A POTENTIALLY dangerous school crossing which has been a worry for Gunnedah parents, carers, teachers and staff for some time will be moved to a safer position in an overhaul targeting Bloomfield Street.
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The busy thoroughfare is frequented by trucks and not safe for children to cross, and a pedestrian crossing used by children at a busy intersection on Henry Street near St Mary's College will be relocated later this year thanks to funding from the state and federal governments' Road Safety Program.
The $297,000 secured for Gunnedah will see the crossing moved further up the street and new traffic blisters installed at the intersection of Bloomfield and Chandos Street.
The Henry Street crossing mainly serves St Mary's College and St Xavier's Primary School and both school communities are relieved to finally see it moved.
St Mary's College principal Bern Feldman said one of the core focuses at St Mary's is safety and having the crossing located where it is much safer is exactly what the school had hoped for.
"Every single person in our community should be able to say 'I am safe' in any context and any situation they find themselves in," she said.
"Its current position on the corner is an unsafe place to be crossing on a main road, particularly that this is the main thoroughfare."
Mrs Feldman said the new crossing will give students, particularly the younger students, a clearer view of traffic and a much safer entry into their school spaces.
"Anything that's close to a corner on the main drag without lights is going to be a dangerous crossing point full stop and we don't want something to happen here," she added.
"We have a lot of students that walk, particularly our senior students, they go down town and have breakfast each morning and then come back. The fact that they have a safe crossing each morning is gold."
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St Xavier's assistant principal Leanne Herden said currently a teacher comes and waits at the crossing after school to make sure students are safely crossing.
"It will give families an opportunity to pick up and drop off knowing their kids are safe, which is so important," she added.
Gunnedah Shire Council is undertaking the project and a spokesperson said the funding allocation was great news and with planning underway more details will be released in the next few weeks.
Works will be completed by the end of June, 2021.
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