Two boys being run down by an allegedly stolen car has prompted a renewed push to improve safety on Canberra Avenue. The ACT government will build a new pedestrian crossing along one of Canberra’s busiest roads, where residents have been calling for safety upgrades for years.
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00:00It was a crash with catastrophic consequences.
00:06Six weeks on, 14-year-old Aaron Way is still getting used to the scars.
00:11Just my fingers, just trying to get fists again.
00:15At the moment I can't really straighten them or bend them or do much with them.
00:19You wouldn't wish it on you, so the worst enemy, right?
00:22It was certainly hard to comprehend at the time.
00:26He's back in the classroom, but schoolmate Aidan Stewart remains in hospital.
00:31His brothers can't wait to get him home.
00:34He'll be out of hospital on Wednesday, hopefully.
00:38He's got a lot of recovery to do.
00:40The driver accused of running the boys down in an allegedly stolen car is before the courts.
00:46But the crash renewed a push to improve road safety on busy Canberra Avenue.
00:52I know that a lot of parents drive their children to school so they don't have to cross the road.
00:56Parents should not have to do that because of safety.
00:59The ACT Government's solution? Building a new signalised pedestrian crossing near the school.
01:05Whether it's a student or a pedestrian, they can tap the button.
01:09The traffic will slow to a stop and then they can cross safely.
01:13It's pretty scary crossing that road in the morning, so crossing will be a good outcome.
01:17Road safety advocates say more should be done, including introducing a 40km an hour school zone.
01:24The ACT Government keeps using the fact that this is an arterial road to be an excuse for why there should not be a school zone here.
01:34That does not apply in other jurisdictions.
01:37The government says it will fast track the design of the crossing.
01:41It hopes it will be built within a year, pending approval from the National Capital Authority.
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