Last Tuesday, the Adelaide City Council voted unanimously to support road safety changes around St Aloysius College. 

This follows a report that studied how safe the school’s drop off/pick up zones are, which was prompted by a mother and daughter being hit by a car during school peak hour last year. 

In June, the 38-year-old woman and her six-year-old daughter were hit by a four-wheel-drive while crossing Angas Street. The mother was taken to hospital with serious injuries, and the daughter suffered minor injuries. 

The recommended changes in the council report include: installing flexi-posts on Angas Street to reinforce illegal movements and prevent illegal u-turns and implementing a median closure on Wakefield Street at Chancery Lane. The council will also apply to the Department for Infrastructure and Transport to extend the school zone on Angas Street.  

The proposed budget allocation to these safety measures is $500,000 over two financial years, with the initial $250,000 in 2024-25 subject to approval in the upcoming council budget. 

The council will also undertake the safety review of other schools within the city, and Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith said this is a critical piece of work for the city of Adelaide. 

“It’s practical road safety changes like these that can save lives and I thank our administration for undertaking the work to date,” Lomax-Smith said. 

Councillor Phillip Martin said safety in school drop-off and pick-up zones is an issue for all Adelaide schools.

“This is a great outcome, it is significant we are moving as quickly as this to address what is clearly a dangerous circumstance,” he said. 

The recommended changes to the school zone are not expected to significantly impact vehicle travel times.