The safety of Katoomba High students will be put at risk if a planned pedestrian island refuge goes ahead, says a group of concerned parents.
The Local Traffic Committee - which includes council and RMS representatives - has recommended a pedestrian island refuge be installed near the school on Martin St, at the intersection with Kurrawan Rd.
The P&C says with school enrolments swelling to 900, the refuge is inadequate and dangerous, and a pedestrian crossing would be safer.
P&C president Catriona Paterson told a Blue Mountains Council meeting last week the island refuge would "exacerbate a dangerous situation."
"There are no pedestrian safety measures in Martin St at all. Every afternoon we see near misses and we want to get a safety measure in place," she said.
"If you stand on the corner of Martin and Kurrawan you see a near miss every five minutes. It's only a matter of time before a kid gets hurt," said father of two, Russell Daylight.
The parents worry students will crowd on to the refuge, spilling out onto the road, potentially in to traffic.
"With 900 kids pushing and shoving there needs to be a zebra crossing or permanent crossing that doesn't require supervision," parent Michael Skeggs told the meeting.
They and school principal Jenny Boyall asked council to defer the matter until a safer alternative was found.
Ward one councillor Don McGregor said he could "see no harm in further consultation with the school on other options and we can only find out if we sit down and talk with them."
"It's critical that we consult with the people for whom it's most important," councillor Kerry Brown said in supporting a deferral.
"I have had many representations from students and the school itself," fellow ward one councillor Kevin Schreiber said.
While supporting the deferral, ward two councillor Romola Hollywood said she didn't want to give the group false anything could be changed, as the RMS had strict criteria.
All councillors agreed to defer the matter. Ms Paterson said she was pleased the councillors wanted to address the problem.
An RMS spokeswoman said: "RMS supports the use of zebra crossings however they need to be installed at appropriate locations and not all road environments are suitable for the installation of a zebra crossing. Blue Mountains Council has the final say on what pedestrian treatment is implemented along Martin St.
"The minimum number of pedestrians crossing a road to warrant a zebra (painted) pedestrian crossing is 50 per hour and 300 vehicles per hour each morning and afternoon."