‘Don’t close our

By Bridget Cook
CITY of Greater Dandenong and group a of Dandenong residents are at loggerheads over whether to close Herbert Street, Dandenong during school hours.
Following a six month trial of closing Herbert Street during school hours, council recommended at Monday night’s council meeting that Herbert Street be closed permanently to traffic during school hours, with buses excepted.
But residents are up in arms over the recommendation. They want the street kept open at all times and traffic calming measures put in place.
The closure is to allow safe access across Herbert Street between the existing Dandenong High School and the new Cleeland Secondary College campus, both part of the newly amalgamated Dandenong High School.
Students and teachers are required to cross the road to the different campuses during school hours.
Herbert Street resident Antonio Ciruso said he did not want the street to be closed during school hours.
“It is frustrating we can’t access the Princes Highway, and have to take a longer route,” he said.“It’s pushing all the traffic in to Dandenong.”
Mr Ciruso said the better option would be to keep the street open and put in place other safety measures for the students.
“The better option would be to put lights in for the kids to cross the road or other safety measures,” he said.
“But the council is taking the easy option and it’s not good for the residents.”
Councillor Angela Long also argued against the closure at the council meeting.
“The school might be happy with the closure but the residents aren’t,” she said. “For most of the residents, the time it would be closed is the time they use the road. Why should our residents be disadvantaged by something the Education Department has done. Don’t close the road permanently during school hours.”
Councillor Brown voted to close the road during school hours.
“Residents should be careful what they wish for,” Cr Brown said.
“They have the chance to improve the safety of about 1500 children. These are young, vulnerable students who need to be given the greatest level of safety possible.”
With councillors voting the closure as the preferred option, the council will now seek the views of all affected stakeholders and report back to council later this year.
Since Monday night’s council meeting, Cr Long has put in a rescission motion, which seeks to have the decision overturned, to be raised at the next council meeting.