Nobody cares

Residents of Lavis Drive and Morgan Avenue, Mt Warrigal tell councillor Jeff Bailey they fear for their safety because Council is ignoring their call for a roundabout to prevent burnouts in their street.

BURNOUTS, high speed driving, corner cutting, fishtailing and skidding around corners seem to be the order of the day for their neighbourhood, according to residents of Lavis Drive and Morgan Avenue, Mt Warrigal, and they say, no one seems to care.

You take your life in your hands when you walk out onto the street around here, said Lavis Drive resident Carol Pfeiffer.

And in spite of many complaints to both the Police and Shellharbour City Council, nobody seems to care.

Just because we live in an older area doesnt mean we should be ignored.

We are rate payers and we are entitled to the same as everyone else.

Council seem to have plenty of money to spend on the newer areas, but it seems like we keep getting pushed to the bottom of the list.

Mrs Pfeiffer spoke out at an impromptu meeting of residents last week with Shellharbour City Councillor, Jeff Bailey in a plea to enlist his help in getting something done.

Everyone agrees the City should go ahead, but the older areas seem to be neglected, Cr Bailey said.

The issue that these residents have raised is not about beautification or streetscapes, its an issue of community safety.

They should not have to wait for a fatality on the streets, before something is done about it.

Mrs Pfeiffer has been writing and emailing Council since June 2005 to try and get something done about the construction of a roundabout at the troublesome intersection.

A letter from Council to Mrs Pfeiffer dated June 2005 advised that a roundabout was listed in the Forward Capital Works Program for possible inclusion in the 2006/07 budget.

Seven letters from Council later, she has now been advised that the roundabout has been listed in the Forward Capital Works Program for possible inclusion in the 2007/08 budget.

At this rate, it could be at least another 18 months to 2 years before anything happens, Mrs Pfeiffer.

With the school and the shops just around the corner, it is only a matter of time before something horrible happens here.

Its just not safe for the kids to walk to and from school.

According to another resident, the Police say they are terrified about this coming summer because of the introduction of the drug, ice. She says that the Police have admitted that the hoodlum element has taken over this area.

But residents say that it is not just young kids in cars who are the problem.

There are a lot of older people doing it as well, they say.

According to several of the letters Mrs Pfeiffer has received from Council, Councils Traffic Accident Database shows that not one reported crash has occurred at the intersection since 1993.

Just because a crash hasnt happened doesnt mean the area is safe, said Mrs Pfeiffer.

There have been heaps of near misses, not to mention numerous cars ending up in peoples front yards.

Someone is going to get hurt.

Maybe then, Council will start caring.