No crossing for street

By Rebecca Fraser
A BUSY Cranbourne road does not need another pedestrian crossing, according to a Casey Council report.
The decision came almost two weeks after an eight-year-old boy was hit by a car on Duff Street near Cranbourne West primary school, and also followed several resident requests for the provision of a pedestrian school crossing on the north-west side of the intersection of Duff Street and Monahans Road.
As reported in last week’s News, primary school student Corey Jarrett was flipped into the air and landed on the road after being struck by a car on Duff Street shortly after school.
Cranbourne West resident Irene Zentay, who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, said the section of road had been an accident waiting to happen.
When the nearby Cranbourne West shopping centre was built last year, crossings on the busy stretch of road were realigned and Ms Zentay told the News (27 April) that children were running across the road to get to the shops instead of using the crossing.
The Duff Road and Monahans Road intersection is a large roundabout, which is already surrounded by three pedestrian crossings, with the latest crossing on the western leg of the intersection opened earlier this year.
In March, the council conducted a pedestrian survey to get an up-to-date picture of pedestrian movements on Duff Street and see whether another crossing was needed.
The study showed there were few people crossing away from the school crossings during school peak times and the new crossing was catering for the major pedestrian flow.
The council report this week said due to these results and the Pedestrian Prioritisation Strategy assessment, an additional crossing was not needed at this time.
However, the report noted the site might be reassessed in the future if nearby developments changed pedestrian habits.
A 16-year-old Cranbourne boy has since been charged on summons in relation to the incident involving Corey Jarrett.