THE immediate future of four school crossings in Keysborough and Springvale South was assured last Monday as Greater Dandenong councillors voted to keep them open and operational.
Cr Roz Blades sparked the move with a motion to quash doubts about the crossings at Chandler Kindergarten, Heatherhill Secondary College, Keysborough Park Primary School and Wallarano Primary School.
That was in response to a recommendation that the crossings be closed because they no longer met VicRoads criteria for funding.
Those criteria stipulate that at primary schools at least 20 primary school children plus 100 vehicles an hour are required to warrant funding for a crossing supervisor. For secondary schools, the pedestrian count is similar but there must be at least 250 vehicles an hour.
An initial council survey in 2007 identified seven crossings that did not meet these criteria, four of which were again identified in follow-up surveys in 2008 and 2009. Cr Blades’ motion has safeguarded the immediate future of these four crossings.
Regulatory services manager Peter Shelton said the council constantly monitored demand for school crossings and based decisions about their existence on regular reviews and consultation with the school community.
“The need for school crossings in any givenarea will fluctuate over time as populations change,” Mr Shelton said. “Recommendations to eitheropen or close school crossings are a reflectionof those changing needs.”
The council will now write to the relevant authority asking for the complete reinstatement of the Janine Road school crossing at Heatherhill Secondary College, which is now unsupervised.
