TRANSPORT Minister Corey Wingard has refused to undertake upgrades of pedestrian crossings at a busy Willaston roundabout despite the road safety risks for school students each day, says Member for Light Tony Piccolo.
He said in response to concerns raised by residents and Xavier College, he wrote to Mr Wingard requesting the matter be investigated at the Haines/Redbanks/Dawkins roads roundabout. The roundabout is the responsibility of the State Government.
Mr Piccolo said Mr Wingard had replied that “(based) on the current layout and traffic volumes, DIT (Department of Infrastructure and Transport) has advised these intersections are performing satisfactorily at the current time and there are no plans for the intersections to be upgraded”.
Mr Piccolo said he was horrified by the response because “hundreds of young people have to dodge vehicles to cross the road at this very busy intersection”.
“Young people should not have to put their lives at risk just to go to school,” he said. He said this was contrary to the feedback he had received.
He had been contacted by residents who were concerned about the risks for pedestrians and motorists, particularly at busy school drop-off and pick-up times.
“The roundabout is always a heavy traffic zone for people coming off and entering the Expressway,” Mr Piccolo said.
“Everyone who drives through this busy intersection notices the large number of local schoolchildren walking to school at Xavier College in big groups, often spilling out onto the road when the footpath narrows or disappears.
“Students often have to wait to pick gaps in the traffic to plot their way across the busy roundabout, which has five entry and exit points. Some days it is like Russian roulette.
“We should not be putting children in these risky situations.
“It isn’t fair on them and it is not fair on drivers who are trying to do the right thing. Wider footpaths and some pedestrian refuges would certainly improve safety at this location.
“It is disappointing that the minister is not taking this more seriously and I would suggest he come out personally to see for himself just how busy it gets.”
Gawler Council adopted its Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) Plan for Willaston in April after two rounds of community consultation in the past 18 months.
The accompanying report noted the Redbanks road roundabout could be improved for the safety of road users.
During community consultation, it was highlighted as a problem area because of the high volume of traffic, heavy use by pedestrians and the lack of safety barriers, refuge islands and crossings.