The 40km/h speed zones outside two Illawarra schools are about to get bigger – one by 140 metres.
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The schools affected are Shellharbour Anglican College at Dunmore and St Joseph’s Catholic High School at Albion Park.
Shellharbour Anglican College will see its school speed zone extended by 140 metres along Piper Road.
The change has come about because the road is used by commuters to access Shellharbour Junction train station, which Head of School Anthony Cummings said had increased traffic.
“In 2004 when we built the school, we were asked to put in traffic lights [at the Dunmore Road intersection] and we built the first section of Piper Drive,” Mr Cummings said.
“Then when the station was built they extended Piper Drive. So for a long time the street was a dead end and it was perfectly safe but as soon as they extended the road down to the railway station, then the speed limits became an issue.”
Mr Cummings said the extension of the zone would improve the safety of students.
“The road is getting busier and therefore more unsafe, so the speed signs are much needed,” he said.
“Anything that improves safety is a good thing.”
Outside St Joseph’s Catholic High School, the zone will be extended to include two sections on either side of Tongarra Road.
One is a 40-metre section along Macquarie Street and a 60-metre section on Calderwood Road at the other side of the intersection.
The new school signs at Albion Park were installed on May 24 and those outside Shellharbour Anglican College are scheduled to be in place on May 25.
Increased fines and demerit points apply for a range of offences.
For instance, speeding 10km/h over the limit attracts a $265 fine and three demerits points.
Go 10km/h over the limit in a school zone and the fine becomes $341 and five demerit points.