It didn’t take long for parents to become concerned about the safety of their children when a redeveloped Bardia Public School opened its doors in 2019.
There were just 300 students at the time, but even then, the surrounding roads were heaving with traffic congestion.
Parking on offer was nowhere near the level required, but the biggest worry for parents was the lack of traffic lights to help children safely cross the road to school.
They turned to their local MP, Anoulack Chantivong, the member for Macquarie Fields, for help.
He took up their campaign for lights way back in 2019, regularly calling for action or calling out the lack of action from the state government.
Last Friday, Anoulack Chanthivong joined the Bardia Public School community (pictured above) to finally celebrate the start of works for the long-awaited set of traffic lights at the intersection of Arthur Allen Drive and MacDonald Road.
It’s only the start of works, but to Mr Anoulack and the parents it deserved a special event because next year children will turn up for school with much better level of road and pedestrian safety.
There are now more than 1000 students at Bardia, a phenomenal growth in three years, but emphasising the importance of the safety traffic lights will bring.
“Since 2019, I’ve been visiting Bardia Public School and calling on the Liberal Government to fast-track the traffic lights to avert potential tragedy,” Mr Chanthivong said.
“The start of works is the green light we have all been eagerly awaiting, and I would like to thank the Bardia Public School community, particularly the Bardia Public School P&C, for their continued advocacy, tenacity and determination to see these works take shape.
“Safety has consistently been raised with me as an issue that Bardia Public School families take seriously, yet their concerns have fallen on deaf ears for more than three years,” Mr Chanthivong said.
“The good news is that families can now look forward to walking their children safely across the road at the traffic lights in early 2023.
“The works under way signal a green light for safety that families have long been waiting for and rightly deserve.”
