Davistown Progress Association fears there could be a tragedy if a system of shared pedestrian and cycle pathways throughout Saratoga and Davistown isn’t completed.
Association President, Jenny McCulla, said Central Coast Council had begun the pathways several years ago, but there were huge gaps where residents and schoolchildren are forced to walk or cycle along dangerously narrow roads.
“The pathway comes to an abrupt end in Henderson Rd, Saratoga, and from here people are forced to negotiate the extremely narrow Malinya Rd, which is full of blind corners and rocky verges, before the path starts up again in Coomal Ave, Davistown,” McCulla said.
“We thought there was funding approved by Council some years ago to complete the pathway, but recent attempts to get some information have been unsuccessful.”
The association is looking for the pathway system to be completed in stages, with the first stage being Henderson Rd to Coomal Ave.
Other stretches of road which have no pathway include Emora Ave and Lilli Pilli St, which the association says should be addressed in subsequent stages.
“Many local pedestrians and cyclists ride or walk to school, shops, or medical appointments from Davistown to Saratoga,” McCulla said.
“We are fearful there will be a bad accident or at worst a fatality unless this issue is resolved.
“We don’t want to see someone killed before something is done.”
Fellow association member Pam Israel has launched an online petition, which has attracted half of the 500 signatures she is looking for.
“These shared pathways are needed in Davistown and Saratoga to enable pedestrians and cyclists to travel safely through their communities,” Israel said.
“This forgotten peninsula needs to be acknowledged by government bodies as an environment and community worth caring about.
“Our voices have been ignored for far too long.”
Israel said the situation was especially difficult for cyclists, parents trying to push strollers along the rocky verges and residents in wheelchairs.
The association has decided to call in the big guns and has written to Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal, Adam Crouch, seeking State Government intervention.
In a letter sent recently to Crouch, the association asks him to suggest Central Coast Council apply for State Government funding to complete the First Stage.
“They are awaiting a reply.
You can sign the petition at http://chng.it/VPQxPZ4p
Central Coast Council was unable to provide comment prior to deadline.
Source:
Interview, May 19
Jenny McCulla and Pam Israel, Davistown Progress Association
Reporter: Terry Collins