Page 3739 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 23 October 2013
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safety record is maintained and that Canberrans have a safe road environment. Currently the government is guided by the ACT road safety strategy 2011-20, which was released at the end of 2011. The strategy provides a framework for addressing road safety issues in the territory. These documents complement work at the national level under the national road safety strategy 2011-20 and provide an integrated approach to improving road safety using a range of education, encouragement, engineering, enforcement, evaluation and support measures.
A strategic goal of the ACT road safety strategy is to have an ACT community that shares the responsibility for road safety. There is little point in having traffic control arrangements on our roads—and this includes around schools—if drivers do not take responsibility for their own behaviour.
The ACT was the first amongst states and territories in Australia to introduce 40-kilometre-an-hour speed zones in the vicinity of primary schools. These speed zones were introduced in 1985. Since then, safety records around schools in the ACT have been positive and considered to be one of the best in the country.
In general, very few crashes involving children within school zones are reported in the ACT. Out of a total of around 10,000 crashes every year in the territory, only five were reported in school zones in 2012. Two of these crashes involved adult pedestrians and two were reported as property-damage-only crashes—that is, they did not involve an injury. None of the crashes were in the vicinity of Trinity or on McBryde Crescent.
Increased traffic and safety can be managed through the provision of reduced speed limits and traffic management such as parking controls and pedestrian facilities. Road safety engineering measures, while part of the picture, are certainly not a panacea for solving all problems. To support the school zone infrastructure that is usually provided by Roads ACT, the Justice and Community Safety Directorate and ACT Policing already have ongoing programs covering road safety awareness and enforcement relating to school zones.
On the issue of flashing lights at school zones—that has been a matter that has had some airing in this place over a number of years now—I recall that it is the Liberal Party’s policy to install flashing lights at every school zone. I understand the attraction to this policy on its face because I think we are all interested in improving safety at schools, and that is why people think about these things. But I do not believe the blanket introduction of flashing lights is a prudent approach in the ACT.
Adopting a New South Wales policy and applying it to the ACT does not guarantee any better or safer outcomes. As has been said before in this place, traffic conditions around schools are different in New South Wales. In New South Wales many schools are either on or near major arterial roads, whereas ACT schools are generally located within residential areas clear of major roads but for a few exceptions. ACT school zones operate all day between 8 am and 4 pm school days. This is different to NSW where the zones generally operate between 8.30 and 9.30 in the mornings and then 2.30 and 4 pm in the afternoons. ACT school zones also have an excellent safety record. I am willing to look at targeted locations where installing lights will have merit and TAMS is looking at this for me.
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