Aubin says best solution for congestion is a new road

The councillor, and member of Bathurst Regional Council’s traffic committee, has long campaigned for change and has grown increasingly frustrated by the issues resulting from the intersection of Hereford and Gilmour streets.

He said traffic is regularly banked up from that intersection, right through to the central business district, between 3pm and 5pm when people are heading home from school andwork. 

The congestion, he said, is a direct result of the new housing around Kelso, seeing far more car movements on Hereford Street each day.

“I honestly think that our infrastructure has not matched our growth,” Cr Aubin said.

“I really think we should be looking at building another road into Kelso and another bridge.” 

While not a new suggestion, it has resurfaced after a traffic study by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), which identified traffic lights at the intersection of Hereford and Gilmour streets as the best solution. 

It is possible traffic lights could be implemented in the next 12 months, replacing the existing roundabout.

“Just putting a set of traffic lights in isn’t going to address the number of cars on that road,” Cr Aubin said. 

When asked where he sees a second road, he suggested a continuation of Rankin Street, taking it over the river.

He did say that the effectiveness of this would need to be investigated by council and the substantial cost of such a project had to be considered.

Cr Aubin said he planned to raise the intersection at council’s bi-annual meeting with the RMS.

“It is one of those issues that I am going to bring up, see what we can do for that area,” he said. 

The Hereford-Gilmour intersection has long been a thorn in Cr Aubin’s side.

It was one of his key platforms when he ran for re-election in last September’s local government election.

In the lead up to the election, he did suggest a second road, but also floated the idea of making Hereford Street dual lanes in either direction.