Page 2463 - Week 08 - Thursday, 6 August 2015
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this year, forecasts the expansion of mobile speed enforcement. We expect to be in new sites, including schools, by October of this year, and additional sites will be incrementally added to the program each year. A third of the sites identified for inclusion in the first stage of the rollout are schools. We have deliberately taken this approach to support our focus on improving road safety around schools and to address parent and school community concerns about road safety.
Parking safety around schools is also critical. Through the parking strategy, also released in May this year, the ACT government has committed to providing parking options at ACT schools that will support safe school environments and increase active travel to school. This includes activities being undertaken and resources being developed as part of the active streets pilot. In addition, the introduction of differential fines and demerit points for offences being committed in school zones is being examined. Demerit points would be attracted to offences posing safety risks to people and property.
Prior to the introduction of such a scheme, the Education and Training Directorate and other government agencies will work closely with school communities to identify safe parking options and active travel routes supported by fact sheets and maps. Ideally, we support those parking in and around schools to do the right thing—that is, the safe thing. A number of different models for school drop-off and pick-up arrangements have been developed. The Education and Training Directorate works with the schools to implement the model that best suits their needs.
Earlier I mentioned that parents and the wider school community are central to managing traffic and parking safety at our schools. Evidence and experience tell us that parents are critical to traffic safety in and around schools. This is why encouragement is such an important response to how we work with schools to manage traffic safely. We recognise that by encouraging the wider school community and encouraging a partnership to improve road safety we will have better outcomes at our schools. We will continue to work closely with the school community to inform and support positive change in parental driving behaviour through the provision of fact sheets, maps and educational material that make it easier to understand why and how parents can contribute to safe traffic behaviours.
We clearly acknowledge the importance of the safe driving behaviour that is needed around all our ACT schools. As a government, we look forward to continuing to work with school communities to ensure that our children benefit from this important initiative.
I present the following paper:
Road safety and traffic at ACT schools—Ministerial statement, 6 August 2015.
I move:
That the Assembly take note of the paper.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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