School crossing advocacy

Correspondence with requests for crossings has been documented in NHS P&C Minutes since 2016.

The P&C's current committee has been in formal correspondence since 2022, and for the sake of full transparency you will find links to copies of our formal letters and Council Executive responses below.

Latest correspondence with Councillors:

June 2024: Letter from The Lord Mayor

P&C's email response to Lord Mayor

Record of email correspondence dated back to 2021:

Email: thread between DoE - CN - NHS

NHS P&C outgoing requests:

Why the delay? Letter June 2022

Why the continued delay? Letter March 2023

Call for Action. Letter June 2023

NHS Crossing Delay Petition Feedback

Notice of Media Release. Letter March 2024

MEDIA RELEASE

CN Traffic & Regulation responses:

April 2022

March 2023

May 2023

July 2023

March 2024

Councillor's Motion to pass the new Newcastle Local Pedestrian Crossing Policy:

Message from Cr Clausen June 2023

P&C's response July 2023

Q&A session to address the issue of the 

delayed installation of school crossings for NHS.

Mr Tranter and his colleague began with a pragmatic position: accidents and fatalities are a reality for roading networks; at least 70 schools across the LGA are wanting crossings; the money available is limited.

We were provided a description of the cycle bypass project planned for the two roundabouts on Parkway Ave closest to our school - this wider project includes pedestrian crossings. This project has been referred to in CN’s Capital Works Program as “‘Cycleways Program, Parkway Avenue, Hamilton South, roundabout bypasses”. (MAP 15, P.57)

You can find references in Council’s action plan document Delivery Newcastle 2040, mentioned in the Lord Mayor’s Message on page 3, and then on page 153, Works Program, 1.3 Safe, active and linked movement across the city. 

This is a very condensed version of the information discussed: 

1. FUNDING

• The $800k allocated to the project was in this year's Capital Works Program (CWP) budget but was ‘re-assigned in a quarterly review due to other priorities’. No explanation was provided.

• CN has been looking for outside funding for this cycling project for a number of years. The Federal Black Spot Program may provide a funding source that could accelerate timelines. CN are awaiting the decision on their latest Black Spot funding application for Parkway Ave. The Parkway Ave pedestrian crossings are a by-product of the roundabout bypasses, so would be covered by this external funding.

• If the P&C were to push for the prioritisation of a crossing for Smith Street over Parkway, ‘contributions’ would need to be considered.

2. PLANNING PRIORITIES

Council Officers made it clear that:

• in reality it’s a reactive system - primarily driven by accident data 

• primary schools get priority over secondary schools 

• CN is working on a new priority criteria - it will be more ‘data driven’. It was unclear what data will influence ‘school’ crossings 

• temporary crossings are not a solution - not appropriate as the wrong design can be more unsafe

• Parkway Avenue deemed CN’s focus - no commitment to Smith Street. When pushed on the Smith Street crossing, Mr Tranter inferred that if the school wishes to make this a higher priority than Parkway Ave, DA ‘contributions’ would have to be considered. 

• listing in the CN Works Program (CWP) means ‘being considered’ not ‘approved’ - although this differed from the community perception at the meeting  

3. TIMING - WHEN WILL WE HAVE CROSSINGS?

• CN said it takes on average 2-3 years from ‘approval’ through to completion for these types of projects. The amount of time projects are listed and roll-over on the CWP (i.e. quite a number of years in the case of NHS's crossings) seemed to be dismissed as immaterial. 

• Mr Tranter re-iterated several times that his goal was to have these bypasses (including crossings) in place before the school redevelopment is complete. No date mentioned.

• Although the meeting came to a pragmatic conclusion, disappointment at CN's lack of urgency was strongly communicated.

The recent letter from The Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Ms Nuatali Nelmes, supports this commitment.

P&C SUMMARY

Despite our efforts, unfortunately, we have gained little traction in regard to URGENCY. 

We will, eventually, get crossings on Parkway, when it fits Council’s program and funding timeline - not before. 

Disappointingly, our key concern for our children’s present safety has not been recognised. Neither has our strong advocacy for a Smith Street crossing (captured in image above and Herald image below) - not included in the Cycleways Program - at the very earliest, this boundary street will not be looked at until after the Parkway project is complete...