Nearly six months have passed since 10-year-old Jaxton Murphy was struck by a car, yet permanent pedestrian safety improvements at the Wallara Waters Boulevard and Blue Lake Drive roundabout—located near Our Lady of the Way primary school—are still yet to be implemented.
Though Jaxton’s mother, Kellie Murphy, appreciated that Mitchell Shire Council (MSC) had placed a portable 40km/h speed sign just before the roundabout, the delay by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) in addressing the safety issue remained a major concern.
“[The speed limit sign] is a positive effort at change … but looking into speed humps … could take more than a year to go through the appropriate channels,” she said.
“Unfortunately, the unspoken rule with [DTP] is that there needs to be three fatalities [or] serious injuries at one area before they will take decisive action.
“This is pretty much how it works with them, thus why so many hotspots don’t get safety features put in even though locals are begging for it.
“It’s shocking, obviously, but that’s the mindset we are all working with. It makes this a really difficult situation for all involved.
“There’s so many hoops and people to get through to make change happen. It’s just so, so wrong.”
While MSC Chief Executive Brett Luxford stated that council was ‘in discussion’ with the DTP to introduce permanent speed reductions, a DTP spokesperson noted that they had not yet received a formal request to reduce the speed of either Wallara Waters Boulevard or Blue Lake Drive.
“The department has not yet received a formal request from council to reduce the speed on these council-managed roads,” they said.
“The [DTP] receive and assess speed limit change proposals from local councils on a case-by-case basis, [and] reviews all proposals to make sure it aligns with our speed zoning policy and speed zoning technical guidelines.
“The relevant council is responsible for assessing speed limits on local roads before a final review by DTP.”
Ms Murphy believed that the lack of road safety awareness in many children further exacerbated the danger at the roundabout, particularly as students often assumed right of way despite vehicles having priority in the area.
“Since Jax had his accident, I have witnessed two more children almost get hit at the exact same spot,” she said.
“One child didn’t even look for cars and stepped out right in front of an oncoming car, and … another student on a bike [rode] out straight in front of me without looking at all. I had to slam my brakes on.”
Addressing Ms Murphy’s concerns, Mr Luxford stated that council was in the process of launching a road safety awareness campaign.
“[We are planning to] launch a school safety campaign, which will include social media posts, posters, banners, and footpath stickers at high-risk crossing points,” he said.
“Beveridge Primary School and Our Lady of the Way School are our top two priorities.”
But while council’s efforts to improve the safety of the area were a welcome first step, Ms Murphy continued to demand that the DTP prioritise safety amendments before it was too late.
“I just can’t bear the thought of another child being hit, but I know it will happen from what I observe each day walking to [or] from school,” she said.
