Flashing lights at 40km school zones across the state Electorate of Cessnock will fail unless the NSW Government urgently commits $13 million a year in maintenance funding, damning documents obtained by the NSW Labor Opposition have revealed.
A third of all school flashing lights around NSW schools will reach the end of their life before 2023 and 44% of 40 km school zone markings on roads across the state already require maintenance.
The data comes as schools across NSW mark National Walk Safely to School Day Friday 11th September 2020, encouraging students and families to walk or ride to school.
In the Electorate of Cessnock, flashing lights at 18 schools will come to the end of life in the next three years, including at:
- Barnsley Public School
- Branxton Public School
- Cessnock East Public School
- Cessnock High School
- Cessnock West Public School
- Edgeworth Heights Public School
- Edgeworth Public School
- Ellalong Public School
- Greta Public School
- Kearsley Public School
- Kurri Kurri High School
- Millfield Public School
- Mount View High School
- Pelaw Main Public School
- St Benedicts Primary School
- St Patrick’s Primary School
- Stanford Merthyr Infants
- West Wallsend High School
“It is unbelievable that the NSW Government wouldn’t consider the safety of kids around our schools to be an urgent priority,” said Mr Barr.
“The consistent message from families is that they want options to enable their kids to travel to school, but they just won’t leave their cars behind if it’s unsafe for them to walk or ride.
“The Premier owes it to families and kids in the Electorate of Cessnock to stump up the money and keep our 40km school zones safe.”
Crash studies show that the most dangerous time to be on our roads in the afternoon is at school pick up and road trauma remains the number one killer of kids under the age of 14.
Jo Haylen, Shadow Minister for Active Transport, said “The Premier is telling families to walk or ride to school, but her Government is not stumping up the cash to keep the lights flashing in 40km school zones or to repaint the road markings to keep our kids safe.
“The Government must commit to improving safety and creating local jobs by properly maintaining this vital infrastructure.”
Transport officials warned the Berejiklian Government in secret internal advice immediately after the 2019 election, of a nearly $11.5 billion roads funding black hole including key election commitments that will not be delivered and a road maintenance backlog.