New traffic lights outside West Rolleston Primary School, at the intersection of Dunns Crossing and Burnham School Rds, were switched on last week.
Principal Sylvia Fidow was grateful to see the lights finally arrive.
“We know they will make a difference for safety. Parents are very grateful to have them,” she said.
Fidow said they had been campaigning to get lights installed for about eight years.
“We knew early on, as the roll increased, it was going to be a concern.”
The campaigning included several public pleas from school board chair Rob Hunt to councillors to get the lights built.
The council spent $1.3m on the lights, covering the full amount after the New Zealand Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) declined to fund the project in 2024.
The school’s roll is currently 740, and Fidow expects that number to rise as new entrants enrol. She said the school is educating pupils on when to cross the road and where to stand while waiting, with support from Senior Constable Jim Manning.
“(Senior) Constable Jim has been here pretty much every day,” said Fidow.
Manning has been teaching the school road patrollers and pupils how to use the crossing safely, she said.
“We also have a staff member on each traffic light monitoring.”
Fidow said traffic outside the school is currently lighter than usual as Dunns Crossing Rd is closed at its intersection with State Highway 1 while NZTA installs a roundabout as part of wider highway upgrades.
When the road reopens, traffic using the road is expected to jump from 2000 vehicles a day to 8000 when the roundabout is completed later this year.
In coming years, the school is likely to be surrounded by the Carter Group’s 3500-home Rolleston West subdivision, which is yet to start construction.
