PARENTS at Skye Primary School say that urgent road safety improvements are needed near the school after multiple dangerous near-misses.
Skye Primary School is located on busy Ballarto Road. Skye Primary School’s school council has written a letter telling the state government saying that the current traffic conditions around the school are risking the safety of young students and their guardians.
“The situation at our parent car park has reached a crisis point. During pick-up times, there is regularly a long line of cars waiting to turn left into the car park, creating a dangerous bottleneck on Ballarto Road. This queue of vehicles, combined with the crest of the hill, severely obscures vision for both approaching traffic and parents attempting to exit the car park,” the letter read. “Parents trying to exit the car park face an impossible situation: they cannot see oncoming traffic due to the hill’s crest and the line of waiting vehicles, while simultaneously needing to merge into fast-moving traffic. This creates a daily Russian roulette scenario where families are forced to take life-threatening risks simply to collect their children from school.
“These concerns are not theoretical. We have already witnessed a multi-car collision outside the school involving a parent attempting to turn right at the school pick up time. While thankfully no one was seriously injured on this occasion, we have documented numerous near misses. The combination of poor visibility, queuing traffic, and high vehicle speeds creates conditions where a serious or fatal accident seems inevitable.”
School parents who have contacted local Carrum MP Sonya Kilkenny for assistance say that issue remains unresolved.
The Times asked Kilkenny if the state government was considering safety improvements on Ballarto Road. She said that the state government completed road safety works near the school in 2018, and that she “will continue to work closely with Skye Primary school and advocate for changes that improve safety and access for the whole school community.”
“Back in 2018, I worked alongside local families with Skye Primary School to deliver pedestrian operated traffic lights on Ballarto Rd to improve safety for students and families,” she said. “In 2019, I secured funding of nearly $8 million to significantly upgrade Skye Primary School with a new indoor gym, parking, and upgraded administration buildings and classrooms. In 2022, further funding delivered upgraded toilet blocks and disability inclusion upgrades. And I am so proud that a brand new kindergarten will be built on site at Skye Primary to deliver free kindergarten for 3 and 4 year olds as another way to support busy parents and families and to make sure Victorian children get the best start in life.
“I work closely with all the schools and school communities in my electorate to make sure local families have access to the best local schools, with upgraded facilities and learning spaces, that are safe and inclusive. The safety of children and families is a top priority for me, and I encourage anyone to please contact my office to raise any concerns directly.”
The letter sent to the state government outlined concerns that the school was the victim of “inequitable treatment.”
“Just two kilometers down Ballarto Road, we have witnessed significant investment in road widening and traffic light installation to support the safety of the Flinders Christian College community. This raises serious questions about equity and fairness: why should our school community—with over 520 students and families—be treated any differently? Our children’s safety is equally important and deserves the same level of infrastructure investment and protection,” the letter read.
First published in the Frankston Times – 14 April 2026