A NUMBER of near misses between cars and pedestrians in the few weeks Junction Court has been open to traffic have led to plans for more changes.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
However as the area works through its teething problems residents continue to question the point of putting traffic through the area.
Elizabeth Parker from North Nowra did not think it needed to be opened to traffic and said she could think of plenty of other areas where the money could have been spent.
“There are definitely a lot of roads that could have been fixed up instead,” she said.
“I know this area had a lot of problems before [with antisocial behaviour] but I think this has just moved those problems to another area. It hasn’t solved those problems.”
Motorists and pedestrians are being advised to prepare for more changes in Junction Court as work is undertaken to create a shared zone.
Traffic will be significantly slowed in Junction Court after Roads and Maritime Services approved a 10km/h speed limit and the construction of a speed hump in the roadway.
There have been numerous reports of near misses between pedestrians and cars in the few weeks since it opened to traffic.
Shoalhaven City Council Assets and Works director Ben Stewart said with more than 1800 pedestrians and 200 motor vehicles using Junction Court daily it was important residents took care when using the area.
“Council staff recently observed a concerning number of pedestrians choosing not to comply with the road rules relating to the crossing of a traffic-light-controlled intersection at Junction Court,” Mr Stewart said.
“Pedestrians are reminded to use the push buttons at the entrance to the court and must only cross on the pedestrian phase, unless within the designated shared zone.”
Council will be installing a number of treatments in Junction Court in the coming weeks to help define the shared zone and address issues with pedestrian safety.
A 10km/h shared zone will start eight metres to the east of the traffic lights. Motorists and pedestrians are reminded that when driving or riding in a shared zone, vehicles need to give way to pedestrians and keep to the 10km/h speed limit.
A speed hump will be installed west of O’Connell Lane.
Chains will be installed over a short distance between the bollards to encourage pedestrians to cross at the traffic lights.