‘Ticking bomb’: Inner-eastern rat run’s days could be numbered

Ten-year-old Floyd Connor says he remembers his fear when a car mounted the footpath and hurtled straight towards him.

It was a pupil-free day at Camberwell Primary School, but Floyd went to school anyway to play around on his scooter with mates when he says the car appeared, swerving around the temporary bollards blocking the road to traffic.

“It went across the footpath with no number plate and nearly hit us, so we had to jump on the road to stay safe and [the driver] just carried on like nothing happened,” Floyd said.

That stretch of road, which runs between Camberwell Primary School’s two campuses, has been shut for the past 18 months by removable bollards after a near-miss involving a young child and a car smashing into a school fence in 2024.

Floyd’s mother, Wendy Trinet, is worried that a car could swerve around the temporary bollard again and no longer lets her son play at the campus outside school time. Trinet is among local parents pushing for a permanent fix after years of close calls.

“You can’t drive in the middle of the road, but you can access the side, the footpath, so this is still not blocked,” Trinet said.

“An accident is going to happen, it’s just a ticking bomb.”

Boroondara Council is considering whether to block the section of Reserve Road, which in the past could be used as a rat-run to avoid Camberwell Junction, but multiple local groups and traders oppose permanently shutting it and are calling for an alternative solution due to the loss of more than 40 parking spots and concerns over traffic.

The death of 11-year-old Jack Davey, who was struck by a car that ploughed into a fence at nearby Auburn South Primary School in late 2024, is front of mind for the school community, Camberwell Primary School Council president Elaine Ko said.

Students cross the road multiple times a day under adult supervision to attend classes, assemblies or go to the playground. While most of the school’s 550 students patiently line up, Ko said young children were known to bolt across the road unexpectedly and the risk of a serious incident remains too high.

“We’ve been very lucky up until now that nothing more serious has happened,” she said.

Reserve Road runs through the heart of an area known as Camberwell Civic Park, which includes the school, three churches with facilities used by community groups, a tennis club, parkland and Camberwell Library. The school’s playground is open to the public outside school hours.

Camberwell Centre Association president Di Gillies, who represents hundreds of local businesses, does not support the proposed permanent closure and urged the council to defer making a “hasty” decision on the area’s future.

“This decision significantly impacts traffic management near a busy junction, reduces local parking, and restricts access for church events and local organisations,” she said.

Gillies, whose children attended the school and was previously a councillor, is also concerned about child safety on Reserve Road but questioned whether blocking part of the street even on non-school days was viable for Camberwell.

She called for greater consideration of alternatives, including installing an overpass or gates to stop traffic during school hours.

The Camberwell Music Society hosts concerts at the Uniting Church next to the school. President Peter Gray said his organisation had lodged an age and disability discrimination complaint to the Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission over the temporary closure on behalf of a member with mobility issues.

“[The closure] deprives people who come to events at the Camberwell Uniting Church of adjacent parking that involves a short walk and access without having to negotiate steps,” he said.

Gray is exploring legal options and said he supported blocking the road on school days only.

“I certainly don’t want children to be unsafe, I certainly don’t want that, but there are thousands of school crossings, and every school has a street frontage.”

The number of car spots on Reserve Road dropped from 79 to 36, including four accessible spaces, when the road was temporarily shut, while ticketed parks on surrounding streets were made free. There are more than 100 other fee-free spots on the other side of Camberwell Road behind businesses, in addition to those at the library.

A masterplan for the area developed by council staff, which has not yet been voted on, proposes turning part of Reserve Road into open green space. As a state government activity centre, Camberwell Junction is earmarked for further development, and its population is predicted to more than double over the next 25 years.

Bundoora Council will consider closing the road permanently next week, and Mayor Wes Gault said councillors would consider all submissions before making a decision.

“Our priority is to ensure the Reserve Road area is as safe as possible for students, families and other pedestrians,” he said.

“We know the community holds a range of views on the future of Reserve Road, and we’re carefully considering all feedback.”

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