Twice every school day, the crossing supervisors at Winchelsea Primary School in south west Victoria turn on a pilot program that literally lights up the road and alerts oncoming drivers for hundreds of metres that they are approaching a flagged school crossing.
“It was a daily nightmare for parents to have to take their children across a very busy highway,” said Astucia Australasia Managing Director, Peter Doupé.
“After many narrow escapes, they feared a major incident was only a matter of time if something wasn’t done. We identified a cost effective method of increasing visibility by using a series of hard wired, flush mounted flashing lights mounted in the roadway and connected to a control box that the crossing supervisors can turn on and off when the crossing is being used.”
The result is a major increase in visibility especially during poor light and adverse weather conditions.
“The school is on the Princes Highway and especially on foggy days it was not good for pedestrians,” explained Surf Coast Shire Councillor and Barwon Road Safety Council Board Member, Lindsay Schroeter. “Traffic is now up to 6,000 vehicles per day in each direction. The possibility of an accident was high. There is no doubt they (the Astucia lighting treatment) are a great idea. It’s a great indicator that you are approaching a pedestrian crossing.”
Senior Constable Simon Paliaga from the Victoria Police said that before the Astucia lighting was installed there were real concerns for the safety of pedestrians at this crossing, especially the school children.
“Visibility and advanced warning for motorists about the approaching crossing has been greatly improved, especially at times of poor visibility such as fog or rain,” Senior Constable Paliaga said. “It is now far safer, an excellent outcome for the pedestrians has been achieved.”
The Winchelsea pedestrian crossing is typical of many Australian pedestrian crossings. Following the Winchelsea success, Astucia Australia plans to identify and roll out similar treatments in other parts of the country.
For further information contact Peter Doupé on (03) 0407 004 162.
* Copy supplied by Astucia Australia
