The principal of Burgmann Anglican School in Gungahlin is pleading for help to resolve traffic chaos around the school during drop-off and pick-up times, fearing a child will be injured or killed if the situation does not improve.
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Principal Steven Bowers said the safety of students at the Valley campus on the corner of Gungahlin Drive and The Valley Avenue was being threatened by a combination of scarce parking for parents in streets around the college, inadequate bays for buses and the location of the school at the intersection of ''two very busy roads''.
He said traffic lights outside the school did not provide enough protection.
''We've had some near misses with cars running through those lights,'' he said.
''I do fear a child could be injured or killed.''
Mr Bowers said the situation was set to worsen with the imminent removal of a 50-space public car park across the road from the school to make way for the new Valley Ponds wetlands.
He supported the wetlands but was not happy that only a 13-space car park would replace the current facilities.
He said a long-term solution was needed.
''The situation was so dire at the beginning of the year that we employed a traffic management company with stop and go signs to manage the traffic on the public roads,'' he said.
''We're looking for some long-term solutions to the traffic flow as well as the parking.''
The school opened in 1999 with 24 students.
It now has 1500 students - 1000 at its Valley campus and 500 at its Forde campus. The Valley campus has students as young as three in its preschool and their parents have to park to sign them in and out of the school each day.
Mr Bowers said the recently-built Gungahlin College had ring-roads to ease congestion and Burgmann needed a similar arrangement for traffic.
The ACT Planning and Land Authority has approved a sealed car park near the scout hall to accommodate 13 cars as well as tour buses.
The authority maintains the public will still be able to access the parking during the construction phase and the existing parking will be retained.
''The proposal will provide formal car parking replacing the existing informal arrangements,'' it said.
The construction work is expected to start either next month or in November and take about eight months.
Burgmann Parents and Friends Committee member Kerri Hannaford said dropping off children in the morning was particularly difficult when parents had to compete with peak-hour traffic.
''I have three children at the school and two of them have been almost hit on the crossing and I know of other similar incidents,'' she said.
Mrs Hannaford said the inadequate parking forced parents to mount the kerb with their cars, cross a bike path and park on the verge.
''It's a very, very dangerous situation,'' she said.
Mr Bowers took his concerns to this week's meeting of the Gungahlin Community Council which resolved to ask all interested parties to its meeting in October to discuss the issue.