Proposed Road Safety Improvements for Towradgi Road

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Consultation has concluded

As part of Council’s commitment to improving road safety, we’re proposing to put in a new pedestrian refuge on Towradgi Road and some speed humps on either side of the railway bridge to reduce vehicle speeds.

There have been some serious rear-end crashes on the westbound approach to Memorial Drive. There are also accounts of speeding eastbound vehicles becoming airborne at this point on Towradgi Road. We’re proposing to put in speed humps on either side of the railway bridge to slow speeds and help prevent more crashes.

Another road safety issue in this area is that people using the zebra crossing at the Carters Lane intersection are at risk of being hit by vehicles. At the moment, you’ll often see vehicles driving around others that have stopped at the crossing waiting to let people cross. As it’s unsafe, the crossing doesn’t meet current road safety standards, so it will be removed and replaced by a new refuge crossing.

With the new refuge, the road will be narrowed to a single traffic lane in each direction and people crossing the road will be able to wait safely in the middle. It won’t rely on all drivers having to stop, as people will only be crossing one side at a time when there’s a safe gap. The picture shows an example of a refuge crossing.

The design plan shows the turn from Carters Lane into Towradgi Rd changed to Left Turn Only, and new No Right Turn into Carters Lane for eastbound vehicles on Towradgi Rd. A new kerb ramp is also proposed for the corner of Carters Lane and Towradgi Road.

Works are expected to be complete in 2020/21. With good weather, they’ll take around 6-8 weeks to complete. We’ll let residents in the area know when works are planned to start closer to the time.

The Frequently Asked Questions and Consultation Plan provide more information. We’d like to know your thoughts on these proposed road safety improvements. To join the conversation, complete the feedback form, ask us a question about the plan in the Q&A, email engagement@wollongong.nsw.gov.au or phone (02) 4227 7111.

Let us know your thoughts by Monday 22 June 2020.

As part of Council’s commitment to improving road safety, we’re proposing to put in a new pedestrian refuge on Towradgi Road and some speed humps on either side of the railway bridge to reduce vehicle speeds.

There have been some serious rear-end crashes on the westbound approach to Memorial Drive. There are also accounts of speeding eastbound vehicles becoming airborne at this point on Towradgi Road. We’re proposing to put in speed humps on either side of the railway bridge to slow speeds and help prevent more crashes.

Another road safety issue in this area is that people using the zebra crossing at the Carters Lane intersection are at risk of being hit by vehicles. At the moment, you’ll often see vehicles driving around others that have stopped at the crossing waiting to let people cross. As it’s unsafe, the crossing doesn’t meet current road safety standards, so it will be removed and replaced by a new refuge crossing.

With the new refuge, the road will be narrowed to a single traffic lane in each direction and people crossing the road will be able to wait safely in the middle. It won’t rely on all drivers having to stop, as people will only be crossing one side at a time when there’s a safe gap. The picture shows an example of a refuge crossing.

The design plan shows the turn from Carters Lane into Towradgi Rd changed to Left Turn Only, and new No Right Turn into Carters Lane for eastbound vehicles on Towradgi Rd. A new kerb ramp is also proposed for the corner of Carters Lane and Towradgi Road.

Works are expected to be complete in 2020/21. With good weather, they’ll take around 6-8 weeks to complete. We’ll let residents in the area know when works are planned to start closer to the time.

The Frequently Asked Questions and Consultation Plan provide more information. We’d like to know your thoughts on these proposed road safety improvements. To join the conversation, complete the feedback form, ask us a question about the plan in the Q&A, email engagement@wollongong.nsw.gov.au or phone (02) 4227 7111.

Let us know your thoughts by Monday 22 June 2020.

Consultation has concluded
  • Conversations with the community

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    Image shows on-site signage installed to promote the exhibition.The draft plan was shared with community and key stakeholders during the public exhibition period, 25 May to 22 June 2020. Letters were sent to more than 1,300 residents, property owners and businesses in the area inviting them to learn more and join the conversation. Emails with this information were sent to community, Register of Interest (Safety, Access), business, government and emergency services stakeholders. The exhibition was promoted with on-site signage and notices were published in the Advertiser and Towradgi Public School newsletter. Several news stories appeared in local news media and on social media. The information was also available through Council’s Customer Service Centre.

