The proposed removal of four supervised crossing sites throughout Campaspe Shire has caused quite the stir.
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Megan Fisher
The controversy surrounding slated changes to four supervised crossing sites in Echuca and Kyabram is growing, with the Department of Transport and Planning’s review of the crossings under scrutiny.
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The installation of wombat crossings seemed like a done deal with affected supervisors, schools, and some residents told in July the crossings would cease operations or before May 31 next year.
But with public pressure mounting, council may have changed its tune, confirming last week it had requested further information regarding the DTP’s reviews of the sites.
The changes, first flagged in July, were attributed to the DTP’s decision to cut its subsidy which helps cover the cost of supervisors.
Council confirmed the sites were identified for replacement under the department’s School Crossing Risk Assessment Framework (SCRAF) after being questioned at their September meeting.
The raised crossings ― initially framed by council as an “engineered control which provides round the clock pedestrian priority” ― were met with significant backlash, particularly in Kyabram, where three of the four affected sites are located.
St Augustine’s college, which has two of the affected sites, expressed disappointment, saying it believed supervised crossings are an important student safety measure, and they’d provided written feedback urging the shire to retain the supervisors.
Kyabram P-12 school council president Troy Thompson was also displeased, saying he didn’t understand the lack of communication about the move.
Troy Thompson is the president of the Ky P-12’s School Council.
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Supplied
“I can’t speak for the other schools, but there was a lack of consultation and all we were told was basically, this is what’s happening, that’s it,” he said.
“There was no, ‘hey, this has come across our desk, this is what we’re proposing, what are your thoughts about it’?
“In my view, it’s disrespectful to the school, you haven’t sat down and had a proper meeting discussing the pros and cons or how the data was collected to suggest this is a safer option than what we have.
“I think there are a lot of things which should have happened from a community perspective, especially with a school just shy of 1000 students.”
The DTP’s decision to cut supervisor subsidy funding was informed by SCRAF which allows users to input data about a specific crossing and receive a tailored risk mitigation option.
The data collected comes from a DTP commissioned traffic, vehicle, speed, and pedestrian volume survey and on-site data collected by the council and the DPT.
An automated risk assessment is then conducted and a proposed solution given.
While the exact details of how the framework weights all individual factors and assigns an appropriate mitigation option are unclear, a DTP spokesperson said reviews are conducted alongside councils and factors such as population growth are taken into account when assessing the outcomes of the frameworks.
“Making sure our roads are safe for kids travelling to and from school is vital,” the spokesperson said.
With public scrutiny turning to the data collection which informed the changes, The Riv asked council questions about if and when they conducted on-site data collection and whether they’d consider covering the complete cost of the supervisors they’d lost subsidies for, which they declined to answer.
Instead, interim chief executive Craig Neimann said council had requested further information regarding the review of the crossings, saying it would be considered by councillors, and, following that, made available to the public if relevant.
The site of the Church St supervised crossing point, one of the four set to be replaced with a raised womat crossing.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
For Troy Thompson, while he understands the decision to cut the supervisor subsidy was not council’s, he thinks proposed transparency about how the DTP and council reached the seemingly agreed upon decision to install wombat crossings should have been the starting point.
“It’s a bit disappointing council haven’t engaged the school and community in a better way in terms of ‘this is the data, this is how we collected if, this is our recommendation,’ and all those things,” he said.
“As a parent, I need to know how you’ve come up with this solution.
“In my view, you can’t just pluck a number and go, yep that’s it, this is the solution which is going to make things safer.”
Campaspe Shire Council will next meet on October 20.
