Crashes near Bathurst Golf Club prompt call for shoulder on Mitchell Highway

It has led to calls for the Mitchell Highway to be widened in front of the club to allow vehicles to turn in safely.

Councillor Warren Aubin said there is no opportunity for vehicles to safely go around cars waiting to turn into the golf club from the eastbound lane.

"It would be nice to see something done there. There's not a lot of sight distance when you come over the crest of that hill coming into Bathurst and if one, or even two, cars are sitting waiting to turn into the golf club they can be seen as sitting ducks, especially when the first semi trailer comes over the top, because there is no road for them to go around," he said.

"It would be nice to see if they could actually do something with the road to widen it to make a shoulder for vehicles to go around vehicles waiting to turn into the golf club."

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He said there have been instances of vehicles being damaged, including one back in May where a car ran into the back of another vehicle waiting to turn into the club.

That vehicle, he understands, was written off as a result of the accident.

"That was pretty major. That car copped a fair whack in the back. Obviously, the driver of the car coming down the hill just didn't see them, because I don't think, by the size of that whack, there was much braking involved," Cr Aubin said.

He said the lack of space to drive around vehicles was exacerbated by the hill on the approach to the club.

As the Mitchell Highway is a state-controlled road, he thinks "meaningful discussions" need to be had with Transport for NSW to see if a shoulder wide enough for both cars and trucks can be added.

"It's something that I think should be looked at by Transport for NSW, because it's a dangerous situation that's there and I think something that should be rectified if it's possible to be done," he said.

If the highway is left as it is, someone could be seriously injured or killed.

"You've only got to look at that car that was hit by another car. Imagine if it got hit by a truck," Cr Aubin said.

"There'd be nothing left of it or the driver."

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