Koolewong and Point Clare/Tascott Progress Association is calling for a major fix for Glenrock Pde at Tascott, with the stretch between Tascott and Koolewong railway stations in a shocking state of disrepair.
Association President, Ken Janson, who himself lives on the major thoroughfare, said it is riddled with huge potholes, with lack of drainage and deterioration of the road surface and edges making it ever more dangerous.
“Although large trucks are restricted in their use of Glenrock Pde, four buses travel it each way every day, along with hundreds of cars,” Janson said.
“It is a major secondary distributory road, with traffic diverted onto it whenever there is a major accident or flood event on Brisbane Water Dr and the terrain makes it even more dangerous.”
Janson said with no kerbs and guttering, residents are forced to walk on the very narrow road with its surface broke in many places and he is especially concerned about the safety of children.
“More and more young families are moving into Tascott and on any day you will see 40 children or so walking to the railway station,” he said.
“They are forced to walk on the roadway itself and it is a huge safety concern.
Janson said walking on the grass verge on the eastern side of the street, alongside the railway line, is often not an option, with Central Coast Council mowing it only every few months and grass often at waist height.
“I wouldn’t walk through there when the grass is that high – there could be snakes or anything in there,” he said.
Janson said the major area of concern was between Thomson St and the approach to Koolewong railway station.
The Association is asking why Federal funding, allocated as part of an $86.5M Central Coast Roads Package in 2020 specifically for Glenrock Pade at Tascott, appears to have been used to upgrade other sections of the street, with the problem area left unattended.
“Work has been done around Tascott railway station and the Tascott shops and further south in the approach to Koolewong railway station, but the area between, with its non-existent roadsides and huge potholes, has been left untouched,” he said.
Drainage was another huge issue he said, with water pooling in the numerous potholes every time there were heavy rains and temporary fills conducted by Council washing away during the next heavy rains.
He is calling for an immediate fix.
A spokesperson said Council manages over 2,200km of road network across the Central Coast and identifying renewal works for the vast road network is based on best practice pavement management.
“This involves the application of a range of road treatments depending on road condition, road classification, traffic volumes, treatment history and maintenance costs,” the spokesperson said.
“Treatments are triggered at different stages of the road’s lifecycle to ensure the cost effectiveness of the treatment; to minimise ongoing maintenance expenditure; and to limit road user incidents or impacts.
“Projects are then developed and considered for an allocation of funding with the highest priority works included into the Road Renewal Program as part of Council’s Capital Works Program.
“In the last two years, a number of renewal works have taken place in Glenrock Pde including patching, resealing and asphalting.
“In coming years, further renewal works will also be undertaken in Glenrock Pde as identified priorities within Council’s pavement management system.”
The spokespersom said upgrade works including the construction of kerb and gutter, footpaths, street drainage and new road pavement from Berala Ave to Koolewong railway level crossing had been completed in February, 2021, under the Federal Government’s Central Coast Roads Package.
Terry Collins