There is a push from the Tuross Head Progress Association and others for major safety changes at the intersection of Hector McWilliam Drive and the Princes Highway.
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Road and Maritime Services has confirmed there will be a meeting soon with interested parties and Eurobodalla Council on site to discuss concerns.
Tuross Head RFS brigade captain Terry Lines and his volunteers have responded to a number of accidents at the intersection.
Speaking as a local resident apart from his RFS role, Mr Lines said a number of accidents had involved motorcycles and cars travelling past on the highway being struck by drivers exiting Hector McWilliam Drive not being able to see past southbound cars exiting the highway in the left turn lane.
“Extending the left-hand turn lane down the hill may help,” he said.
Tuross Head Progress Association vice president John Tilbrook said association members were keen to have that meeting on site with the RMS and had a number of potential safety improvements in mind.
These ranged from lowering the speed limit on the highway, changing the southbound left-hand turn lane on highway to improve the vision of exiting drivers and also to replace the give-way sign on Hector McWilliam Drive with a stop sign.
“As long as we get some improvement,” Mr Tilbrook said.
While some are calling for an 80km/h speed limit reduction and even a roundabout at the Tuross Head Princes Highway intersection, others say what’s needed is better driving, some common sense and maybe a stop sign.
Two residents at Coila Lake believe such calls are a waste of time and are creating unrealistic expectations, when the RMS has already stated it does not believe there is a safety issue at the intersection.
Former progress association member Jeff De Jager said calls for major works on the highway and slower speed limits were not the answer and was wasting government and bureaucrat’s resources and time.
“There’s not anything wrong with the intersection, it’s the drivers,” Mr De Jager said. “It’s also creating an unrealistic expectation that something will happen.”
One simple and cheap suggestion he had that might stop drivers from Tuross Head pulling out onto the highway in front of oncoming traffic was a stop sign on Hector McWilliam Drive.
Coila Lake Service Station owner Peter Ward agreed adding that a simple concrete median extending back three or four metres from the highway back along Hector McWilliam Drive would also “tweak” in drivers minds coming out of Tuross Head that they were approaching the highway.
It was also stop drivers cutting across to get onto the highway and he said it was particularly older drivers not paying sufficient attention when turning onto the highway and that a stop sign and median strip would make them more aware.
“It’s a simple fix that would not cost very much,” Mr Ward said.
Eurobodalla Council’s infrastructure director Warren Sharpe at the request of councillor Anthony Mayne will contact the RMS for a meeting on site.
In an email to the progress association, Mr Sharpe confirmed any changes to highway infrastructure was a matter for the RMS and was outside of the remit of council’s traffic committee.
Mr Sharpe said the advice from the RMS so far had been that the intersection layout was appropriate for the highway environment, including having adequate sight distance, and that the speed zone on the Princes Highway was appropriate at 100km/h.
Minor improvements to signposting were agreed following a recent review and these changes have been installed recently to better delineate the approach to the intersection and the location of Hector McWilliam Drive turn, he wrote.
And in respect to the potential construction of a car park near the intersection, council had no plans to formalise a car park at this location.
Council will request the RMS to set up a meeting with the progress association executive and invite Clr Mayne to attend. “The decision to proceed with such a meeting rests with the RMS.”
A RMS official did write back to the community confirming major changes on the highway or even a stop sign on Hector McWilliam were not needed, however the existing give-way sign was replaced with a larger sign to reinforce the need to give way. The give-way lines have been recently remarked and are in good condition.
A Roads and Maritime spokesman said the RMS would contact Eurobodalla Council and the local progress association early next week to arrange a meeting about the intersection and discuss any concerns either party may have.
“It is hoped a meeting can be organised either before Christmas or early in January.”
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Stan Gorton
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
