Consultant to plan three traffic lights

Gosford Council is seeking a consultant to plan details of three sets of traffic lights on the Peninsula, according to Liberal representative for Peats Ms Debra Wales.

She said she was concerned that the Council was advertising tenders for the job of preparing plans for traffic lights at Dunban Rd, McMasters Rd and Railway St, as part of the Ocean Beach Rd Traffic Management Plan.

"This is despite the poor public consultation, ignoring residents' protests and ignoring our requests for roundabouts instead of traffic lights as proposed and a set of pedestrian lights at South Woy Woy Primary School," Ms Wales said.

Ms Wales has called for a review of the plan in line with reduced expectations of population growth on the Peninsula.

Ms Wales said she had "real concerns" over the fact that councillors had been told that there were large numbers of pedestrians crossing at McMasters Rd, yet there were no pedestrian counts done to back up the statement.

"There are very few pedestrians crossing at this point as it takes you to Rogers Park," Ms Wales said.

"They ignore our complaints on the traffic congestion on Blackwall Rd created since the traffic lights were installed and they ignore our concerns that their projected population figures are incorrect which they base this whole study on."

Ms Wales stated in a submission to council that proposed traffic signals recommended to the council on the intersection of Dunban Rd and MacMasters Rd with Ocean Beach Rd should be replaced with two lane roundabouts based on the fact that there were negligible pedestrian movements at both intersections

Ms Wales also stated that the pedestrian desire line was located at the existing pedestrian crossing at South Woy Woy Public School and it was at this location that pedestrian signals should be provided.

"This would have the added benefit of improving safety on Ocean Beach Rd outside the public school and eliminate the need for the speed camera," Ms Wales said.

The Traffic Management Study stated that council predicted an additional 12,400 persons would be ultimately living on the Peninsula.

Ms Wales said that the draft Peninsula Urban Directions Strategy predicted a maximum population increase of 7500 based on a detailed assessment of current landuse patterns, medium density uptake and changes to Council's planning controls.

Ms Wales said that the traffic management study should be fully reviewed in light of the draft urban directions strategy, so that the net impacts on the intersection performances could be assessed.

"It may well be that the supposed demand at Dunban Rd and McMasters Rd are considerably less," Ms Wales said.

Press release, January 25 Ms Debra Wales, Liberal representative for Peats