Bulls Hill plans are devastating

I am writing to give you an insight into the plans that Gosford Councils' roads department have for Woy Woy Rd in the vicinity of the top of Bulls Hill.

Realigning Bulls Hill, as per the plans shown to residents at the public meeting on August 11, 2002, would have a devastating impact on the quality of life of neighbouring residents and for absolutely no net gain to anyone.

These plans show that council intends to lower the height of the intersection of Woy Woy Rd and Horsfield Rd by five metres.

This would bring the road down below the level of the home at 57 Horsfield Rd and other neighbouring houses.

This would cause an increase in traffic noise.

The excavation would also bring the roadway down to the level of the home at 82 Horsfield Rd, again increasing traffic noise.

The supporting earthworks would taper down to the side of the property at 30 Kanala Lane and have a negative effect on the homes at 31 and 29 and Kanala Lane.

The proposed excavations are also intended to cut the corner right up to the boundary line of 195 Woy Woy Rd, having long term detrimental affects on the foundations of the home and the family within.

The new proximity of the road and the lowering of the road height would also affect neighbours.

The home at 214 Woy Woy Rd would need to be resumed by council at a cost in excess of $500,000.

Council representatives seem very blase about buying out the owners.

Some homes may need to be resumed against their owners' wishes; other properties will suffer negative visual and noise impact.

Resumption of property was one of the main objections to council's "flyover" solution at the site of the railway crossing.

The Bulls Hill section of Woy Woy Rd could be widened without the proposed excavation or total realignment.

I met with Stephen Glenn last year and proposed that the Bulls Hill Corner could be widened without the need to lower the height or to take the road across the existing gully.

I pointed out that there is enough land on the inside of the corner to allow the corner to be modified.

I further pointed out the negative aspects of a bridge over Woy Woy Road to serve as an entry to Horsfield Rd.

I went on to explain that the hill does not need to be lowered for the convenience of heavy transport.

Every truck that travels up Bulls Hill actually makes it to the top and around the corner in its present state.

Trucks in the future will only get better and will have no problem negotiating any improvement.

Mr Glen emphasized safety as a reason for the realignment. Yet the council's own data failed to identify a single accident on Bulls Hill or in the area most affected by the realignment.

The curves along Woy Woy Rd actually serve as a natural traffic-calming device.

A long, virtually straight stretch of road from 214 Woy Woy Rd to the bottom of Bulls Hill would encourage faster traffic speed.

This traffic would need to come to a virtual stop at the proposed roundabout at the bottom of Bulls Hill.

At the moment trucks apply there air brakes for a comparatively short time compared to the length of time required if starting their steep decent from 214 Woy Woy Rd.

Trucks coming up Bulls Hill would need to stay in lower gears for longer because the new gradient would be on average steeper for longer.

At present the gradient becomes significantly less at the intersection of Woy Woy Rd and Horsfield Rd.

The proposed realignment would bring more noise closer to more residents more often.

The widening of Woy Woy Rd would be more cost effective than a total realignment.

It would also have other long-term benefits to present and future residents.

A separate lane could be left for buses to pull over out of the way of traffic and thus allow smoother traffic flow than at present.

Only about half a dozen buses run each day so traffic into and out of Horsfield Rd would only be minimally affected.

Children would still be able to catch the bus to school at the corner of Woy Woy Rd and Horsfield Rd and not have to walk back up to 214 Woy Woy Rd and then cross the Woy Woy Rd.

Some of these children are as young as six years old.

The intersection of Woy Woy Rd and Horsfield Rd could accommodate a turn-right lane from Woy Woy Rd into Horsfield Rd, thus minimising interruption to traffic flow.

The proposed overtaking lane up Bulls Hill could still extend to 214 Woy Woy Rd.

These benefits could be achieved and still leave room for pressuring the State Government into building a Bulls Hill by-pass in the future.

Four years ago the realignment of Bulls Hill gained virtually no public support as a solution to the railway crossing problem.

Yet council representatives have offered the realignment as the only solution and ignored alternate solutions.

Councillors are elected to serve the needs of the community, not to let their engineering departments create projects that serve little purpose other than to perpetuate their own existence.

At the public meeting a motion was passed unanimously calling on council to rethink the realignment of the top of Bulls Hill.

Council's engineers seem to have totally ignored the community's opinion on this matter and have arrogantly carried on regardless.

With regard to the proposed Bulls Hill realignment, Gosford Council does not appear to be genuine in its attempts to embrace consultation and compromise as a means by which to find solutions that are both satisfactory to most and do harm to no one.

Stephen Laming, Horsfield Bay