One mother’s mission to let her daughter walk to school on her own has again raised questions over the safety of Corfield Street for children.
Gosnells mother Ali Carter was sick and tired of having to navigate the peak-hour traffic of Corfield Street to deliver her daughter to St Munchin’s Primary, one of many schools on Corfield Street and she said she’s not the only one.
“You see it basically every morning of the week,” she said.
“We get here on the way to school and you basically have to just pick your moment to get across.
“I posted it on the internet and it just got this huge response.
“I didn’t expect that, I was really just asking a question.”
That question raised a concern residents have had for a while; how the growing population and need for education would cope with a major road running through the middle of the area.
Member for Southern River Terry Healy said the issue had been a priority for him in the area for at least a year but getting anything done about it was a challenge.
“We were working last year with the school, the P& C and a local resident on it,” he said.
“A lot of parents were hoping to get a crossing guard then and still are.
“The truth is it’s horrendously difficult to organise this kind of thing but that doesn’t mean it’s off the table.”
Mr Healy said there were plans to gather the relevant information needed to apply for updated crossing infrastructure last year, which would require someone standing at the intersection every morning and afternoon for hours, counting each car that went past.
“But with the school closing and the rainy whether, there just wasn’t enough people or traffic to get an accurate report,” he said.
City of Gosnells mayor Glenn Dewhurst said the city was fully aware of the issue and that actions would be taken soon to quicken the process.
“There was not much need for this current school at the time we did the previous statistics,” he said.
“However the geographical dynamics do change from year to year so it is time to have another look.
“The safety of our kids is the priority.”
St Munchin’s Primary said the potential implementation of a crosswalk was of high priority to the school, and that they were working with the P&C and others on a solution.
