Parents and teachers fear parking problems at Gordon Primary School could result in disaster if they don’t receive funding for upgrades.
However there seems to be no solution on the horizon after the school was snubbed in Moorabool council’s latest budget allocation.
The small rural school’s roll is estimated to increase to 130 pupils next year and principal Russel Cowan said that peak hour parking is already at capacity raising safety concerns among parents and staff.
“We are a growing school … and every year the issue continues to get worse,” Mr Cowan said in a submission to council. “Child safety is of the highest importance and the community would expect Moorabool council to budget responsibly to account for this.”
He said that an additional 20 families have enrolled children within the past year, making drop-off and pick-up times even more hectic.
Mr Cowan said that parents currently need to park in no-parking zones because there is not enough parking on Dicker Street.
“There are not enough spaces to meet the demand at our beautiful school,” he said.
“It is a matter of when, not if, a severe accident takes place.”
Moorabool infrastructure manager Phil Jeffrey said upgrades to Dicker Street and parking in front of the school were included in the council’s long-term capital program. In the meantime, 40km/h signs have been promised.
A school crossing was built about seven years ago but no funding is available for a supervisor.
“Council would not fund anything within the school grounds however if state funds could be obtained, perhaps a joint project could be investigated,” Mr Jeffrey said. “It is considered that there is merit for the project in future years given the growth in Gordon and the school.”
