McLeish continues push for student safety at Wesburn

State Liberal Member for Eildon Cindy McLeish MP has once again called on the Andrews Labor government to install electronic 40km/h speed signs at Wesburn Primary School on the Warburton Highway.

Speaking in the Victorian Parliament Ms McLeish called on the Minister for Roads and Road Safety to fund the much-needed project.

“I have raised the matter in Parliament a number of times already because our schoolchildren should be safe in their travels to and from school.”

“We should not have to wait for a bad accident or fatality.”

“The school community have long been concerned about the volume and speed of the traffic that passes by. Nothing has changed.”

“Proposed developments in the area, and in particular the Warburton mountain bike hub, are more likely to bring increased traffic volume, including more trucks and buses. The school, being at the foot of Mount Donna Buang, is subject to variable weather, including heavy fog, which increases the risk due to poor visibility.

Ms McLeish said Wesburn Primary School has raised this matter in the past with very little success, and the school community is particularly frustrated.

“This frustration is exacerbated when they see other schools in the Yarra Ranges in Labor-held electorates having these signs installed, and they are sure that the risk to the students, the staff and the traffic supervisor is lower, as are the traffic volumes,” Ms McLeish said.

The calls come after four years of lobbying by Ms McLeish and the Woori Yallock Primary School to have electronic speed signs installed on the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road.

Signs were installed outside that school before the start of this school year.

“The current signage there is proving to be quite ineffective — the traffic is not slowing — and school community members have for some time been concerned that vehicles are speeding in excess of 40 kilometres per hour on a regular basis.”