Worried parents want action on dangerous crossing
We would encourage parents with concerns and requests or complaints about safety at this intersection to contact the council through customer services. Steffan Thomas Christchurch City Council transport operations manager
Fletcher McClelland’s scooter is parked sideways across the narrow footpath. It’s dark and it’s cold, but the 11-year-old’s main concern is the fast-moving morning traffic as he tries to cross Farrington Ave on his way to Breens Intermediate.
He watches closely for several minutes, his head moving side to side, and then picks a gap. He repeats the process while waiting in the middle of the busy road.
This is an intersection that, according to parents, threatens to claim the life of a child on the way to school.
Chris Butler, another parent whose son scooters to Breens Intermediate, posted about the intersection on Neighbourly.co.nz this week: ‘‘I’ve counted four separate car crashes there in the last six weeks alone.’’
As part of the Sunday Star-Times’ Foot It campaign, seeking to make it safer for children to walk, ride and scooter to school, hundreds of parents around New Zealand have been discussing ways to make their neighbourhoods safer, For some, it’s walking buses. For others, it’s tracking technology. For others again, it’s safe houses, or simply educating motorists about watching our for kids.
For the people of Bishopdale in Christchurch, it’s persuading the council to build a pedestrian island in the middle of busy Farrington Ave, near where it meets Wairakei Rd.
Christchurch City Council transport operations manager Steffan Thomas says there are no plans to make further safety changes to the intersection – but after questions, agreed to listen to community concerns.
‘‘We would encourage parents with concerns and requests or complaints about safety at this intersection to contact the council through customer services.’’
He says the area has been looked at previously, and a pedestrian refuge island is being installed 400 metres down Wairakei Rd, near the Breens Rd intersection.
But that won’t be any help to children crossing Farrington Ave.
‘‘The council would consider further work to increase safety at this intersection but any future work needed here would need to be prioritised against other locations across Christchurch.’’
Fletcher’s parents can’t drop him off at school most days, because his mum Rachael doesn’t drive, and his dad Ross goes to work early.
‘‘And we don’t want to,’’ says Rachael. ‘‘We want him to be scooting, independent. I think it’s a good wee workout for him.’’
All they want, she says, is a traffic island to assist Fletcher and the other children who come that way.
‘‘If he could just cross half at a time it would be so much easier. And safer.’’