The Greens are calling on Lake Macquarie councillors to make safe footpaths around schools a priority following a Charlestown Public School student being hit by a car on Tirriki Street off Algona Road last week. Algona Road has been the focus of a long-running community campaign to build a footpath to improve safety for pedestrians, particularly the high number of school children who use it.
Greens council candidate for Lake Macquarie North Ward Bryce Ham said, “A child in Lake Macquarie has been seriously injured because of the lack of safe footpaths around our schools. Local residents have been demanding council address this problematic stretch of road yet there has been no resolution. What is the job of our councillors if not to keep Lake Macquarie families safe?”
“When I was a kid I walked along this very stretch of road to get home from school and I was worried for my safety. Why has this road not been made safer? The fact that council hasn’t made it a priority demonstrates that we need fresh voices on council that will actually listen to local residents,” Bryce said.
“Our city’s roads are not safe for people who are not in cars. This is a crisis and our council must act like it. Students need to get to and from schools. Mobility aid users need to access shops, services and health care providers. Everyone should be able to get around Lake Macquarie safely, especially pedestrians. Yet this is still not the case.”
“I want this crisis fixed and it is clear that we need a Green on council to make that happen. I have been speaking to residents for months about what roads they want made safer and if elected in September I will prioritise road safety and make local voices heard on council,” Bryce said.