THE Lakelands Primary School community has joined with Mandurah MP David Templeman to vent their frustration about the time it has taken for the government to deploy crossing guards at the school.
Mr Templeman said the Children's Crossing and Road Safety Committee had agreed to a crossing on Catalina Drive in October but the start of the school year had come and gone with no sign of a crossing.
“The main problem is these departments are not talking to each other,” he said.
“This school opened fully last year, so in 2015, and to get school crossings the parent body had to do the leg work with surveys, etc.
“In October the P and C [parents and citizens association] received a letter saying the school crossings committee would organise a site meeting; and nothing has happened since.”
Parents and Citizens Association president Megan Turner said the surveys showed 400 car movements during school pick-up times and 300 in the mornings.
“We have 672 students here as of yesterday, can you imagine how many kids are trying to get across this road?” she said.
Ms Turner said cars were often speeding down the road at school drop-off and pick-up times and lack of crossings forced parents to park illegally on the far side of the school where it was safer.
“My issue is that there is no coordination,” Mr Templeman said.
“Why aren’t these things fixed when schools are opened?
“The process is so slow, they know the keystone dates – when school opens, etc – someone wasn’t coordinating it.
“Why weren’t they here from day one?”
Mr Templeman said he had contacted both the police and education ministers.
