By Brendan Rees
A Casey councillor has called for drivers to take safer action when parking at a Cranbourne East school before a child is injured.
Cr Amanda Stapledon says parents and carers were parking unsafely during pick-up and drop-off times at Cranbourne East Primary School.
“I’ve had a number of phone calls from really concerned residents,” said Cr Stapledon.
“We’ve probably done all we can from a council perspective. It’s now about driving and parking behaviours.”
“The parents are either double parking or they’re parking against driveways, their blocking the rubbish bins; all of those things,” she said.
She said it was a dangerous situation for children, adding “We really want to educate people safely.”
Cr Stapledon said she also held concerns about unsafe parking at Cranbourne East Secondary school however Cranbourne East Primary School faced a narrower road on Bowyer Avenue.
“Here all these people dropping their kids off competing in a very small local road. It’s a bigger problem than anywhere else,” she said.
“It’s all about the way people parking and disrespecting other people and not caring about the impact they’re having.”
Council officers will meet with the principals of Cranbourne East Primary and Cranbourne East Secondary as well as the school council presidents and residents who have reported unsafe parking.
Cr Stapledon said she felt sorry for residents whose homes faced Cranbourne East Primary as they are “forever being barraged by parked cars” during pick-up and drop-off times.
She urged drivers: “Just think about others when you plan your parking and make sure you’re doing it within the road laws.”
Cr Stapledon took to Facebook, urging drivers to take safer precaution when parking at the school.
A Facebook post from Roz Coles said no standing zones were constantly being used as parking spots. “The signs need to be changed to ‘kiss and drop off zone’ and it needs to be monitored,” she said her post.
“Yes it is congested around schools, but if everyone did the right thing, and were more courteous, we would not have so many problems and complaints.”
Another Facebook user, Ruby Zahalan said parking at Cranbourne East Primary School was a huge issue and at least another 80 parking spots were needed to reduce traffic congestion.
“Every time there is a complaint we get police or council booking people for parking in the wrong places but does nothing to fix the problem of parking spaces. There is a huge vacant block of land which is being made a skate park but we need parking spaces,” she posted.
A report will come back to council.
