Rongotea crossing monitored for safety

Parents and helpers from Rongotea School will take on the role of crossing monitors over the coming weeks as part of a campaign to educate children and remind drivers of the need to take care.

The initiative follows recent incidents of motorists not exercising caution or stopping to let pedestrians cross at the Thames Street crossing. The crossing is used regularly by Rongotea students in the mornings and after school.

Horizons Regional Council road safety coordinator for Palmerston North and Manawatu Desley Monks says she got in touch with Rongotea School about the crossing after reading an article in the paper.

“Thames Street leads straight out to State Highway 1 so it serves a lot of through traffic. However, it is a 50km/hr area and people do need to slow down.

“In this case, a lady had stopped at the crossing to let a child cross but the driver coming the other way did not. The driver who had stopped was deeply concerned for children’s safety.

“Upon contacting Rongotea School I learned the crossing was a major concern for them as well as, despite not being directly outside the School, it is used by a lot of their students at peak times,” she says.

Between October 13 and 24, Horizons will be working with the School and Feilding Police to monitor the crossing and traffic that passes through, educate children about the steps they need to take to stay safe when they cross, raise awareness of the crossing’s location and promote the fact that drivers need to slow down and be ready to stop for any pedestrians stepping onto or already on a pedestrian crossing.

Mrs Monks hopes this campaign will encourage drivers to be more vigilant and says it may become an annual initiative.

ENDS

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