It’s also a victory for parent Leanne Crean, who refused to give up on her campaign for the road safety initiative.

Ms Crean was unrelenting in her campaign, which culminated in a petition with 1300 signatures being presented to Bathurst Regional Council.

Council subsequently dealt with the matter at a special working party meeting of all its elected representatives and senior officers.

Council is now set to sign off on the children’s crossing when its traffic committee meets next Tuesday evening.

Ms Crean, whose daughter Georgie Stair, 15, attends Carenne School, told the Western Advocate yesterday that she had refused to give up on something she felt strongly about.

“It shows what people power can achieve,” she said. “It was the result of constant lobbying. I wasn’t going to give up until I got what I and other parents wanted.”

While Ms Crean’s initial push was for a dedicated pedestrian crossing, this option did not meet Roads and Maritime Services specifications.

However, Cr Warren Aubin from Bathurst Regional Council said a children’s crossing met the brief to make life safer for the parents and children who have to cross busy Browning Street to get their kids to school of a morning and afternoon.

“The only difference is there are two marked yellow lines from one side of the road to the other instead of all those lines that cross the road at a pedestrian crossing,” he said.

“There will be warning flags put out by the school before and after school which are taken down while school’s in.

“An improved traffic refuge will also be included because at present, if you have someone in a wheelchair, there’s no other room for another person and they can get stuck on the actual roadway.”

Ms Crean said a children’s crossing was essentially the same as a pedestrian crossing.

“The school’s happy with the result and so am I,” she said.

“And if we can get Bathurst MP Paul Toole to get us a lollipop man it would be even better.

“He also promised all schools in Bathurst would have flashing lights at crossings, so we will be fighting to keep him to that promise, so it’s not all over just yet.”

Cr Aubin said the push for the crossing was originally referred to the traffic committee but, because of the sensitive nature of the matter, was then the subject of a working party meeting so all councillors could thrash out the issue.

“Some of my colleagues on council wanted to put in a pedestrian crossing, but it was explained to them that if they did go down that path it wouldn’t have come up to the Australian Standard and if there was an accident there, council would be liable,” he said.

“I think the compromise is fair and workable.

“I had my doubts about the petition, though, because it contained 1300 signatures and many of them came from it doing the rounds at the Penrith versus Gold Coast Titans match in Bathurst.”

Cr Aubin said it was up to Mr Toole to convince Roads and Maritime Services to fund a lollipop person at the crossing.

He said the children’s crossing would operate during normal school zone hours. 

“Council has sent a letter to Carenne School explaining what will happen from here and from what I can understand they have accepted that recommendation,” he said.

“It will go to the traffic committee next Tuesday night to sign off on.”

Cr Bobby Bourke said yesterday he believed the crossing would be installed shortly after school resumes after the current holidays.