirely appropriate, I would think. That is along Whitehorse Road in front of Antonio Park Primary School. The last and fourth thing was to induce a 40-k zone during school time along Deep Creek Road between Whitehorse Road and Edgerton Road. The minister wrote to me at the conclusion of this review and advised in the correspondence I have received that the proposed speed reductions along both Whitehorse Road and Deep Creek Road had been endorsed by the Department of Transport and Planning and their metro speed zoning committee. The advice I now have is that these changes will be considered for implementation in future network planning.

That all sounds very complicated. It is exactly and precisely what the school needs; it is exactly and precisely what we wanted to see. The action I seek this evening is to understand when the changes will actually occur. I would encourage the minister to do them with great haste. I do not need to emphasise I think for anyone in this place the urgency of ensuring that our children, not only when they arrive at school but when they leave school, have appropriate speed zones around those schools that give every parent, every teacher, every principal, every possible surety that they are doing so in a safe manner. The 40-k zone across all eight lanes of Whitehorse Road is entirely appropriate, as is the 40 k introduction along Deep Creek Road. I cannot wait for its introduction; I will be out there with banners. I just want to know when that will happen.