WITH the return of students this week, Moonta Area School has issued a plea for drivers to slow down.

Secretary of the MAS Governing Council Janelle Phillips and assistant principal Wendy Williams have spoken out about drivers speeding past the school, despite recent improvements to safety infrastructure around the school’s crossing on busy Blanche Terrace.

“The big thing is the awareness around school crossings and speeding,” Ms Phillips said.

“We need to get people to focus on the road rules.”

Think Road Safety South Australia states that school zones apply 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year.

White zigzag lines are marked on roads approaching a school zone and
signs show the start and end of school zones.

School zones have a speed limit of 25 kilometres an hour whenever a child is in the zone or on the road, footpath or median strip — even if the child is on a bike or scooter.

A child is any person younger than 18 or a student of any age wearing a school uniform.

Last year, the Department of Infrastructure and Transport installed enhanced speed limit signs at both
approaches to the Moonta Area School crossing, improved the marked lines on Blanche Terrace to prevent parking near the crossing and installed a fence opposite the school to limit pedestrian access to the road.

This followed a year of lobbying by the Governing Council for better safety features.

Ms Phillips and Ms Williams spoke to the Yorke Peninsula Country Times next to the school crossing at 3pm yesterday (Tuesday, January 28) the first day of the 2025 school year.

Both observed drivers travelling at what appeared to be more than 25km/h through the crossing, despite its flashing lights and the presence of crossing monitors.

“It’s really good that DIT has done what it can to keep the kids safer,” Ms Williams said.

“But, despite how hard the crossing monitors are working, we still have a number of vehicles going past at more than 25km/h.

“It still appears that some people who are grown-ups with real licences are not going at 25km/h.”

Ms Williams said Blanche Terrace was particularly busy over summer, as it was used by grain trucks and many visitors to Yorke Peninsula towing caravans.

She praised the efforts of years 5 and 6 students who volunteer as crossing monitors before and after school, after being trained by SA Police, and said another group of students would be trained this school term.

Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis welcomed the safety improvements at the school crossing.

“It is wonderful that the State Government listened to the pleas of the Governing Council, the school and myself to improve safety conditions at Moonta Area School,” he said.

“I raised the topic in the chamber (State Parliament) back in June last year after a number of near misses at the crossing were reported to me by dedicated school governing council members and, whilst the department initially felt no signage changes were needed, eventually it was agreed they were warranted.

“As school goes back, it is a helpful reminder to take care around school crossings to ensure that students can get to class safely.”