Assistant Principal's Report

Student safety to

and from school

We have had a number of witness reports of students crossing Swan Street near Burnley Park. These students are generally walking to Burnley Station or catching a Route 70 tram towards the city after school. According to these concerned members of the public, there have been several near misses where students have nearly been hit by cars or trams. You will see from the attached photo that the road bridge over the railway line obscures students view of the traffic heading towards the city. If a car or tram (or both) came over the hill at speed, there is a very high likelihood of severe injury or death. 

The good news for students is that there is a pedestrian crossing closer to Burnley station. A tram stop for the Route 70 tram is also nearby to the pedestrian crossing. Although this may mean that students have slightly further to walk, or have to wait for the lights to change before they can cross the road, this is the much safer option.

This afternoon I witnessed in excess of 50 MGC students crossing at this spot. Parents, if your daughter catches a train from Burnley or a Route 70 tram towards the city, I encourage you to discuss this important safety matter with your daughter and encourage her to change her behaviour. Students, please think about where you cross and don't feel pressured to cross unsafely, even if your friends are doing so.

As our duty of care extends to students travelling to or from school, we may issue detentions to students that continually put themselves in danger by crossing the road where a safer alternative exists. We would of course much prefer if students reflected on this message and chose the much safer option of crossing at the pedestrian lights.

Brent Houghton

Assistant Principal