The current infrastructure at the intersection of Marmion Avenue and Shorehaven Boulevard does not allow pedestrians to cross Marmion Avenue safely, particularly during the hours of school drop off and pick up times.

From January 2022, a new public primary school on the western side of Shorehaven will be opening its doors to the children within its catchment area. The catchment will not just include residents of the western side of Marmion Avenue but also residents of the eastern side, presenting a risk to the children that need to cross the busy dual carriageway in order to attend school.

There are students who live on the western side of Marmion Avenue, in the Shorehaven and Amberton estates, who currently attend the private school on the eastern side of the dual carriageway, and are faced with the same risk. In addition, there are other students living on the western side of Marmion Avenue, who need to cross the road to access the eastern-located pedestrian pathway which will take them to the private or public school in the nearby estate to the south.

Any student who chooses to walk or ride to school on the opposite side of Marmion Avenue from their home, is required to navigate their way from one side of Marmion to the other.

As there is no safe passage for students to cross Marmion Avenue, students of the private school in Shorehaven are fortunate enough to utilise the school provided pick up and drop off service, if they live on the western side of Marmion Avenue. Students attending the public school in 2022, who live on the eastern side, will most likely not be afforded that opportunity.

Traffic congestion is a common occurrence during school pick up and drop off times at the intersection of Marmion Avenue and Shorehaven Boulevard. Residents of Shorehaven have reported multiple instances of near collisions and of children taking unnecessary risks to cross the busy road. Additional traffic entering and leaving the estate when the new school is operational will exacerbate the issue. In turn, it will make it even more difficult for children to cross Marmion Avenue during those times.

To alleviate traffic congestion and to make it safer for children to cross Marmion Avenue, I am proposing that the City of Wanneroo make modifications to the area. Adequate space is available at the southern boundary of the Shorehaven estate to either construct a pedestrian bridge, with accessibility for bicycles and wheelchairs. Alternatively, pedestrian traffic lights similar to the lights situated to the north of Edinburgh Avenue and Marmion Avenue in Kinross, in conjunction with a reduced speed limit as vehicles approach the lights, would make the area safer for people to cross Marmion Avenue.

It's only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed while crossing in this area. Let's hope the City of Wanneroo are proactive and don't wait for an incident to be the catalyst which forces them to make a change.

Please sign this petition to show the City of Wanneroo that this is an urgent matter which requires immediate attention.