Anyone who regularly travels the highway between Nowra and Ulladulla knows how hair-raising some of the intersections from the towns and villages to the east can be. The intersection of Island Point Road and the Princes Highway has been the site of many accidents over the years.
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Last year’s decision to reduce the highway speed limit through the intersection was definitive evidence the authorities recognised the risks facing motorists every time they drove through it.
Of course, this is not the only intersection that fills drivers with trepidation. Jervis Bay Road, while much improved, still backs up in the morning peak. Sensing the impatience behind them, motorists often risk their lives – and the lives of others – by dashing onto the highway.
There’s a similar story at Forest Road, although the line of cars there isn’t as long as at the other two intersections.
The herringbone nature of the Shoalhaven – with one major highway down the spine and myriad roads off to both sides –presents a significant challenge for future development. Unless these key intersections are improved, adding traffic only heightens the risk and slows down the morning commute.
Pressure on local infrastructure is one of the most common objections to large scale development. And it’s one that should be taken into account when planning panels ejudicate on proposals.
While the arguments against, say, the large unit development in St Georges Basin tend to focus on the hyper local impact on the suburb’s amenity, the wider traffic implications also need to be considered. After all, they have an impact that can be felt elsewhere in the local government area.
Increasing traffic movements on to and off the highway, at an intersection that has gained notoriety after too many crashes, should be taken into consideration when ticking off or rejecting developments.
Shoalhaven City Council has done this in regard to proposed subdivisions north of the river, making it quite plain they would have to wait until the necessary road infrastructure was improved sufficiently to handle the extra traffic.
While we welcome development in the Shoalhaven, accepting that it is generally good for business, we believe the wider implications of it need to be examined closely. Traffic should be part of the calculus.
It’s not only convenience at stake here but the safety of the travelling public.