Elise Archer MP

After lobbying for several weeks to ensure the crossing guard for the Waimea Heights Primary School crossing at Churchill Ave, Sandy Bay will not be removed after term one, I announced on 23 February 2010 that the Tasmanian Liberals will keep this service operating.

As this is a particularly dangerous crossing on a very busy road, which is approached by a blind corner, I am pleased to announce that a Hodgman Liberal Government will not remove this important service.

Child safety is a priority and should not be an issue for ‘number-crunching’. Basing the need for a crossing guard on a requirement that a set number of children per day must use the crossing defies logic and is a very flawed argument.

Children should not have to cross this dangerous stretch of road on their own, relying on people to observe the 40km per hour speed limit, and then actually stop. Child safety should always be a matter of priority for any government.

At a cost of about $30 per day for this service, the cost is not high, particularly when it is for our children’s safety.

There have been conflicting surveys about how many children use this crossing but an informal count done by parents averaged at least 26 - that’s approximately 26 lives saved each and every day this service operates.