Drop-off and pick-up times in front of Hallidays Point Public School have been described as 10 minutes of utter chaos.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
However, Diamond Beach Road resident, Terry Pearson's major concern is safety, saying the road is not only poorly constructed, but peppered with an almost constant presence of potholes.
"Diamond Beach Road needs total reconstruction if for no other reason than the safety of school children, particularly at 3pm when school is finished," Mr Pearson.
Mr Pearson is calling for the road to be widened, especially near the school zone which turns into a bottleneck at the end of the school day.
"There is only enough space for one car."
Diamond Beach Road needs total reconstruction if for no other reason than the safety of school children, particularly at 3pm when school is finished.
- Terry Pearson
And, because of the structure of the road, children can only access vehicles from the road-side, which is an added safety concern, he said.
He also is urging council to construct a bus turning bay.
Buses are forced to drive past the school, turn around the narrow road and back to the school, he said.
"Once the holes are filled they are eroded immediately after rain," he said.
"This repeated process is an entire waste of ratepayers' money."
Mr Pearson has been in touch with MidCoast Council on several occasions pleading for an upgrade.
He said the road had been earmarked for an upgrade, but that could be five years down the track.
However, State and Federal government funding of close to $700,000 will enable MidCoast Council to accelerate the project.
"It is on our works program for this year thanks to funding under the Fixing Local Roads grant program," MidCoast Council infrastructure and engineering services director, Rob Scott said.
"The project is currently in the planning/design stage with work currently scheduled to start by October this year with a target finish date for before the start of the school term next year," Mr Scott said.
"We will be pushing it to meet that timeframe."
In addition to the general rehabilitation of the road surface and drainage improvements, there will be improvements to the pick/drop off area and an extension to the footpath from the school back to Diamond Drive.
In the interim council will keep trying to manage the potholes, a job made difficult with the persistent wet weather the area has been experiencing for much of the year.
Road upgrade of Diamond Beach Road from the Diamond Drive roundabout to Fantail Rise (adjacent to the Hallidays Point Public School) including:
- Kerb and gutter on the western side of Diamond Beach Road and remove the deep open table drain;
- Reconstruction of the road pavement;
- New road surface;
- Upgrades to the stormwater drainage system;
- Designated parking area to formalise parking and to assist in congestion and safety particularly during school pick-up, drop-offs and school based events, and
- Path to connect to Diamond Drive to allow safe passage of children and parents with the ability to extend in the future areas such as the local shopping precinct and park.
Did you know? Great Lakes Advocate online subscribers not only have 24/7 access to local and national news, sport, what's on and entertainment - they also have access to our print editions in digital format, with all the advertisements and classifieds at their fingertips.