The original application for the College had entry from Wine Country Drive. This was rejected, hence the entry on Lomas Lane, which is a school zone.

St Philip’s Christian College is located in a semi-rural zone, as apposed to Maitland, Wollombi and Aberdare Roads. Wine Country Drive is a major State road dealing with traffic to and from the vineyards, Maitland, Singleton, Branxton and all other places between and beyond.

A few points for Cr Fitzgibbon and the majority of councillors who voted with her:

A 40km zone would cause traffic congestion making it harder for parent pickups and buses to re-enter Wine Country Drive. As anyone who regularly travels this road would know already, any vehicle travelling below the speed limit causes traffic to compact, allowing no spaces for vehicles exiting Lomas Lane to re-enter. This is already evident with vehicles entering from Broke and Lovedale Roads. This would have a flow-on effect all the way into Cessnock including every access road to Wine Country Drive/Allandale Road until the baths corner and beyond.

As Cr. Olsen correctly stated, there is not enough pedestrian traffic to warrant  it. There is no pick-up on the main road.

Nulkaba Public School is approximately the same distance from Wine Country Drive as St Philip’s Christian College. Nulkaba Public School has been there a long time.  The congestion that a school zone for St Philip’s Christian College would cause would also make it harder for parents/buses to re-enter Wine Country Drive from O’Connors Road.

St Philip’s Christian College is not a public school. Why are ratepayers time and money being wasted?

If St Philip’s Christian College want to apply for a school zone, let them do it it at their own cost.

I felt I just had to write a reply to your front page article (Advertiser, May 3) concerning the request by Cessnock Council that a 40km/h school zone be implemented along Wine Country Drive past St Philip’s Christian College.

I travel this road regularly going to and from work and pass the College at the peak school times mentioned, mainly heading back into Cessnock, after having completed a night shift up the valley.

It has been a couple of years since the College was built and out of the 1200 children mentioned I have yet to see one school child walking on that road.

So, Cessnock Council wish us all now to slow down to 40km/h in a school zone, for the safety of children, mums and dads on that road when the problem just does not exist, as stated by Cr Olsen.

I believe that Cr Fitzgibbon and Cessnock Council do not know the difference between a school zone and a traffic congestion problem, because that’s what we have there.

If you build a facility that demands a huge increase in traffic at particular times, as the College does, then it stands to reason, common sense would tell you that you need to look at the road system.

The road should be upgraded to facilitate the safe, free flow of traffic to and from Cessnock and to the College – problem solved!

Alas, that would take planning, (should have been forward planning) common sense and money

So let’s get back to reality, instead, as usual Cessnock Council want to ‘band aid’ it, throw up a couple of 40km/h signs and believe that will solve the problem. It’s almost laughable.

This will in fact compound the traffic problem. I believe, if you slow down the traffic to 40km/h, the traffic will then become bumper to bumper to and from Cessnock.

How is the traffic wishing to turn right into Lomas Lane going to negotiate that right turn (being school traffic, many, as they do, running late, trying to get to school on time). They will get frustrated and then start to take risks negotiating the right turn – the accidents will then happen.

I hope that Di Fitzgibbon and her friends at Cessnock Council think again before pulling out their packet of ‘band aids’ on this one.