Wednesday, 12 August 2026

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (11:09): I rise again to make a further contribution on the Legislative Assembly Economy and Infrastructure Committee’s report Inquiry into the Impact of Road Safety Behaviours and Vulnerable Road Users. That is why I continue to draw the minister’s and the Department of Transport and Planning’s attention to the 61 findings and 56 recommendations set out in the report, particularly the following, which relate to the local issues I am about to highlight: recommendation 6, review the flexibility of speed zoning guidelines, with the aim to decrease suburban rat-running and reduce speeds around schools and arterial roads within activity centres; recommendation 8, that government place greater emphasis on the safety of vulnerable road users in future road and urban infrastructure design and strategies; recommendation 26, that DTP review intersections commonly used by vulnerable road users and assess if treatments such as timed pedestrian protections would benefit; and recommendation 27, review the location of pedestrian crossings on arterial roads to ensure there are regular crossings linked to public transport stops, activity centres and schools.

Further to my contribution of 17 June, I would also like to again draw the attention of the house to the need for ongoing improvements along Gaffney Street through Pascoe Vale and Coburg North. These improvements cannot come soon enough, as set out by a letter I received from St Oliver Plunkett principal Delfina Pieri, who stated:

Gaffney Street is a busy road that sees significant vehicle traffic throughout the day, including during school drop-off and pick-up times. While a limited 40km/h zone exists during school hours (currently for PV Primary Students to Dale Avenue) –

just over Cumberland Road –

… this does not provide adequate protection outside these times – particularly in the mornings before the designated time, after school hours, or during extracurricular activities when many students and families still use the designated pedestrian crossing on Gaffney Street.

That is just at the front of the church.

The current speed limit in sections beyond the existing school zone remains at 60km/h, posing a serious risk to pedestrians especially children, who are some of those vulnerable road users.

Extending the 40km/h zone would help mitigate this risk and align with broader efforts to create safer environments around schools. As part of our school’s commitment to child safety and wellbeing, we regularly conduct risk assessments of traffic flow and pedestrian movements around our campus.

…

The safety of our students should not be restricted to narrow time frames. Our duty of care extends beyond the classroom and school hours, and we ask that road infrastructure and regulation reflect this reality.

I urge you to prioritise the safety of our community by extending the 40km/h zone further along Gaffney Street to cover the areas regularly used by students and families accessing the school crossing and surrounding footpaths.

This 40-kilometre school zone extension should extend further east over Landells Road towards Derby Street and even potentially link up with the pre-existing 40-kilometre zones out the front of Harmony Park and Coburg North Primary School, where the new kinder is being built, because it is families from Coburg North Primary that are east along the corridor that are calling for changes too. On 30 ‍March Dr Natalie Holowko, a school council member, and Bryn Goodey, the school council president at Coburg North, also wrote to me to say:

I am writing on behalf of the Coburg North Primary School Council to raise a pressing concern shared by many families – the absence of a safe pedestrian crossing on Gaffney Street.

That is between and around Sussex Street, Jersey Street, Roosevelt Street and Mercier Street.

A significant number of our families reside north of Gaffney Street and have approached the school council about the difficulty of crossing safely.

Our school is proud to be part of the Ride2School network and actively promotes active transport …

We value the opportunity for children to cycle to school, initially accompanied by a parent and progressively on their own. This independence builds confidence and capability, qualities we believe are essential for young people today.

Coburg North Primary School has approximately 500 students. With a new government-funded kindergarten currently being developed on the corner of Gaffney Street and Bishop Street next to Harmony Park, the need for a safe pedestrian infrastructure on Gaffney Street has never been greater.

Crossing Gaffney Street safely currently requires families to significantly extend their journey by detouring to the nearest signalised crossing.

While there are currently two pedestrian crossings on Gaffney St (at Sussex Street and at Dawson Street), they are both 400m to 500m from the point where families need to cross to access the school and the new kindergarten, which is due to open in 2028.

Without this detour, children and families face the risk of crossing at an unmarked and unsafe location …

We currently have families crossing Gaffney Street between Bishop Street and Jersey Street at great risk of being hit by oncoming traffic.

Gaffney Street is considered an arterial road. With community services (school, skate park, Harmony park and the new kindergarten) on one side and many local businesses and parks on the other, this very busy area is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists.

And of course there are the Coles, the Coburg North shopping village, where my office is, the Blu fish and chip shop and so much more. When the Gaffney Street–Sussex Street roundabout was upgraded by our government to a signalised intersection in May 2022, we supported that. We also fully support this vision being extended, as essentially they are talking about, and believe the next logical step is to extend that same commitment to safety further along Gaffney Street by installing an additional dedicated pedestrian crossing. That is a natural and necessary continuation of the improvement works already done. This will ensure children and families can safely travel independently to schools, local businesses and community facilities. They respectfully request the state government and the Department of Transport and Planning to consider installing a dedicated set of pedestrian lights on Gaffney Street in the vicinity, as I said, of Roosevelt Street or Mercier Street, and I strongly recommend and encourage the new Minister for Roads and Road Safety to consider this proposal.