Remote crossing template hopes

Road safety experts are hoping a “highly successful” pedestrian crossing built in an 800-strong Kimberley Aboriginal community can be used as a role model and expanded across WA.

Money from the WA Road Trauma Trust Account has helped fund the project at Bidyadanga, about 190km south of Broome.

Road Safety Commissioner Kim Papalia said an audit in 2009 identified that children were at risk when walking along the school route, which also acts as the major road to Broome.

“Most drivers on this road where travelling at 110km/h and there was very little notice that they were entering into a townsite, let alone a school zone,” Mr Papalia said.

He said the local population provided feedback and took part in teaching programs aimed at raising road safety awareness.

“Through the perseverance from our staff and by involving the whole community not only have we installed appropriate road safety measures, but also implemented a very thorough education programme for the 800 residents located in Bidyadanga,” Mr Papalia said.

The initiative was jointly funded by Commonwealth road safety and research unit Austroads and the State Government.

It was the subject of presentation from the University of New South Wales at the Australian Injury Prevention Network Conference recently when it was hailed as a “landmark result for WA”.

The township crossing links the school with the council and other community centres.

Peter Yip, who was the chief executive of Bidyadanga when the works were rolled out, said that the benefits had been significant for the indigenous community.

He said the crossing, with associated landscaping, was successfully encouraging people to take advantage of the new addition.

“This is an attractive feature within the town and as such the children have shown a preference to utilise this amenity because of its novelty factor,” Mr Yip said.

“As far as I am concerned it was the best thing that happened to our town and it created a real focus for the residents.”

Mr Papalia said indigenous road safety was one of the commission’s priorities.

“This project was an important milestone to addressing road safety in our indigenous communities and hence we are delighted with the results and hope that this same model can be applied elsewhere in WA,” he said.