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| Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc. |
| P O Box K606 |
| Haymarket NSW 1240 |
| 28 February 2025 |
Action for Public Transport (NSW) Inc. is a transport advocacy group which has been active in Sydney since 1974. We promote the interests of beneficiaries of public transport - passengers and the wider community alike.
Discussion
Boundaries of the region:
Improving rail connections between Newcastle and Sydney would make a huge contribution to the Hunter region. However, analysis here is supposed to be confined to the somewhat-arbitrary boundaries in the map on page 5. We recommend that the final draft plan not be allowed to prevail over the needs of Sydney-Newcastle rail development.
Road safety:
Attention should be paid to speeding on the M16 and particularly on the three large roadabouts at its interchanges. These roundabouts have elliptical circuits rather than circular and a vehicle travelling at highway speeds could lose control where a large radius unexpectedly changes into a tight radius. The roundabout near Greta is about 145 metres by 67 metres and the circuit curvature experienced therefore changes as vehicles drive around.
Similarly, the small (50 metre diameter) roundabout on the B84 at Whittingham and the B82 Huntlee roundabout (about 60 metre diameter) and the B68 roundabout near the M15 should not be traversed at highway speeds. Steps should be taken to deter drivers there from exceeding safe speeds.
A roundabout at the intersection of Newcastle St and Myall Road Cardiff has been the scene of numerous accidents. A camera at a nearby house has recorded many such incidents - see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqrjAmhfZt4 - with the suggestion that something should be done to reduce the incidence of collisions there.
We recommend that serious attention should be paid to safety. We agree with the policy on page 20 but we cannot support the continued "improvements to infrastructure" that might give safety benefits if everyone continued to drive at the same speeds but that's not what happens. We particularly recommend that strenuous efforts be taken to bar law-breaking and reckless drivers such as those featured in the Cardiff videos.