Kids’ safety will come first under a Labor policy to allocate a crossing guard at Haberfield Public School for the duration of WestConnex construction.

Labor Member for Summer Hill, Jo Haylen has campaigned for a crossing guard at the school since a child was struck by a car and airlifted from the school grounds eighteen months ago.

The streets around the school have become a nightmare for families and local residents. Students are left to dodge construction vehicles. Residents are regularly crowded out by workers parking their cars on local streets.

The school has applied for a crossing guard multiple times, but has been knocked each time by Government bureaucrats. Their application has been rejected each time using a flawed formula that sees the most dangerous crossings miss out: The Government claims too few unaccompanied students use the Bland Street crossing, however, parents wouldn’t dare let their kids cross because it’s too dangerous.

Construction for the next phase of the project will see hundreds of cars parked at a newly established parking lot at the end of Bland Street, adding to the number of vehicles using the streets around the school.

Shadow Minister for Roads, Jodi Mckay has promised that the crossing guard would be in place before and after school from the election until the end of construction for WestConnex.

Comments attributable to Jodi McKay, Shadow Minister for Transport, Roads, Maritime and Freight

“The Government has steam-rolled local communities with their botched infrastructure projects.

“Parents shouldn’t have to worry about their kids’ safety because the Government is building infrastructure down the road.

“It beggars belief that the Government would let kids here in Haberfield be unsafe when there’s a straightforward and common sense solution.

Comments attributable to Jo Haylen, Member for Summer Hill

“Labor will give Haberfield Public School a crossing guard because kids’ safety should always come first.

“It’s not good enough that this Government continues to ignore Haberfield and Ashfield residents.

“The community is being hammered from WestConnex and the least the Government could do is keep local kids safe on their way to school.”