College looks to ease the congestion squeeze

Newhaven College is hoping to alleviate school peak hour traffic congestion at its Phillip Island Rd intersection later this year.

A college spokesperson said families had reported congestion at drop off and pick up time and with growing enrolment numbers “increased traffic is unavoidable”. 

“Newhaven College recognises the escalating traffic congestion and we’re taking proactive measures to find a solution,” they said.

“To do our best to alleviate issues the school contracted traffic engineers One Mile Grid to review traffic conditions and look at possible solutions.”

The spokesperson said the full engineer's report was currently in progress and “holds the promise of alleviating this persistent issue”. 

“The draft report has been received, offering a mix of short-term, immediate-term, and longer-term strategies. 

“We hope to implement some of these recommendations towards the end of the year to help traffic flow better and improve the drop off/pick up process.”

They said students can be dropped off at school 15 minutes before the first bell (8.35am) and picked up 15 minutes after the final bell (3.35pm) of each school day.

Drivers on the Phillip Island Rd have reported heavy congestion at peak times because of the one entry, with one describing it as “chaos”.