On Friday 14th April 2023, a parking accident occurred at Rose Garden Sunshine Early Learning Centre, endangering the lives of 14 babies and toddlers, and the educators at the facility. Fortunately no one, including the driver, was hurt following the incident. 

The installation of bollards on the footpath has been proposed as a ‘solution’ to prevent an accelerating cars from crashing into the children’s play area in future. However, this option would create an obstacle on the footpath that would prevent safe walk-in access for parents with prams and those arriving on scooters and bikes. This petition calls for a much more positive solution: the conversion of two car parks positioned adjacent to the play area to pram, bicycle and bike trailer parking.

At present there is no provision for bicycles at the centre, which means bikes and bike trailers are either parked in car spaces or on the footpath. A
better use of space would see the car spaces adjacent to the children’s play facility converted to a storage facility that could accommodate several bikes as well as prams and children’s mobility aids.

This solution would facilitate a range of safe, healthy, outdoor, sustainable, low cost and congestion-busting travel aoptions for parents and children using the centre, with benefits for neighbourhood vitality and traffic flow. The benefits include:

• Providing a secure and weather-proof storage facility for families to
  drop off their bicycles, prams and other active travel accessories, thus
  making this mode of access more feasible for many families.
• Providing children with exposure to healthy and active travel, which is
  important for establishing norms around these travel options.
• Contribute to children’s independent mobility.
• Reduce vehicle traffic in and out of the facility. This will in turn improve amenity (reduce noise and congestion), air quality and road safety; and futureproof the existing car park for future growth in demand.

This solutiuon would not require an exemption to the parking minimums at the facility (due to provision of parking in excess of planning scheme minimums under Clause 52.06), but may require an application to put a structure in the carpark (depending on the design). We need to add the voices of the community to this call for a high quality, inclusive solution, so that it will be considered, and appropriate action taken. Otherwise, a solution of minimum effort may prevail, reducing access\sibility and travel choices for all users of the centre. 

The incident on 14 April highlights the inherent vulnerability of people (especially curious children who haven’t yet developed an awareness of traffic) to motorised transport, and susceptibility to human error. Streets are public spaces, however in recent decades their use has become exclusive to
vehicles, encroaching on the space that is available to others, including children, to move independently and engage in public life. It is a relief that no one was harmed; including the driver and the staff at the facility.

This petition calls for a solution to prevent fututre recurrence and one that puts children’s safety and independence at the centre of planning, rather than adding further barriers.