UPDATE – PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE – USE OF RICHARDSON ROAD ROUNDABOUT (PAULS CORNER) AS A “U” TURN FOR MACKAS SAND TRUCKS
COME TO A PUBLIC MEETING – THURSDAY 31ST JANUARY commencing at 5.45 pm in Salt Ash Community Hall, Michael Drive (left off Lemon Tree Passage Road) Salt Ash.
Hear more about the alternate access road currently up for approval by the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure. Port Stephens Council Traffic Committee comments on the proposal. However Port Stephens Council is not the consenting authority.
The proponent is Mackas Sand Pty Ltd
Following representations made to her by many community members, the public meeting has been called by Kate Washington from Medowie, to establish the facts and inform the public. Regardless of any political alliances, this proposal is set to greatly inconvenience and endanger the lives of anyone who travels Nelson Bay Road on a regular basis. We are encouraging TRRA members and their friends who regularly travel Nelson Bay Road to attend. We remind the public that TRRA Inc is a non profit a-political organisation who act on issues in the public interest.
One local tried to post a sign about this proposal on their private property and this is what happened overnight. HERE
TRRA Inc and many community members did lodge objections when this modification proposal was advertised in November 2012. The TRRA Inc submission focussed on production levels, truck movements and the related safety issues. The standard response received from the proponent referred to as Appendix 5 of the EA HERE does not address safety concerns. The response received by TRRA Inc to our letter to the Minister for Transport (Roads & Maritime Services) did not provide any response to questions about safety at the Pauls Corner roundabout. HERE **
This proposal is not in the interests of public safety, particularly relating to traffic volumes at the Richardson Road intersection with Nelson Bay Road (Pauls Corner). This roundabout will be used as a U turn by empty trucks coming from the Newcastle direction and only minor reference is being made of that in the Modification application. There is also a slip road (Salt Ash Avenue) off this roundabout which leads to a small shopping centre and a school. Already it is dangerous, without the addition of trucks doing U turns and taking up both lanes of the roundabout.
Not only is the U turn roundabout arrangement unsafe, the section of Nelson Bay Road where this accelerate/decelerate intersection is proposed to be constructed is a blind corner, single lane with nowhere for a motorist to go if a truck makes the left turn unsafely.
TRRA Inc has noticed that the EPA have now identified there is a missing noise abatement report. The Modification application appeared to be misleading as the previous noise report related to the previous Lavis Lane proposal. Our observation is that there are far too many government authorities involved in the approval process for this application and more co-ordination appears to be needed.
For further information about this proposal and to see a copy of TRRA’s submission, Look in earlier entries in November HERE
Laurie – Well recognise the tremendous contribution trucks make for delivery of practically everything. If a truck turns right from Richardson Road onto Nelson Bay Road to go south – No – that is a right hand turn. Our main concern relates to empty trucks coming from Newcastle along Nelson Bay Road making a full U turn at Richardson Road (Pauls corner) ie, Nelson Bay Road to Nelson Bay Road. With this proposal there is only left in and left out access for trucks to return to fill up again. There is no right turn at the proposed T intersection and there is a concrete median strip proposed for the centre of the road to stop this. This is just not an acceptable safety standard for busy Nelson Bay Road. This is not about trucks – it’s about safety
What statistics or proof have you got that Pauls Corner Roudabout is dangerous.
Nelson Bay Road to Salt Ash is a B-Double Route.This is not the only Round-about in the country that B-Doubles use with safety.There is no such thing as a C-Treble. There are B-Triples and they cannot even use the Hume Highway. If a truck turns right from Richardson Road onto Nelson Bay Road to go south is this a “U-Turn”. Suddenly every truck that carts sand is a B-Double….crap. Suddenly every sand carter is an incompetent driver…crap. How does your food and fuel get to the Bay. Its convenient to drag out all your green issues after you have been a consumer of sand…have a look at your house, whats in the road.
Can I have a personal roundabout in front of my place,and its all about weight when it comes to roads and regos.p.s had a run in with this Macka guy years ago and he is not a very nice fellow he used more colourful dribble than I can poke a stick at..
The proposed alternative intersection to both Mackas Sand and the Worimi sand mine, shows a site plan with B Doubles entering and leaving the track at this proposed intersection.
Have B Doubles and/or C Trebles been approved by the police, RMS (RTA), Port Stephens Council Traffic Committee and councillors, for Nelson Bay Road??
Some of my major concerns are that with the fragility of the Stockton Beach dunes at present (sections of the beach have been closed for months) and the fact that there are numerous privately-owned properties which extend into the forested dunes, just waiting for sand mining applications.