Parents from the Gingers Lane area are driving their children to the school bus solely so they can avoid walking across the traffic on Sawyers Gully Road.
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Leanne Martin drives her children, Billy, nine and Katie, eight, to the bus stop which is located on the busy intersection of Hart Road, Government Road, Gingers Lane and Sawyers Gully Road.
“It makes me so nervous,” she said.
“And there are plenty of other parents who do the same thing.”
Ms Martin said many parents would like to see the bus stop moved to Gingers Lane, away from the intersection where there were three accidents in a nine-day period last month.
Ms Martin said the bus stop’s location, close to the roadside and on a steep slope, was also a cause for concern, as was its condition, with long grass and rubbish a common sight.
Cessnock City Council will investigate the appropriateness of the location of the bus stop after a motion that was endorsed at last week’s meeting.
Rover Coaches CEO Aaron Lewis said the company is responsible for the placement of school bus stops, which are reported to Transport for NSW for approval.
Mr Lewis said Sawyers Gully Road has a busier road due to the Hunter Expressway and re-opening of Frame Drive.
He said while their driver had not indicated any issues with the usage of the Sawyers Gully Road stop, Rover Coaches will have a close look at the bus stop’s current position for safety, increased traffic conditions and that number of students use it.
Council will also investigate interim solutions (such as speed limit reductions, traffic calming devices and warning lights) to improve safety at the intersection, and will seek grant funding from state and federal governments to fast-track the redevelopment of the intersection.
In response to concerns over driver behaviour at the intersection – particularly speeding and ignoring the stop signs – council will write to Police Minister and the Hunter Valley Police District to request more police patrols or mobile speed cameras in the area.
A progress report will come back to council by the end of July.
