Resident John Gordon is set to appeal to the Minister for Transport and the Police Commissioner if Central Coast Council does not install a No Stopping sign at the start of Turpentine St, Wyoming.
Gordon has been conducting a running battle with Council, insisting a sign is needed to protect a pedestrian crossing at the site which is regularly blocked by parked cars, putting pedestrians at risk.
“Council says there is a yellow line to indicate No Stopping,” he said.
“Not only do most drivers have no idea what the yellow line means, it is constantly covered by debris from the nearby gum trees and cannot be seen.
“The only solution is a sign.
“I might add that in the next street over – Renwick St – there are 13 No Stopping signs in a very short section of street.”
Gordon said the yellow line is also often obliterated by fallen leaves from nearby trees with further concerns that an adjacent pathway is constantly overtaken by weeds, further endangering pedestrian safety.
The visibility issue was also exacerbated by a constant the overgrowth of tall grass which completely hides the small section of Turpentine St for traffic coming up Day St, the intersection of Day St, Kinara Ave and the main start of Turpentine St, he said.
Gordon said a Council work truck was spotted parked across the yellow line in recent days.
“When I spoke to the driver, he said ‘I did not even see the yellow line’,” Gordon said.
“This is a road safety situation and not a decorative sign.
“Do I wait until (someone) is hit by a vehicle coming into the short street to turn or will someone do something … and put up a sign?”
Council cleared the site of overgrowth and leaf build-up on March 23.
“This included mowing either side of the pathway and treatment of the weeds in the gutter and (the site) presently poses no safety risks to pedestrians,” a Council spokesperson said.
“This area is programmed for vegetation maintenance at 12-week service intervals.
“Upon the last service the street sweeper has been organised to clean the kerb and gutter gutters of leftover debris from adjacent trees and mowing work.
“While Council does carry out routine inspections to manage issues, as noted above, it is likely that the routine inspections do not line-up with the build-up of leaf litter or vegetation growth.”
With a 12-week schedule for clearing leaf debris from the kerb, Gordon is concerned build-up of green matter will continue to block the yellow line between regular clearings by Council.
“The grass grows over a period of about four weeks to be out of control and the rubbish from the trees can build up in a week,” he said.
“I am no longer capable of cleaning the gutter and road area on the opposite side of the road to my place; the only solution is a sign which is not affected by the rubbish build-up.
“Council says that there is not enough traffic to worry about.
“If a child or person is hit by a truck there will be hell to pay.”
A Council spokesperson confirmed that the C3 yellow line marking is considered appropriate to indicate No Stopping at the site.
“Council utilises the implementation of C3 yellow line marking instead of physical No Stopping signs, as it reduces the proliferation of signage and reduces instances of damage and vandalism which occurs to signage,” the spokesperson said.
“The area in question carries a low volume of traffic and is predominantly used by residents.
“Therefore, Council has no current plans to provide No Stopping signage at this location.
“Council does undertake regular patrols to ensure compliance with regulatory signage or road markings, including the C3 yellow line marking, including for No Stopping restrictions, and will issue infringement penalties as required.”
Reports can be made at www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/council/contact/online-services for review and appropriate action.
Terry Collins