Residents living along Chatswood Road at Daisy Hill say they risk their lives every day trying to cross the road, and it’s only getting worse.
Jayne Neylan, Kay Kirkwood and Mary Simondson are carrying out a Community Safety Survey.
The trio say gentrification is going to exacerbate safety issues along busy Chatswood Road, with its three roundabouts and only one pedestrian crossing and one intersection for people to cross the road over a 2km stretch.
The trio say proposed M1 upgrades were supposed to address this issue, replacing roundabouts with traffic light intersections, but the work seemed to have stalled
“We were told … that was all planned, and now that’s put on the back burner, but we’re still risking life and limb to come across for a coffee,” Ms Neylan said.
The road is shared with local residents, school children and bus commuters, and has seen even more pressure from parents dropping off school kids to both bus stops and the nearby schools, she said.
Anecdotally, they have heard many stories of road rage, car accidents and even wheelchair-bound elderly folks forced to risk their lives just to cross the road.
Ms Simondson says her elderly neighbours had to resort to driving to the shopping centre directly across the road instead of walking.
“There was an old couple that lived in our complex, but because they couldn’t get across the road, they’d get in their car, and they come out (to the road), drive around the roundabout back into the shopping centre to do their shopping because they couldn’t walk across the road,” she said.
Ms Kirkwood said they were too old to be driving, especially if it was only for a short distance, but they were forced to due to their circumstances.
“Half the time it’s quicker to drive out of here than it is to walk,” Ms Kirkwood said.
The survey proposes reducing the speed limit along this stretch to 50km/h and providing a safer bus stop drop-off zone, but the trio ideally want more.
They have suggested also including another wombat crossing, (a raised pedestrian zebra crossing built on a flat-top road platform that sits flush or level with the footpath), along with more progress on the M1 upgrades, as well as marked bays for school drop-offs.
Mr de Brenni said he applauded the efforts of the trio as well as councillor Mindy Russell for helping to raise awareness and improve safety along Chatswood Road.
“The new raised pedestrian crossing is already making a big difference,” Mr de Brenni said.
“I applaud locals Jayne, Kay and Mary for speaking out before someone is
seriously hurt or worse.”
“But I must also condemn the [State Government] for keeping everyone in the dark about
the M1 and busway project, which leaves the Chatswood Road area in limbo.”
Residents are invited to complete the survey.
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