DANGER ZONE - How authorities have ignored Loch’s cries for help

A STUDENT hit by a car outside the Loch Primary School was the “accident waiting to happen” that parents have been warning the South Gippsland Shire Council about since at least 2018.

But needed drop-off works, where the child was struck, have been left out of a major road safety overhaul being rolled out across the rest of the town.

Finding a solution to the problem is being hindered by a dispute between council and the Education Department.

The nine-year-old’s foot was trapped under a tyre before the car was moved off him at about 9am on Wednesday May 27 during the morning drop-off.

The boy was taken to hospital but escaped with minor injuries.

His mother, Leah Filippin, told a council community session at the Loch Hall last Wednesday that the bend leading onto Victoria Road was a blind spot that gave drivers no warning a school was nearby.

“That corner is a blind spot and there needs to be a warning you are coming up to a school and to slow down,” Ms Filippin said.

Parents were told by the school to stop using the grounds for drop-off under a Department of Education directive that South Gippsland Shire Council says was made against its advice, forcing families to drop students off on Victoria Road instead.

Council’s chief executive Allison Jones said the department had forced families onto the road.

“This change, made by the Department of Education contrary to Council’s advice, has resulted in increased reliance on the surrounding road network for school access,” Ms Jones said.

The school has been pushing for safety upgrades since 2018 including flashing 40km/h speed signs and a dedicated crossing.

It has been told it will not receive flashing lights due to budget constraints.

Council requested a flashing 40km/h speed sign from VicRoads in 2020, but it was never installed and with insufficient parking for staff and parents, including no designated bays or school crossing, the kids are being forced to cross the road at a dangerous point to reach their parents each day.

Council has secured funding through the Transport Accident Commission and the Safer Local Roads and Streets program for safety works across Loch, including raised crossings on Victoria Road and Roy Street and a speed-limit reduction to 40km/h, with works expected to be completed by mid-2027.

But Loch parent Ms Sharples said the works would make parking worse not better.

She said the raised crossings legally required no-stopping zones which would wipe out at least 10 street spaces and new housing on a recently sold block opposite the school would push the loss of parking spaces to 15 or 20.

“Without a place for parents to park their cars, you are just creating a crossing to nowhere,” Ms Sharples said.

She said council put a proposal for a three-minute “Kiss and Go” drop-off zone to the school in writing in 2020, but left it off its current plans.

Ms Sharples said a Kiss and Go spot suited older students but was useless for parents of prep and kinder children (starting in October) who had to park and walk them to the gate.

Another parent, who asked not to be named, said the directive forced every family onto Victoria Road where a steady stream of cars met children crossing to the gate each morning.

Loch Primary School principal Liz Alderson said student safety came up at every school council meeting.

“We talk about it regularly at school council. It is a hot topic every meeting,” Ms Alderson said.

“The parents want to feel heard.”

At the community session, Ms Sharples asked council to turn the grass verges, toward Clarence Street, into angled parking but Mayor Cr Nathan Hersey said it was not council’s responsibility to provide parking for schools.

In a written reply, Cr Hersey said councillors had to be guided by the council’s engineers and professional advice and her letter had been logged for a response in due course.

“Our children’s safety cannot wait for ‘in due course’,” Ms Sharples said.

A council spokesperson said community feedback on the safety plans would be considered including whether there were any immediate treatments that might be suitable.

Ms Sharples has also asked State Labor MP Tom McIntosh to make representations to council for the parents.

State Nationals leader Danny O’Brien said he visited the school in March and wrote to the Minister for Education pushing for a solution.

“I will continue advocating strongly for improved safety outcomes for students, families and staff at Loch Primary School,” Mr O’Brien said.