Mother’s plea

By Melissa Grant
A PAKENHAM mother of three is pleading for authorities to make the walk along McGregor Road safer after her five-year-old son was hit by a car on Cunningham Crescent last week.
Although grade prep student Harry Phillips suffered only a grazed elbow, his mother Jennifer says it is time that something was done to make the trip to Pakenham Secondary College and St Patrick’s Primary School safer for pedestrians.
Mrs Phillips said she was crossing Cunningham Crescent in a single file with her three children on Wednesday when the accident occurred. She said things could have been a lot worse if the accident happened on a nearby road.
“I heard a bang and thought it was the pram but it was Harry.
“If it was on McGregor Road it would’ve been a lot worse because cars are travelling at 60km/h. It should be a 40km/h zone and there should be crossings.”
Mrs Phillips, who walks her children to and from St Patrick’s Primary School each morning and afternoon, said there were few safe places for pedestrians to cross along McGregor Road.
“We just want a safe track. I don’t care how they do it, even if we have to walk another five minutes,” she said.
“I just want the roads fixed; our children should feel safe walking to school.”
Eastern Victoria Liberal MP Edward O’Donohue said he was concerned about the lack of safe pedestrian crossings, particularly on the railway line, and would take the issue up with the State Government.
Pakenham Police Senior Constable Bob Merlino said although Wednesday’s accident was unfortunate it could’ve happened almost anywhere.
“That type of thing that could’ve happened at any intersection where traffic is banked up,” he said.
A council spokesperson said that the council would continue to advocate to VicRoads for a crossing between the railway line and Princes Highway as part of the next design stage of the full duplication of McGregor Road.
“Council has undertaken traffic and pedestrian counts along McGregor Road as part of design works for the proposed duplication between the Pakenham Bypass and the railway line,” the spokesperson said.
“Council successfully negotiated for a school crossing south of the railway line to service the new Pakenham Springs School on the strength of these studies.”
“The recent traffic study did examine traffic and pedestrian counts from the railway line to the Princes Highway.
“The results from this count were not to a level to meet the VicRoads warrants (standards) for a crossing facility.”
Sen Const Merlino urged residents walking their young children to school to take care when crossing roads.