GOULBURN Mulwaree Council will undertake further community consultation regarding the possible reopening of Carr St.
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Residents met with councillors, General Manager Warwick Bennett, Operations Director Matt O’Rourke and Director of Planning Louise Wakefield at a workshop to discuss the issue last Thursday evening.
Mayor Geoff Kettle and Crs Andrew Banfield, Robin Saville, Carol James and Alfie Walker were apologies.
The street was blocked off at its southern end with a dirt mound in 1995 after a bus accident and because of other safety concerns addressed by the then Mayor, Cr Margaret O’Neill and councillors at the time.
There is a proposed 34 lot residential subdivision, called the Grandview Estate, which would be located at the southern end of the street on the intersection with Ducks Lane.
Two Carr St residents, Sharon Howe and Eric Day, along with their neighbours, outlined their concerns about the potential impacts if the street was to be reopened.
Ms Howe gave a presentation and said that the road is simply not wide enough for two cars to pass safely unless they mount the kerb.
“According to Council the current width of the road (including the kerbs) is six metres,” Ms Howe said.
“We have measured it ourselves and it is actually only 5.1 metres.”
She said there were “massive drainage issues”, showing a video of recent rain flooding her garden and driveway, and noted that there was also no street lighting, no pedestrian access and a large kangaroo population in the area.
“If this reopening occurs, Council won’t be able to monitor what types of vehicles will be using the road,” she said.
“Reopening Carr St would likely create complaints from Slocombe St and Cathcart St that through traffic has increased.
“Plus when you turn into the start of the street, there is not much of a clearance for two cars to turn safely.
“Mix this in with a large kangaroo population, and there would be chaos.
In fact, there have been several kangaroos that have already been hit and killed.”
Before Thursday night’s meeting Ms Howe had been in regular communication with Mr Bennett and Mr O’Rourke.
She also met with Cr Kettle, and Crs O’Neill, Saville, James and Sam Rowland.
“I’ve been getting some good feedback from Mayor Kettle and the other councillors I have met with,” she said.
“In fact when I spoke with Cr Kettle and showed him the problems with the street, he agreed with me.”
Consent conditions for development of the subdivision require that extensive kerbing and guttering needs to be carried out on the western side of the street, an upgrade of the Carr St and Ducks Lane roundabout, small roundabouts at both the north and south entrances to the Grandview Estate, the installation of street lighting and the relocation of the Carr St closure point further north.
Mr O’Rourke and Mrs Wakefield gave a presentation regarding these proposals.
In his report, Mr O’Rourke said that traffic counts had been carried out at both Ducks Lane and Mary St, with estimates of more than 1,100 car movements per day on Ducks Lane and 125 car movements per day on Mary St.
He also outlined the traffic calming measures that would potentially be put in place on Carr St, including a chicane, a load restriction of no more than six tonnes and treatment of the t-intersection, including placing roundabouts on the street which he believed would improve safety by 85 percent.
Mr O’Rourke estimated this work would cost $750,000.
Mr Bennett told the Post that the potential reopening of Carr St would be delayed pending a further traffic study and community survey.
“I have also made it very clear that the part of Carr Street adjacent to the new subdivision will be upgraded when the developer is ready to do so,” he said.
He also said that he would raise the possibility of undertaking a tour of the Carr St area with Council.