New report on West Bathurst intersection hasn't swayed Aubin

A fourth report on the intersection of Mitre, Suttor and Lambert streets was prepared for Bathurst Regional Council, this time by a third party, and was discussed at a working party on Wednesday night. 

While Cr Aubin won't go into what was said by other councillors, he said the new report hasn't swayed his opinion that a roundabout is not the solution.

Council, after failing to secure Black Spot Funding, has committed to fully fund a project to address the dangerous nature of the West Bathurst intersection, setting aside $1.7 million.

Cr Aubin said the latest report poses two options, to realign the intersection and build a roundabout, or leave it in its current configuration, which can cater to traffic for another 20 years. 

The latter is his preferred option.

He said that, if a roundabout was the selected option, there is a very good chance the cost of the project could blow out to substantially more than the $1.7 million council has committed. 

"We were told last night that nobody knows what is under that intersection," he said, referring to decades-old services.

“Once we disturb all that, who knows what we will need to replace.

“To my way of thinking, council’s $1.7 million is not going to be near what is needed to do that intersection.”

Cr Aubin estimates it would cost more than $2.5 million to complete the project, money he says council would have to come up with on its own.

“We can’t get Black Spot funding because it’s not a black spot. The crash history does not warrant Black Spot funding,” he said. 

He said the intersection’s configuration now encourages people to slow down, but a roundabout would likely make drivers go faster.

A further risk would be posed to students as well, he said, as the pedestrian crossing on Suttor Street would be permanently removed under RMS requirements.

“All of the sudden kids are playing Russian roulette trying to get over to the shops,” Cr Aubin said.

He would prefer to see the project shelved for another 10 years, with the $1.7 million set aside then able to be used to carry out works on roads that are in more desperate need of improvement. 

“I think the ratepayers deserve to have other roads fixed now that need fixing, instead of a road that will be fine for 20 years,” he said.