School speed zones back in force as students return to the classroom

MOTORISTS are advised that school zone speed limits are back in force as students return to the classroom.

Wollongong City Council is warning motorists that its compliance team will be patrolling roads surrounding schools to provide safety education for those breaking regulations, and – if needed – will be taking regulatory action, as children return to the region’s schools.

Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbety said school drop offs and pick-ups are always a busy time of the day. That’s why Council is reminding motorists to follow the road rules and observe school speed limits. Cr Bradbery said that road safety is a responsibility for everyone.

“As students return to school for term one, we’ll be rolling out the annual, state-wide Back to School campaign to remind road users to drive safely while travelling around schools,” he said.

“Road safety is a job for everyone, and we rely on drivers to do the right thing while in the car.

“Our Parking Compliance Team will also be patrolling roads surrounding schools to provide road safety education and to take regulatory action when appropriate. If you’re doing the wrong thing, you will be observed, and you may receive a fine.”

Wollongong City Council has a commitment to improving safer routes to schools for all members of our community. To achieve this, we work collaboratively with Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to manage roads around schools in the Wollongong Local Government Area.

A more detailed breakdown of the different responsibilities of TfNSW and Council can be found on the TfNSW website.

“Road safety is something we want to continue to improve, especially around our schools. Last year we worked closely with our community to improve safety by investigating and implementing 12 requests for 12 different schools involving changes to school zone parking and raise road safety awareness,” Cr Bradbery said.

“We’ve also installed a number of permanent pedestrian ‘Look Out Before You Step Out’ footpath signs at crossing points to reinforce safe crossing practices for students. We’ll continue to make improvements to school zone safety with the help of the Safer Routes to School working group.”

Council’s Safer Routes to School working group is responsible for reviewing and investigating school zone safety requests. The working group recommends behavioural and infrastructure improvements to enhance road safety and encourage walking and riding to and around schools.

Residents and community members are able to submit requests to the working group by speaking directly with their school principal and contacting council@wollongong.nsw.gov.au.

“We know that it’s our community members who travel to and from schools every day that are in the best position to identify problem areas that can be improved,” Cr Bradbery said.

“We take each community request seriously with each submission recorded, reviewed and assessed to determine where improvements to safety around schools can be implemented. Road safety is an ongoing process and we will continue to work with our community, Traffic for NSW and other stakeholders to make sure that everyone stays safe while on our roads.”

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