Pound Road pedestrian safety

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council that a 16-year-old boy was fatally struck by a vehicle while returning from school walking along the unpaved footpath on Pound Road in Narre Warren South. This footpath runs immediately adjacent to high-speed traffic without protective safety barriers. There have been ongoing community concerns regarding pedestrian safety along vulnerable sections of Pound Road, particularly for children travelling to and from school.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to install appropriate safety barriers along Pound Road particularly in the vulnerable sections, relocate the footpath further away from the roadway, reduce the speed limit to 60 km/h in this predominantly residential area, undertake a comprehensive road safety review of Pound Road to prevent further tragedies, and consider updating the relevant legislation or regulations to require footpaths to be a minimum of a metre from high traffic roads.