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Roads Improvement Information

Road Safety Survey Summary for Warrnambool East Primary School

 

Prepared for: Warrnambool City Council Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) Strategy Discussions 

Data Source: Parent/Carer Survey (87 responses, June 2025)

 

📌 Purpose

To provide clear evidence of community views on traffic safety issues around Warrnambool East Primary School (WEPS) to guide Council’s LATM planning and prioritisation.

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📌 Key Findings

1️⃣ Awareness of Council’s LATM Strategy

· 54 respondents (62%) aware of Council’s plan

· 29 respondents (33%) not aware

· 4 respondents (5%) unsure

⚠️ Insight: ~1 in 3 families did not know about the LATM strategy. 

👉 Recommendation: Improve communication about Council's planning to encourage engagement and trust.

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2️⃣ Community Concern About Road Safety

· 61 respondents (70%) Very concerned

· 23 respondents (26%) Somewhat concerned

· 3 respondents (3%) Not concerned

✅ 97% express at least some level of concern. 

👉 Conclusion: Widespread recognition of significant safety issues at drop-off and pick-up.

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3️⃣ Urgency for Action

· 61 respondents (70%) want action immediately

· 22 respondents (25%) want action within next few months

· 3 respondents (3%) say action can wait

· 1 respondent (1%) not sure

⚡ 95% want short-term action. 

👉 Recommendation: Prioritise near-term, visible safety upgrades to respond to community expectations.

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4️⃣ Current Modes of Travel to School

· 32 use Car (parent/guardian)

· 14 use Carer (variant spelling)

· 20 Walk

· 11 Bike or scooter

· 9 Other

🚗 Majority rely on cars; ~35–40% use active modes (walk/bike/scooter). 

👉 Highlights the need for safer infrastructure to support active transport.

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5️⃣ Potential for Active Travel if Safety Improved

· 36: Yes – both supervised and independent travel would increase

· 27: Yes – independently

· 8: Yes – with adult supervision

· 13: No – road safety not main barrier

· 3: Not sure

✅ ~80% indicate their children would walk, bike or travel independently more if safety improved. 

👉 Key opportunity: Invest in crossings, footpaths, traffic calming to reduce car reliance.

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6️⃣ Willingness to Support School Efforts

· 40: Yes – happy to be actively involved (petitions, meetings)

· 32: Support cause but prefer not to be active

· 8: Unsure

· 7: No – do not wish to be involved

🤝 83% support efforts in some form. 

👉 Strong community buy-in for a collaborative approach.

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📌 Qualitative Feedback Highlights (Selected Themes)

Respondents identified the following key safety issues:

  • Cars speeding near the school
  • Unsafe pedestrian crossings
  • Poor visibility (e.g. signs, crossing supervisors)
  • Limited and unsafe parking areas
  • Narrow or missing footpaths
  • Unsafe conditions for bikes and scooters

 

Common suggestions:

  • Install traffic lights or roundabouts
  • Better signage and road markings
  • Crossing guards at more times or locations
  • Expand or formalise parking areas
  • Lower speed limits near school zone
  • Widen or improve footpaths

✅ Recommendation: Use these community-identified priorities to shape LATM plan options.

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📌 Recommended Actions for Council

✅ Short-term improvements (e.g. signage, markings, crossing guards) 

✅ Longer-term planning for crossings, paths, traffic-calming infrastructure 

✅ Enhanced communication with families about planning process and timelines 

✅ Support school and parent collaboration on advocacy and design feedback

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📌 Conclusion

This survey demonstrates strong, urgent community demand for safer streets around Warrnambool East Primary School. It also shows a clear opportunity to increase walking and riding to school if conditions are improved.

 

We encourage Council to partner closely with the school community to deliver these improvements as part of the Local Area Traffic Management strategy.