Concerned about intersection upgrade

Independent for Gosford Ms Debra Wales has raised "serious concerns" over an announcement that the Liberals would allocate $6 million to upgrade the intersection at Blackwall Rd and McMasters Rd.

"(Gosford) Council has earmarked this intersection for yet another set of traffic lights which will create further chaos on Blackwall Rd," Ms Wales said.

"This will make three sets of lights between McMasters Rd and Allfield Rd.

"And for $6 million, the intersection would need to be gold plated.

"In all my door knocking, residents are sick and tired of politicians not listening to what they want.

"They want better roads, footpaths and drainage, not more traffic lights.

"There is no point, building signalised intersections if the ordinary taxpayers can't even get there with the disgusting state of our roads.

"For $6 million, at lot of our substandard roads could be fixed", said Debra Wales.

"But look who's advising Peter Debnam: Cr Chris Holstein, the same person who told us the aquatic centre would only cost $16 million and the cost has now blown out to $33 million."

Ms Wales said that her objective in State Parliament would be to secure a better deal for roads funding for council so that important collector roads were upgraded.

"The last thing I want to see is the Peninsula becoming traffic light city," Ms Wales said.

"Surely it's about time that the politicians listened to what true locals want to see rather than telling us what they think is good for us.

"Cr Holstein and the traffic committee don't live on the Peninsula and don't understand how local traffic movements work.

"It's therefore no surprise that we get nothing but traffic light chaos."

Cr Holstein told Peninsula News that the intersection upgrade would not necessarily involve traffic lights.

"There is no preconceived idea of what will need to take place at the intersection, only that it needs to be upgraded to allow safer and easier traffic movements.

"The $6 million also includes Blackwall Rd and Allfield Rd just to the north which has been a bottleneck due to the half-cocked solution that the Labor party came up with for the intersection.

"It will all be reviewed as one entity to address the traffic congestion on Blackwall Rd."

Cr Holstein said these were the two main spots that needed to be addressed.

"However, if the investigations say that there are additional issues that need to be taken on Blackwall Rd that as the State Member I will make sure that the steps are taken to address.

"Blackwall has become nothing but a parking lot at the peak periods.

"My opponents are just scare mongering," he said

Press releases, 7 March 2007 Debra Wales, Independent candidate for Gosford Chris Holstein, Liberal candidate for Gosford