Residents vote against road closure

A meeting attended by about 150 residents has voted unanimously against the closure of Dorothy Ave, Woy Woy.

The South Woy Woy Public School hall was filled by the public meeting to discuss the closure of the street, as part of Gosford Council's Ocean Beach Rd Traffic Management Plan.

"Full marks to local resident Kevin Firth who had alerted his neighbours to council's proposal to close off their street to make way for a bus layby," said community activist Ms Debra Wales.

"His encouragement of local residents to attend the meeting highlighted to council that there was inadequate public consultation in this matter".

Mr Firth said that he had delivered a 350 signature petition to council last year "which was totally ignored" and demonstrated how important it was to have a public meeting to show council that residents won't be ignored.

"I was very pleased to have so much support from local residents and to confirm my belief that council makes these decisions that affect our daily lives with little consultation with the local community," said Mr Firth.

"Gosford Council's Director for Works Mr Stephen Glen facilitated the presentation and was clearly told from the outset that there had been little or no consultation with local residents in relation to the road closure, the decision to install traffic lights instead of roundabouts at McMasters Rd and Ocean Beach Rd clearways."

"These are decisions that are made by people who don't even live of the Peninsula."

Former Gosford councillor and Peninsula resident Ms Debra Wales said at the meeting that she was alarmed at the lack of consultation for such major changes to the road network.

"It is ridiculous that residents were so comprehensively excluded from the consultation process," Ms Wales said.

"A public workshop should have been conducted with local residents as part of the planning process so as to avoid these stressful situations for residents.

"The disturbing fact is that the people who make these decisions do not live on the Peninsula and have had little consultation with the community.

"There are a number of practitioners who work and live on the Peninsula and know our road system like the back of their hand and yet council does not consult with them.

"We presented a submission to council last year proposing roundabouts which is recommended in the Traffic Management Study for better traffic management but it was totally ignored.

"Traffic lights were installed in obscene haste on a sweeping bend where no one with any sense would put traffic lights but council was determined to win this battle at any cost.

"We wanted pedestrian lights at the local school where people actually cross the road and more pedestrian refuges on Ocean Beach Rd as part of our submission."

Council confirmed that as a result of the Dorothy Ave road closure, more traffic would be directed into adjacent streets that currently had no kerb and gutter or footpaths.

"Most of our roads, including main thoroughfares such as Lone Pine Ave, are like something out of the Third World," said Ms Wales.

"The majority of our residential streets have no kerb and gutter and we are tired of hearing that council has no money for roads and drainage.

"But they seem to have millions to spend on regional libraries and concert halls while our roads are in such poor condition."

Ms Wales said that residents who attended the meeting were angry when it was noted that not one Gosford councillor bothered to attend the well-publicised meeting.

Traffic committee chairman Cr Chris Holstein was the only councillor to notify Mr Firth prior to the meeting that he could not attend due to other work commitments.

"That's why we are angry and that's why the residents on the Peninsula demand to be involved in the planning our community," Mr Firth.

Press release, August 14 Debra Wales