Mitchell Shire Council is honoured to receive the Road Safety Award at the 2022 National Awards for Local Government for its School Crossing SafetyCam Initiative.
The Road Safety Award recognises local government projects that address the specific safety needs of vulnerable groups or target specific road user risk factors.
Council’s initiative is seeing cameras installed at all school crossings in the shire to keep local students, parents, crossing supervisors and all crossing users safe.
The cameras aim to capture video and audio of all traffic passing through school crossings and were installed due to reports of drivers speeding through school crossings, failing to stop, and abusing crossing supervisors.
Cameras have already been installed at selected crossings in the Shire, with more to come in later 2022.
The cameras are mounted on posts each day by crossing supervisors using brackets made by the Broadford Men’s Shed, and feature bespoke covers made especially for this project to ensure a clear image of vehicle number plates in all weather conditions.
In the event of an incident, the footage will be downloaded from the camera and passed on to local police. Signage will also be installed to alert drivers to the cameras.
Mitchell Shire Council Mayor, Bill Chisholm, said, “While we didn’t do this for awards, it’s great to see this safety initiative getting recognised and hopefully being implemented in other local government areas.
“This project was a team effort between the community and Council, and we’re pleased to see it already having some positive impact on driver behaviour.
“Most drivers do the right thing, but these cameras are a great tool for stopping the minority that endanger parents, students and crossing supervisors.”
Council said children, especially those in primary years, can be unpredictable and difficult to see.
School crossing supervisors will be working to help children cross safely as they travel to and from school and all drivers are asked to follow their instructions.
Council has also urged adults to lead by example and only cross at the designated crossings.
Featured image: Mitchell Shire Council receives local government award. Image: Mitchell Shire Council.
