"I was very saddened to receive the call for a project Encat completed this year. I have a daughter attending high school too and so felt devastated to hear about a child losing their life on a road in Ulladulla. My sincere condolences go out to her family and friends."
"Putting commercial interests aside, it is my sincere hope that council decision makers, principals and parents read the information below and utilise it to help drive discussions around pedestrian safety around school areas to ensure that such incidents never happen again."
"It could have been anyone's child. As a society we are so time poor these days, with everyone rushing around and kids being distracted by technology while walking.
"Putting safety measures in place in the local area, whatever those might be, is essential to help combat these changes in society."
In fact the family who lost their beautiful daughter when she was killed crossing the road during afternoon school pick-up, have created a petition calling for Shoalhaven Council to install traffic lights at the Vincent Street entry of the high school. There are close to 5,000 supporters so far, it is available here
Thankfully the available Government reporting does indicate a reduction in the rates in recent years.
- The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported (Report) between 2015 and 2017 for children aged 0–14 the leading cause of injury deaths was from land transport accidents (29%), which included road traffic fatalities.
- The Australian Road Deaths Database reported in 2018 among children aged 0–14 there were 34 deaths due to road transport accidents. Thankfully the death rate has more than halved between 2009 and 2018 (1.7 per 100,000 to 0.7).
- Of children who died because of a road transport accident 29% were pedestrians. This adds weight to the argument around lower speeds around school zones, crossings, traffic calming devices, lights or pedestrian fencing installations.
Where was Pedestrian Fencing installed outside this school?
The Ulladulla Public School is positioned on the end of a block, on a slight gradient, with an intersection of a main through road & residential street close to one of the main exits. We were contracted to supply Type 1 Pedestrian Fencing to be run along two main areas;
1. The verges (edge of the road) outside the school
2. The verges (edge of the road) on the intersection corners
Installing Pedestrian Fencing in these specific locations around a school, shopping centre, university or even a train station can force a change in the flow of pedestrians walking on the foot paths.
In this example the installation will help push the flow of children away from the main intersection, and to cross the road further down the street where it may be easier to negotiate traffic or between the traffic calming device and island on St Vincent Street.
Pedestrian Fencing for other school location types
ENCAT can help local councils or schools to determine a solution that will help improve the safety of children that need to cross or be near a road. Over many years we have helped lots of schools to help improve pedestrian safety around bridges, bus stops, driveways or even crossings with a median strip.
Pedestrian Fencing has many benefits when used near or around schools;
- It is difficult to climb on or over; so it deters children from trying to get past it.
- It is tough and durable; the metal construction using Australian recycled steel will last for many, many years.
- It is designed to deform if impacted; so the whole fencing panel bends as one piece, designed to deform and crumble, rather than shatter in pieces creating flying bits of steel.
- Good visibility for pedestrians or motorists; sometimes visual barriers can make visibility worse, but pedestrian fencing has been designed to balance safety and visibility with its see through design.
Custom made Pedestrian Fencing installations
ENCAT regularly works with civil works contractors, local or state government departments to design, manufacture and install Pedestrian Fencing to suit all types of applications. We have been doing this since 1989. Learn more about our services