Concerned parent Michael Kruger says the open design of the crossing at Bungendore Public School means it offers inadequate safety. Photo: Michael Kruger.
Frustrated parents say recent upgrades to a problem area near Bungendore Public School fall well short of what’s required.
Students and parents can cross the Kings Highway at Bungendore Public School through a traffic island.
This month, Transport for NSW announced it would upgrade four existing refuge warning signs to yellow-green reflective ground signs, install an additional westbound school zone static sign, and paint existing island kerbs, pavement chevrons and lines.
Transport for NSW also flagged it was investigating potentially installing a new children’s crossing nearby.
However, Bungendore parent Michael Kruger said the raft of measures wasn’t enough to keep schoolchildren safe and “falls well short”.
“There’s nothing there that would assist a child crossing the road,” Mr Kruger said.
“It’s completely inadequate. It’s not even a Band-Aid – it’s like putting a sticker on a cut.”
Mr Kruger renewed his calls for the NSW Government to commit to installing a pedestrian crossing and increased signage, or at least a zebra crossing.
“I’ve been going on about this for well over 12 months,” he said.
“It’s only a matter of time before a child makes a silly decision. Children have not developed the mechanisms to estimate speed, time and distance.
“They’re not equipped to safely cross that road without some sort of protection.”
Mr Kruger said there had been no response to the public campaign that included a petition with more than 800 signatures, and pointed to a Transport for NSW study that identified “major concerns” for the crossing in community consultation.
Calls have been renewed for a pedestrian crossing near Bungendore Public School. Photo: James Coleman.
Mr Kruger said that despite the traffic island at Bungendore Public, cars often either didn’t slow down (risking a collision) or pedestrians tried to rush through the crossing.
“I’ve had near misses myself,” he said.
“I sit there, thinking, ‘How the hell are children meant to cross here?'”
The traffic spikes around holidays and long weekends as more motorists want to pass through the town.
“The Canberra people are hellbent on getting to the coast, or alternatively … [those from] Braidwood and further [away] are hellbent on getting into Canberra,” Mr Kruger said.
“Very often it’s impossible to cross the road … even as an adult, or a parent, standing there and trying to look for a break in traffic [is hard].”
Roadworks continue in other parts of the region.
Roadside safety barriers will be installed on both sides of the Kings Highway on a three-kilometre eastbound stretch that starts 400 metres east of Monkittee Street.
Resurfacing of the road has started and is expected to be completed in July.
Further west, the final stage of the $20 million Monaro Highway upgrade program started on 23 June, weather permitting.
It will widen lanes and centrelines, and install audio tactile line marking (also known as rumble strips) and flexible roadside safety barriers. Existing drainage culverts will also be upgraded.
The improvements will be made at various points between Burnima Road and 600 metres north of Rifle Range Road, and are expected to be completed by 30 June, 2026, if the weather allows.
