Today the Member for Charlestown Jodie Harrison will call on the NSW Government to urgently address the safety concerns at Redhead Public School.

Friday 20 May is National Walk Safely to School Day but it is impossible to walk safely to school without clearly designated and appropriately manned crossings.

There are crossings on Burns and Hutchinson streets near Redhead Public School, but parents are concerned the orange flags are difficult to see until you are very close to the crossing, due to the angle of the road. There is no official crossing supervisor for the school to stop traffic.

Renee and Erin Harris’s son Nixon, 7, had a close call as he was about to step onto the Burns Street crossing. A car drove straight through without slowing and Erin said they were lucky that his instinct was to jump back out of harm’s way. That afternoon, she saw another close call and was prompted to share her experience on the local community page.

The response showed that many parents shared concerns that one day one of these near misses would become a tragedy.

Ms Harrison said it was vital that all students had clear and safe access to their school.

“National Walk Safely to School day is all about road safety and celebrating the health and environmental benefits of walking to school each day,” Ms Harrison said.

“Less children will be walking to school if they don’t feel safe to do so.

“Redhead Public School has a busy and vibrant school community and I call on the NSW Government to address the safety concerns of parents.”