By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
CALLS to reduce an 80 kilometre per hour speed limit remain unheeded two years after Dandenong High School student Shaye Kosky was fatally struck crossing outside the school.
For the past two years, Shaye’s grief-stricken mother Stacey Brown has mounted a “wipe off 20” campaign to reduce the Princes Highway section’s speed limit.
In effect, it would extend the highway’s existing 60km/h zone several hundred metres westward.
Shaye was injured while crossing the highway near the James Street intersection after school on 6 March 2013.
On that occasion, she opted not to cross at the nearby traffic lights and footbridge – a risky choice taken by many students and adults each day, according to her family and friends.
Ms Brown believes Shaye may have survived, had the speed limit been lowered.
“I don’t know what the hold-up is. All they have to do is change the sign.”
Last year, she – with about 50 supporters – staged a placard protest last year at the site where Shaye was struck.
The family also attracted more than 500 signees to an online petition to reduce the speed limit.
Greater Dandenong councillor Jim Memeti who, along with the council, pushed VicRoads to examine the issue two years ago, was “lost for words” at the road authority’s inaction.
“I thought it would be pretty straight-forward to change the signage.
“Sometimes I can’t work out why VicRoads can’t do it faster and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams urged the community to continue “mounting the case”.
“I have raised this matter with the Minister for Roads and Road Safety (Luke Donnellan) to canvass possible solutions for the site and these discussions will continue in the time ahead.”
VicRoads said its position is the same on the Princes Highway blackspot as it was one year ago when last contacted by the Journal.
VicRoads metro south east regional director Aidan McGann said the section qualified as a school speed zone – which would typically drop to 60km/h during school drop-off and pick-up times.
He said it would be “considered for future funding considering surrounding road safety risks and nearby opportunities for pedestrians to cross the road”.
“We have a school program in place where we talk about pedestrian behaviour and safety across eastern Melbourne, and we will continue to work with the Dandenong High School and draw their attention to the traffic lights and dedicated pedestrian overpass nearby to allow the safe crossing of the Princes Highway.”
Meanwhile Ms Brown joined 20 mourners who launched message-bearing balloons at Shaye’s grave site at Springvale Botanical Cemetery on the second anniversary of the tragedy this month.
Ms Brown has been unable to work since Shaye’s death, is regularly seeing a counsellor to soothe her post-traumatic anxiety attacks.
Many don’t seem to understand.
“People expect you to get over it by now. I’m stuck – I don’t know how to move on.”
