Road safety at the Pitman Avenue and Princes Highway intersection, where there is no promise of a roundabout, is again on the Ulladulla Forum’s radar ahead of summer holidays.
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Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) has reiterated there are no plans to build a roundabout on the intersection because it would cause a massive bottleneck.
The main jam has always been for residents coming out of Pitman Avenue trying to turn right onto the highway and head north into Ulladulla.
“The main problem is about getting out of Pitman Avenue.”
- Jan Gregory
“The problem is for the 200 residences in Pitman Avenue, plus those coming from the Highway Christian Church, Racecourse Beach, plus the Heathland Reserve trying to turn right,” Ulladulla Forum’s Jan Gregory said.
However, hopes are rising that a partial solution that may help traffic flow more safely - while not immediate - is on the horizon.
Ulladulla Forum believes the 60 kilometres an hour speed limit signs at Racecourse Creek will be moved south of the nearby Kings Point Drive intersection.
This would slow down northbound traffic more quickly behind any vehicle turning right from the highway into Pitman Avenue.
However Jan Gregory thinks that is barely a bandaid.
“The main problem is about getting out of Pitman Avenue.”
“It goes back to 2001 when permission to build the Highway Christian Church was granted on the condition that it could not construct highway access until a roundabout went in.”
“It was first promised there would be a roundabout but it just never happened.”
“Therefore access to the church is via Pitman Avenue, into Coral Crescent, then Augenaut Avenue.”
Ms Gregory said residents in those streets have always been worried by the volume of traffic, reflected by their vehicle counts dropping off and picking up before and after church services, preschool hours, playgroups and youth groups.
“We went door-to-door last year and did a traffic count, in round figures 60 vehicles going into church in the hour before morning service time,” she said.
“Another count at Easter logged more than two thousand vehicles in one hour passing the intersection in both directions on the highway.”
- Jan Gregory
“Another count at Easter logged more than two thousand vehicles in one hour passing the intersection in both directions on the highway.”
Ms Gregory urged residents to continue to lobby Member for South Coast Shelley Hancock, who invited an email campaign by them prior to the last State election.
RMS rejects the alternative idea of a roundabout on Kings Point Drive as having the same potential for a bottleneck for through-traffic on the highway.
Ms Gregory believes though that Kings Point residents would be happy for a roundabout because they face the same problem entering the highway as exists on Pitman Avenue.
RMS maintains that the 5.5 metres of sealed width for northbound vehicles on the highway at the Pitman Avenue intersection is adequate room for motorists to pass from behind vehicles waiting to turn right into Pitman.
A spokesman said RMS was investigating options to improve safety and will continue to monitor safety and traffic efficiency on that section of the highway.
