SOUTH West Rocks residents have voiced their concerns for the safety of themselves and pedestrians after three reported car accidents since 2011 involving vehicles exiting the roundabout on Gregory St.
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The residents said there has been at least a dozen more which weren’t reported.
A car mounted the kerb and crashed into Rod and Kim Saul’s garden on July 21 last year, with the couple saying three more serious car accidents have happened in the past 12 months.
The car was brought to a stop metres from their bedroom and had to be pulled from the scene by a tow truck.
The couple and their neighbours Keith and Janelle Black constantly feel their lives are at risk but they are also fearful for pedestrians.
“School students get off the bus and cross the road and walk by here,” Mr Saul said.
“Parents walk along the path every day with strollers, and all it takes is for one person to lose control at the wrong time and someone will lose their life.”
They believe the solution is simple, for the council to install a barrier along the side of the road to prevent a driver who loses control of their car from mounting the side walk and driving into the side of their house or hitting a pedestrian.
Parents walk along the path everyday with strollers and all it takes is for one person to lose control at the wrong time and someone will lose their life.
- Rod Saul
However, their appeal won’t be met as manager Engineer Works Tony Green said Kempsey Shire Council has reviewed the request and doesn’t believe a barrier is an option.
“The data indicates that the accident record over the last five years, combined with the low speed environment, does not warrant the installation of a guardrail,” Mr Green said.
“One of the factors to take into account in such an assessment is whether a guardrail itself presents a further hazard if vehicles were to run off the road.”
Mrs Saul was disappointed after hearing the council’s response and didn’t hold back with her opinion.
“It is like everything else, they are just going to wait until someone gets killed before they do something about it,” she told the Argus.
“They don’t want to spend the money, there is no doubting it is a dangerous spot and roundabout.”