Mother’s urgent plea for road safety

The mother of a child hit by a car at a busy and dangerous intersection in Wallan is calling on local authorities to act now before another tragedy occurs.

The incident occurred late last month, when local mother Kellie Murphy’s son Jaxton approached the roundabout at Wallara Waters Boulevard and Blue Lake Drive to cross on his bike. Though vehicles have right of way at the intersection, an approaching car stopped to let the child cross safely. However, as he crossed, another car overtook the stopped car, hitting the front of Jaxton’s bike and sending him onto the bitumen.

Miraculously, Jaxton only suffered superficial wounds, with his bike bearing the brunt of most of the collision.

While Ms Murphy was shocked to learn that it was her son who had been hit, she was not surprised that such an incident would occur at the intersection.

“Local residents have been complaining to Council, police, and local trucking companies about the dangers, and the fact everyone knows a child will be hit there. The trucks fly through the roundabout, as do many cars. There are no zebra crossings on either end, just footpath entrances,” she said.

“[My son] was that child we all feared would be hit – only I never imagined it would be my son. It’s a miracle he’s alive … [and] only sustained superficial wounds. 

“I have contacted the Council yet again to demand they put in zebra crossings and flashing lights, but given residents have been asking for this for years, I don’t expect them to action it.

“[Something needs to happen to] stop a child being killed here. It’s only a matter of time before this happens, and we all know it.”

Located near Our Lady of the Way primary school, the roundabout includes a crossing that travels through the centre of the intersection, guiding unassuming pedestrians into the middle of the road.

While surrounding footpaths do not lead directly to the roundabout crossing, locals have made several complaints to both VicRoads and the Mitchell Shire Council about the enticing path, additionally calling for improved safety measures such as reduced speeds, speed humps, and zebra crossings on the surrounding roads.

Ms Murphy said she had made personal complaints about both Wallara Waters Boulevard and Newbridge Boulevard to Council, even sending recorded footage of trucks speeding through the area, but Council had ‘not done a thing to make the roads safer’.

“The police come out every so often and do a blitz to catch speeding trucks and cars, as they know how dangerous these roads are,” she said.

“The police try to help, but Council [do] not.

“[It should be mandatory to] install crossings surrounding schools. Children walk home in all four directions, so there should be crossings in all four directions.”

After the incident, Ms Murphy informed Council of the collision and demanded they act immediately.

Mitchell Shire Council Chief Executive Brett Luxford expressed his concern about the incident, and stated Council would be assessing the site to explore potential safety improvements.

“Our community’s safety is our highest priority, particularly the safety of our children,” he said.

“Our hearts go out to the family affected by this incident and Council are taking immediate steps to address the concerns raised. Our traffic team is planning a joint site inspection with the principal of Our Lady of the Way, to assess the situation. This inspection will help us determine necessary improvements and explore potential safety enhancements.

“Council has received complaints about speeding concerns and truck movements along Wallara Waters Boulevard and Blue Lake Drive in the past. We have worked with developers to temporarily lower the speed zones and address truck access.”

Despite Council’s response to the incident, Ms Murphy was disappointed it had taken so long to act.

“It should not take a child being hit by a car for [Council] to do something. Having the school principal, local police, and community members telling you it’s unsafe, and to do something before someone is hit should be enough to take action,” she said.

Speaking to other local parents, Ms Murphy implored families to educate their children on road safety.

“Teach your kids road safety,” she said.

“All children deserve to get home safely, and having appropriate safety measures in place will help them get home safely.”

Not letting the incident deter him, Jaxton has since recovered enough to continue riding to and from school once again, but urged other kids to heed his warning:

“Always wear a helmet. Look both ways twice before crossing a road. Be aware of cars coming towards you, and remember that drivers can be dumb and not stop when they should,” he said.