By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
DOVETON College remains hopeful of getting two more supervised crossings by next year despite a Casey Council rebuff last week.
The college, which expects to grow from 518 to 650 students next year, is bounded by busy streets with one supervised crossing in Tristania Street.
Principal Bretton New said he hoped there would be a crossing in Laurel Avenue by the start of the 2013 school year and a crossing in Ash Street reinstalled next year.
He said safety had improved by the council’s creation of a drop-off zone in Tristania Street. “We are feeling that as the college grows, especially as stage two is built in 2013, there’ll need to be crossings.”
“We have been assured by the council that the Laurel Avenue crossing will be opened at the beginning of the 2013 school year and we’re hoping that the school crossing that previously existed in Ash Street will be opened as we near 900 students.”
A council report tabled last week found there was insufficient traffic and pedestrians in term one to warrant additional crossings.
The report stated the council would monitor traffic around the school in term three. It stated that Casey’s 220 school crossing supervisors had a budgeted cost of $1.98 million, with VicRoads providing $533,000. Each school crossing cost up to $10,000, the report stated.
“Whilst there is a continuing demand from the community for additional supervised crossings to be provided, if a crossing were to be provided for every request, this would impose a significant financial burden on the council.”
The council will consult residents on a proposed parking ban on the residential side of Ash Street from 8-9am and 3-4pm on school days to improve traffic flow.
Mr New said there was “no doubt” that neighbouring roads were busy during peak school times. He hoped the college would have a 50-space car park in Ash Street by next year to help reduce traffic congestion.
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