Path to danger

By Danielle Galvin
PARENTS at Pakenham Lakeside Primary School are concerned about the state of Cardinia Road, which has no footpath or safe place for children to cross.
The 80 km/h road adjacent to the growing Lakeside school is increasingly worrying parents, especially those walking from the AV Jennings Arena development.
Michael Jovanovski has two children who attend the primary school. He says his seven-year-old son decided to walk home with friends a couple of months ago using Cardinia Road. They got as far as Princes Highway before the police spotted the group and turned them back onto a safer route.
“I came to pick him up and he wasn’t there. I don’t know why he would choose to walk along that road,” he said.
Parents and children heading toward Shearwater Drive must cross the busy road or walk along the edge of the school. This side of the school has no footpath and trucks frequent the area.
Margaret Searle is the crossing level supervisor for the school and is a Pakenham resident herself. She says Shearwater Drive is also an issue, and she witnesses speeding motorists there daily.
“The problem is that Shearwater Drive is a major thoroughfare for Lakeside Pakenham residents. There certainly needs to be some sort of crossing along Cardinia Road but the other thing is that everyone speeds around the school. No one does the speed limit.”
Mrs Searle says the issue should be addressed before even more students come to the school and as development in the area continues to boom.
“It will come down to whether or not people make enough of a fuss about it. I’m sure the council is aware of the problem.”
Danielle and Kate are two mothers whose children both attend the school. Kate said she saw a child riding his bike along the road recently and tried to make sure he moved safely away from the traffic.
“I got a real fright, my daughter and I were so worried about him.”
Danielle walks her three children home every day, and says there needs to be more zebra crossings around the school to alert drivers to children crossing the road. She says that there should also be more level crossing supervisors and incentives to discourage speedsters.
“There needs to be some speed humps to slow people down,” she says.
Cardinia Shire spokesman Paul Dunlop said the council had been encouraging VicRoads and the State Government to deliver the duplication of Cardinia Road.
“This would include pedestrian paths on both sides of the road and controlled intersections to provide safe pedestrian crossing points. Ultimately the approval and delivery of these works is a VicRoads responsibility.”
Kathy Burgstahler is the chair of the Lakeside Community Development Forum, a community group in Pakenham. She believes there will be footpaths on the road in line with the development of the railway station, due for completion in 2012.
“We recently had the 10th birthday of the Lakeside Pakenham development, and I did have a lot of parents and new families ask me about it,” she said.
But Mrs Searle is not so optimistic.
“Unfortunately it may take something awful happening before anyone takes notice,” she said.