Calls to slow down at dangerous school crossing
Main roads
Volunteer traffic controllers on Mossman’s main street are calling for the speed limit to be reduced to 25km/h in front of the schools before and after classes to reduce the danger of a student being hit by reckless drivers.
Volunteer Heather Norris said she had witnessed a host of near misses recently as motorists regularly disobeyed the stop signs and speed restrictions at pedestrian crossings on Front Street near Mossman State High School.
“People have to be more vigilant and slow down,” Ms Norris said.
“Nobody obeys the road rules.
“I’m really frustrated at the moment.”
Ms Norris described a frightening incident that took place last week when a male driver “came flying down the road” with a child halfway across the crossing and just pulled up on top of the zebra lines.
“I had my flag out and said ‘back up, you’ve got to back up’,” she said.
She filed a police report for that near miss.
“We need a police presence.”
In another incident last week two women were talking to each other while one was driving and she drove straight through the crossing without stopping, Ms Norris said.
“This is a town that’s a very busy town, we’ve got trucks, buses, caravans, tourists all coming through.
“And it doesn’t matter what time of the year, we seem to get them now.”
Other states have school zones slowing traffic down to about half the speed limit in front of schools, she said.
“And we’re right in the middle of town.”
More than 60 school-aged children were injured last year in Queensland as a result of crashes at school zones, with about 30 of those hospitalised.
The State Government has this year been installing flashing school-zone signs at 100 crossings throughout Queensland considered high-risk, with St Augustine's School (Mossman), Port Douglas State School and Bloomfield River State School on the list to receive them.
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