The terms of reference are settled, the school bus safety committee has met – now it’s time to send submissions
September 9, 2011
NSW School Bus Safety Community Advisory Committee Chair Carolyn Walsh is calling for public submissions as part of the committee’s work to examine school bus safety in regional and rural NSW.
Parents, schools, bus drivers, bus companies, students and other individuals and groups are invited to have their say on school bus safety.
NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian established the School Bus Safety Community
Advisory Committee within weeks of the O’Farrell Government’s election to office in March.
The committee aims to examine issues relating to the safe transportation of children to and from school.
The committee consists of road safety experts, transport operators, parents and school
Representatives, led by Carolyn Walsh who is also a Commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Walsh says submissions, information, recommendations and comments were welcome.
She says the committee had already determined its terms of reference which are:
• Assess the status of school bus safety in regional and rural NSW
• Consider the full range of school bus safety measures, with reference to national and international experience
;
• Recommend the most effective ways to make school bus travel as safe as possible
.
Walsh says the submissions will play an important role in helping with the committee’s task.
“With more than 60,000 students across regional and rural NSW travelling to and from school each day, it is very important that we thoroughly examine all issues surrounding their safety,” she says.
“We want our recommendations to the Government to be practical and to be drawn from feedback we receive from the community.”
Walsh says examples of issues that may be raised include infrastructure and school routes, bus design including seat belts, scheduling, driver training and performance or safety issues off the bus like activities around bus stops.
Submissions can be sent by email to carolynwalshnsw@gmail.com, closing on September 23.
More information about making a submission can be obtained from the Committee Secretariat on (02) 9689 8838.