By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong Council will launch a formal report into traffic bedlam plaguing Dandenong North Primary School.
Cr Matthew Kirwan, who raised the motion on 25 March, told of a rapid rise in students leading to increasingly unsafe congestion in surrounding streets, particularly Woodlee Street.
He reported cars parking on footpaths and in driveways, as well as speeding and erratic driving through the school drop-off and pick-up time chaos.
In recent years, two young girls were struck by a car while walking to school and a resident Louise Ferguson was crushed between vehicles while trying to help manage traffic outside her home, Cr Kirwan said.
The report will look at the pros and cons as well as costs of measures to curtail speeding and improve safety and amenity during school peak times.
“Various options have been put forward as suggestions for improvement by residents and the school namely part of Woodlee Street … allowing only one-way traffic and a school crossing across Woodlee Street but there may be other, better options,” Cr Kirwan said.
Greater Dandenong engineering services director Julie Reid recently said that a one-way system on Woodlee Street would not help traffic flow or safety.
It would instead “compromise road safety, encourage higher traffic speeds and increase the likelihood of a serious accident”.
As reported by Star News, during every school peak time, the narrow street is clogged with two-way traffic glacially weaving through parked cars and one lane of space.
Despite the risk, parents and children cross between the stagnant cars.
At other times, there is reported speeding and a nearby “death trap” corner at Edward Avenue regularly cut or even missed by cars.
Ms Ferguson has told of her car being written off after being crashed into by a reckless driver, and another motorist being pushed off the road onto her nature strip.
She said another car careering through a neighbour’s fence and narrowly missing the resident’s kids.
The Department of Education and Training recently told Star News that the issues were for Greater Dandenong Council to solve – despite suggestions that land at the former Cleeland Secondary College site could ease parking shortages.
The council report is due to be handed down in September.
“The Department has raised concerns about this issue with the Greater Dandenong Council who are responsible for street parking regulations and traffic management,” a spokesperson said.