    In line with public health guidelines for COVID-19, some changes were made to the community engagement approach. The ability to facilitate face-to-face conversations was impacted however the following opportunities were offered for people to learn more and provide feedback:

    • This project webpage, where people could:
      • Read the FAQ, view the design plan, take part in an online Q&A where a Council Traffic engineer responded to questions, and provide feedback via the online form
    • Phone or Skype video calls for people to talk to a traffic engineer
    • Email or phone submissions


    Residents, members of Council’s Walking, Cycling and Mobility Reference Group, business and government representatives provided comments via phone, email and the online feedback form. Some residents and business stakeholders participated in phone conversations or Skype meetings.

    There were 203 submissions. Six people also posted questions to the Q&A on this webpage. A petition with 85 signatories was submitted following the close of engagement, however, 23 of those had already made individual submissions before the closing date.

    A range of feedback was received, with participants divided in their support for the proposal. Many acknowledged the road safety issues, saying it was important that these be addressed and they are pleased to see Council working to address this. Many supported all or some elements of the proposal, however there were also many objections to the proposal.

    People who were supportive of the proposal said that the changes are greatly needed as the intersection and crossing are dangerous at present. Accounts were shared of near misses, accidents and fatalities that people had witnessed or experienced at this location, with some saying the proposed changes are long overdue.

    Objectors to the proposal had concerns that the changes could shift road safety and traffic issues to new locations and create more problems than it would solve, especially at peak traffic times. The main reason people objected was because of the proposed No Right Turn from Towradgi Road into Carters Lane. Many said there were other parts of the plan they supported, but not this. Some felt that if other elements of the proposal went ahead, it would resolve the issues and there would be no need to prevent the right turn into Carters Lane. Most commonly, those who objected to this part of the plan said it would add time and distance for residents getting home. Concerns were expressed that there’d be a significant increase of traffic in side streets. Some suggested drivers would continue to turn right into Carters Lane anyway, including through the service station, bringing new safety risks. It was suggested eastbound vehicles and fuel tankers would be unable to access the service station at the Towradgi Road and Carters Lane intersection. Guests of the hotel on Carters Lane, including those driving buses and larger vehicles, would likely use Pioneer Road and one of the side streets in order to reach Carters Lane, which would be difficult and dangerous.

    Many felt a crossing is needed for improving pedestrian safety, but opinions varied as to where it should be located. People shared accounts of witnessing or experiencing near misses on the current crossing. Concerns were expressed that pedestrians would no longer have priority with a refuge crossing and that a refuge crossing would be more hazardous for cyclists, due to the narrowing of Towradgi Road to a single lane. Some felt a crossing wasn’t needed at all.

    Supporters of the proposed Left Turn Only out of Carters Lane into Towradgi Road said it would make the intersection safer for pedestrians and reduce travel times for drivers, while those who objected said they did not want to travel a longer distance to get home or to the beach.

    Some felt that installing speed humps was a good measure for slowing down traffic, while others thought they would cause collisions or have noise impacts on nearby residents.

    There were numerous suggestions for improving road safety in the area. Most commonly, a roundabout at the Towradgi Road and Carters Lane intersection, or installation of traffic lights and signalised crossings, so the right hand turn into Carters Lane would be retained. Road safety issues in other areas were also reported.

    There were a number of queries about what evidence or data was used to support the decision to change traffic conditions. There were requests for Council to provide the community with this data.

    There was some criticism of the community engagement process, with the perception that community feedback would have no influence on the outcome.

    The petition called for the right turn from Towradgi Road into Carters Lane to be retained, and consultation with stakeholders located south of Towradgi Creek to Elliots Road to develop a new plan. Removal of the existing crossing was the only measure supported.

  • Proposal update

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    The community engagement on this draft proposal for road safety improvements for Towradgi Road closed at midnight, Monday 22 June 2020.

    We thank all those who took the time to provide their comments and feedback on the draft concept. This proposal raised significant community interest, with more than 200 individual responses, and we welcome the diversity of comments we received throughout the engagement period.

    Throughout the engagement we monitored the commentary and have reviewed the feedback that came in up until midnight on Monday 22 June 2020.

    We will not be proceeding with the draft concept at this time. There remains safety-related issues that are important to the local community at this location. Council is committed to finding ways to improve safety, particularly around the pedestrian crossing on Towradgi Road adjacent to the Carters Lane intersection. Any future proposals would be informed by this community engagement and would be put out once again for further community comment.

    We thank all those who took the time to provide their feedback and will contact them directly to provide a project update.

  • The conversation so far

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    We're committed to hearing, and responding to, the grassroots feedback from all road users and pedestrians. We’re hearing a range of important issues being raised and valuable information is being shared in regards to the draft concept designs for Towradgi Road. Thank you to all those who've taken the opportunity to provide feedback to Council through this page. If you haven’t already, be sure to provide your feedback before 11.59pm Monday 22 June.