Pedestrian safety in spotlight

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By Oliver Lees

Sunbury’s pedestrian crossings could be made more accessible for people with disabilities, according to a disability support organisation based in Sunbury.

Established in 1985, Distinctive Options provides support, education and employment training to people with disabilities.

At a Hume council meeting in April, Cr Jarrod Bell said he was in discussion with a representative from the charitable organisation when they mentioned their desire to improve pedestrian safety for people with disabilities.

“One of the ones that they [Distinctive Options]… really felt strongly about was pedestrian safety,” Cr Bell said.

“A lot of their clients use wheelchairs and other mobility aids and they felt that having things like the ‘stop, look, listen’ stenciling on footpaths would be a great reminder for those in our community to use our footpaths and our road crossings more safely.

“They were very excited about the touch-free sensors… for activating the pedestrian crossings at Brooke and Evans streets in Sunbury.

“It is effectively, you wave your hand over the button instead of touching the button, and they thought that was a fantastic innovation and they’d love to see that use more widely across the city.”

‘Stop, look, listen’ stencilling refers to bright roadside signage that borders pedestrian crossing to reinforce a message of safety.

According to VicRoads data, over the past 10 years an average of 47 pedestrians are killed on our roads annually.

Cr Bell moved a motion in general business suggesting officers provide a report into the improvement of pedestrian safety across the city.