IT took years of campaigning to upgrade the intersection of Howick and George streets, but the final result shows that it was all worth it.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Around 12 months ago, the improved intersection was opened to traffic following an extended closure to allow for construction work.
Councillor Warren Aubin was one of the most vocal for years, calling for the intersection to be upgraded to improve traffic flow and safety, and now that the work has been done, he can see those objectives have been achieved.
"I think it has worked quite brilliantly," he said.
"I think the lack of pedestrian crossings when we took those away has improved traffic flow.
"The only thing that holds up traffic now is cars parking, and you can't help that."
As a motorist, councillor and a driving instructor, Cr Aubin is acutely aware of how bad the intersection was before it was upgraded.
He said that learner drivers he would take through there were often nervous about navigating the intersection, which had a multi-lane roundabout and multiple lined pedestrian crossings.
"There was two cars coming at once so it was a bit off-putting for learners because there were cars so close," Cr Aubin said.
Accident history for the intersection only lists two casualty crashes between the start of 2014 and end of 2018, while preliminary data for 2019 and 2020 to date has no recorded crashes.
The Centre for Road Safety only reports on crashes recorded by NSW Police, in which at least one person was killed or injured, or in which at least one motor vehicle was towed away.
What made the intersection of Howick and George streets so dangerous was the near-misses, which there is no official data for.
Cr Aubin said there were several factors that contributed to that, but the upgrade has largely eliminated those.
"It is a very safe roundabout in the fact that it is now single-lane and there is very good sight distance," he said.
He is pleased he kept campaigning, even though it took years to get construction stared, and now motorists have been left with a much better and safer intersection.
"It's one of those things, if you're passionate about something you've got to keep banging on the door," Cr Aubin said.
"It's something that had to be done and what we've done has worked."
