By NARELLE COULTER
Grieving mum’s campaign wins school speed reduction…
STACEY Brown cried when the news finally came through that the speed limit outside Dandenong High School was to be reduced to 60 kilometres per hour.
Ms Brown’s 13-year-old daughter Shaye died when she was struck by a car while crossing the Princes Highway near the James Street intersection in March 2013.
At the time the speed limit was 80kmh.
Amid her grief, Ms Brown mounted her Wipe off 20 campaign involving a petition and a protest at the site of her daughter’s death.
Ms Brown believes Shaye may have survived had the speed limit been lower.
“If that (60kmh) was the speed limit when my daughter got hit she wouldn’t have suffered the same injuries,” Ms Brown said.
“I just hope that people do slow down and, touch wood, there are no more accidents.
“I wouldn’t want any other parent to go through what I’ve experienced.”
The new limit applies to the stretch of highway between Fifth Avenue and Henty Street.
According to VicRoads, 17,000 cars use the stretch of highway in front of the school daily in both directions.
Ms Brown said the lower speed limit would also make the area safer for pedestrians, particularly those using parks in the area.
She said she took some small comfort in the fact that something positive had come from Shaye’s death.
“This campaign kept me going. I did it in her honour. She was always a fighter. Her nickname was Little Miss Social Worker because she was always helping everyone.
“I think she would be quite proud of me.
“I could feel Shaye smiling down at me.”
Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams supported Ms Brown’s campaign, lobbying VicRoads for the speed change.
Ms Williams said Dandenong High School students recommended the speed reduction during a road safety workshop held late last year.
“This workshop was about engaging with the school students that cross the Princes Highway daily and giving them the opportunity to help us improve road safety along this busy section of road,” she said.
“Reducing the speed limit will improve safety for all road users, in particular local school students riding and walking to school.”
With her Wipe off 20 crusade at an end, Ms Brown said she felt strong enough to move on with her life.
She hasn’t been able to work since the accident and hopes to re-join the workforce soon.
“Shaye would want me to move on.
“She wouldn’t want me to be stuck like I am now.”
