First school in Victoria to have a 40 school zone

Credit: Article from MEPS Centenary Edition 1910 – 2010, p100

In 1987 Mrs Doris Riley and her young daughter were knocked down on the school crossing, and Mrs Riley spent more than two months in hospital.

For five years before this, parent Mrs Ann Dodkins and other had been campaigning to protect their children from cars parking across the footpath near MEPS.

In March 1989 parents of children walking to St Mary’s primary school agitating for increased protection at the Clegg road crossing near St Mary’s and organised a petition. In April 1989 Mount Evelyn Primary School school council president Mr Franc Smith was quoted in The Post saying “The problem was highlighted recently when a car was pushed 30 meters after a collision at the crossing.”

Parents of both schools met with the Road Transport Authority in June 1989 and, early in 1990, Mt Evelyn was chosen as on of six sites in Victoria to trial new warning signals designating the zones as a 40kph speed zone between 8:30 and 9:00am and between 3:00 and 4:00pm.

The signals lights did not operate outside school crossing times. The success of 40kph school zones had resulted in their applications across the state.