WHERE are the doom and gloom merchants who claimed the Sydney Road upgrade (in particular, the roundabout at the intersection of the highway and Littlebourne Street) would block up “back to The Scots School” in peak hour, especially with the Lee Street crossing closed?
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While I accept the argument Lee Street should have stayed open a few months longer to really complete the job, it appears that Bathurst motorists have quickly learnt how to use a two-lane roundabout, ensuring the traffic flows well at all times.
I look forward in a few years to see the tree planting take shape, finishing off a significant construction project for Bathurst that literally took 20 years to happen.
Crossing concerns
STILL on roads, Vittoria Street (Orange Road) from the Stewart Street roundabout to the start of the Mitchell Highway should be the next major arterial road construction project to be funded.
If the state member was looking for a small but useful project to complete, I’d suggest the culvert crossing on the Jordan Creek near the Bathurst Jail be widened to significantly improve safety for motorists.
I guess this culvert crossing would be the narrowest along the full length of the Mitchell Highway.
Numbers game
I AM a bit amused that Oberon Council has applied to the Local Government Minister for approval to reduce the number of elected councillors from nine to seven.
While this is most likely an appropriate number considering the population of the highland shire, it will of course mean voters will actually get a chance to vote, having not done so for the past nine years as insufficient councillors sought election.
I’m sure the minister will approve the request - ensuring, I hope, a fully elected council for the next four years.
Time will tell what course that new council takes as voluntary amalgamations are on the cards at any time.
Distributor dramas
IT’S taken a few years, but it appears Orange City Council has, at great expense, repaired (twice) the majority of the blandly named Northern Distributor Road.
While this arterial road does an excellent job of removing heavy vehicles from the main street, poor quality construction in the first instance embarrassingly placed this road on the list of NSW’s worst roads.
Orange City Council got the politics wrong too as it expected the NSW Government to take responsibility for the ongoing maintenance of the road once it was completed.
Orange City Council was rebuffed numerous times by the former Roads Minister Duncan Gay, who, in contrast, got the politics right, seeing straight through Orange City Council’s clever (if naïve) attempt to shift the liability.
Thumbs Up
NOT a whimper from the self-acclaimed road engineers who shouted that the Littlebourne roundabout was poorly designed and wouldn’t manage the traffic flow. It appears to be working well at all times.
Thumbs down
THE narrow culvert crossing over the Jordan Creek near the Bathurst Jail is a project I’m sure Roads and Maritime Services could knock over in a month or two.
