Time to review Pearl Beach access

Many Pearl Beach residents do not drive, and feel abandoned by council's policies.

The many tourists who choose to walk into Pearl Beach to enjoy the cafe and restaurant, the Arboretum, the walk to Patonga, or the several annual events the community stages are also denied these pleasures unless they own a car.

Nor are we happy that council has, for the last three years, adopted a 'piecemeal' approach to assessing and repairing our only access road.

Last year John Cragg announced in the Peninsula News that the area below the hairpin bend was 'perfectly safe', a claim belied by the extensive retaining works currently being undertaken in this area.

Council has commissioned consultancy reports, and then negotiated the terms of acceptable levels of risk, and then chosen not to make them available to constituents.

Despite years of partial repairs, major concerns still remain about the safety of the only access road above the old Umina Rock Pool, on the low side of Patonga Drive below the water tower, at the entry to Pearl Beach Dr, in the area above Jade Pl, and on the last right hand and left hand bends into Pearl Beach.

Should there be a collapse of any of these areas, access to Pearl Beach will be totally denied and residents will face a much longer wait than the six hours it took to clear Patonga Drive when a road death occurred near the water tower in 2008, a period when the historic Cliff Rd was in extensive use.

The added and realistic prospect of bushfires cutting off these roads gives one some idea of the concerns held by local residents regarding council's dismissive attitudes to resident safety.

"Not walking the cliff road", as John Cragg recommends, is not an option for many, and being warned not to do it by council in the face of inadequate maintenance repair and access of the alternative roads provides no comfort to residents, who pay hefty council rates.

Surely it is time council reviewed its attitude and responsibility towards resident concerns and entitlements.

Email, 27 Jul 2010 Kay Williams, Pearl Beach