Fountain Gate Primary School principal Jennifer Duggan on one of the tracks that local students have to tread along each day.
By Callan Date
THE safety of Narre Warren schoolchildren is being put at risk due to a lack of footpaths in Narre Warren, a local principal says.
Fountain Gate Primary School principal Jennifer Duggan has spoken about the concerning issue facing her students, along with Eumemmerring College and Dandenong Valley School children, each day.
Ms Duggan said students from the three schools, which are all within metres of one another, are being encouraged to walk to school each day by State and Federal Government health campaigns.
However, many students have to walk on the road as there are no footpaths in most of the surrounding streets.
“It would appear that the levels of government are having some difficulty aligning their priorities in Narre Warren,” Ms Duggan said.
“At a federal and state level, many grants and programs are available to encourage children to walk to school, and generally be less dependent on motor transport.
“However, at a local government level, it seems that major educational precincts do not warrant special consideration when it comes to the provision of safe footpaths in their local areas.”
Ms Duggan said the three schools had a total enrolment of more than 1700 – with many students walking to school from their nearby houses each day.
“These students can often be seen walking on the road,” she said.
“The nature strips are simply too muddy and slippery to negotiate.”
Casey manager of traffic Paul Hamilton said the provision of footpath connections in the vicinity of Sweet Gum Avenue and Wallaroo Avenue, Narre Warren, was the subject of a report to council in April this year to address a community petition.
“Investigations into the path connections in the vicinity of Sweet Gum Avenue and Wallaroo Avenue identified that whilst there are sections of footpath missing in these streets, generally there are alternative routes available to the main community facilities in this area,” Mr Hamilton said.
He said observations made at the time indicated only a handful of students walked along the streets in question with the majority using streets that already had path connections.
“Sweet Gum Avenue and Wallaroo Avenue would need to be dealt with under council’s normal practice for paths in local streets, which is that the paths are constructed through a special rate scheme at full cost to the abutting properties,” he said.
But Ms Duggan says this is not good enough.
“I ask that areas surrounding schools are exempt from this policy, in the interests of the safety of our children,” she said.
“We depend on our local council to consider the welfare of its residents, especially its most vulnerable members. Children walking to school deserve better.”
