Cessnock City Council has finished a road upgrade outside the school after concerns were raised about the behaviour of motorists in the area.

Council has moved the children’s crossing closer to the school gate, installed roadside pedestrian fencing and a speed check radar outside the school.

School principal Luke Hubbert welcomed the changes.

He said poor motorist behaviour around the school was unacceptable. 

“Since the upgrades have been installed we’ve noticed a dramatic change in traffic conditions,” Mr Hubbert said.

“I think this is due to the community’s attention being drawn to school traffic and safety as a result of the upgrades and we’re very pleased with the end result.”

The changes came after consultation revealed that the road infrastructure did not meet the community’s needs.

Council found that motorists were known to speed in the area during school hours and 60 per cent were exceeding the 40km/h school zone limit – some had travelled as fast as 80km/h in the area. 

The children’s crossing had also been rarely used in its former location because of its distance from the school gate.

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School zones (40km/h) are back in force across New South Wales today.