KENT and Dianne McNab have taken to the streets of West Bathurst as they continue their push to have Bathurst Regional Council upgrade the Suttor and Mitre Street intersection.
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On Monday they began collecting signatures for a petition to have what is undoubtedly the city’s most confusing intersection realigned.
They will also address councillors at Wednesday night’s council meeting.
The McNabs, who live near the intersection, have long held concerns about the safety of children walking to and from The Assumption School, as well as other drivers who use the intersection.
In November last year, a crash at the intersection saw one car mount the footpath and crash into the school’s boundary fence, just 45 minutes after classes had begun.
Mr McNab said that crash, and many other near misses like it, highlight how dangerous the intersection is, and his fear is someone will be killed if nothing is done.
“That accident and many others like it would have been much worse had it occurred at 9am or 3.15pm when there are hundreds of children walking along the footpath,” he said.
“That intersection is a circus.”
Mr McNab said he and Dianne began collecting signatures outside The Assumption School on Monday, and had received overwhelming support.
They have also been door-knocking houses in Suttor Street, and say they won’t give up until the intersection is made safer.
“There are so many accidents here; it’s dangerous,” he said.
“Council looked at it back in 2012, and nothing has been done. Now it looks like Black Spot funding might be available, it’s time to fix it.
“The people we’ve been getting signatures from have been incredibly supportive. A lot of people have gotten very aggro about the fact nothing has been done.
“Everyone has a story to tell about a near miss or a crash they’ve been involved in.
“One guy told me when he was signing the petition he was nearly killed there.”
Mr McNab said both he and Dianne planned to speak about their concerns at the council meeting.
Mr McNab said he will be highlighting the dangers of the intersection, especially given its proximity to The Assumption School.
He said he spoke briefly with the school on Tuesday afternoon, and also hoped to speak with the school’s P and F about the situation.
“The school were very supportive of us,” he said.
”We just want something done before someone gets killed.”
Councillor Warren Aubin has spoken previously about the intersection saying he understood people’s fears.
Earlier in January Cr Aubin acknowledged the intersection “ really needed doing” but said it would be a substantial job.
“The intersection needs a revamp and I will be pushing for that in the next budget,” he said.
Cr Monica Morse said on Tuesday it was difficult to know what to do about the intersection.
“I know it was looked at some years ago but it wasn’t straight forward, it’s not as simple as making it a cross road.”
“It needs engineers to look at it,” she said.