Controversial school zone is here to stay
CAIRNS’ most controversial school zone is here to stay as parents say it has saved countless children’s lives.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads has confirmed that it has no plans to remove the 40km/h speed limit zone on the Captain Cook Highway near Mother of Good Counsel School (MoGCS).
The zone, which has been in place for about a decade, is regarded by Cairns Regional Council as a major impediment to traffic flow along the city’s busiest road.
The council has been calling for years for the zone to be removed, and even upgraded Seymour St on the eastern side of the school, for parents to drop-off and pick up their children.
But a TMR spokesman there were currently no plans to remove the zone.
“We are looking at ways to improve traffic flow along this section as part of current planning activities,” he said.
Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said, despite the council’s upgrades along Seymour St, it appeared there was a great deal of resistance, not only from the school, but also from within the department to removing the speed limit zone.
“We would certainly welcome the opportunity to sit with the minister and talk this through but it does appear that there is a great deal of resistance within some parts of the department,” he said.
He said there was an inconsistency with the decision to keep the school zone in place, when there were no zones in force outside other schools such as Cairns State High and Trinity Bay, both of which are situated next to multi-lane roads.
Mother of Good Counsel School declined to comment, but the school’s P & C Association welcomed the department’s decision on the road safety issue.
Association president Mark Bennett said primary schoolaged children did not have enough road safety awareness and the zone had helped save countless lives.
“There’s been one mother who had to physically pull her child back from crossing the road, when motorists who are just not paying attention, have just gone straight through a red light,” he said.