Victorians are being urged to prioritise safety as students, parents and school communities return to the roads and public transport network for Term One of the school year.
Minister for Public Transport, Roads and Road Safety, Ben Carroll said commuters should expect to see a large increase in road traffic and public transport usage during peak hour, as well as a rise in foot and bicycle traffic during school times.
“Motorists are particularly reminded to take care when passing trams – ensuring they give pedestrians right of way when trams are stopped to avoid dangerous near misses,” Mr Carroll said.
“Yarra Trams data shows the number of near misses – where a motorist passes a stopped tram when pedestrians have right of way – have already returned to pre-coronavirus levels,” he said.
“In November and December last year, after coronavirus restrictions were eased, about 200 near misses were recorded across the tram network each month – compared to an average of 126 per month between 1 April and 1 November.”
Mr Carroll said school speed zones were now active across the State to create a safe environment for students and motorists.
“Parents are urged to set a good example for children by safely entering and exiting parked cars, only using designated pedestrian crossings and obeying the direction of crossing supervisors,” the Minister said.
He said Metro Trains would ramp up safety awareness programs for schools this year to improve safety on public transport and were set to conduct 250 classrooms to teach students about rail safety, the dangers of trespassing and disobeying level crossings.
