After Bill Collins provided emergency aid to victims of a fatal car accident outside his home, he asked the community for suggestions on how to prevent another tragedy at the bottom of Bulli Pass. Their submissions went to Transport for NSW, but the government won’t commit to action. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
Calls for safety improvements to Bulli Pass have been rejected by Transport for NSW for the time being, although an audit into signage and speed zones on the notorious stretch of road will be undertaken.
After he ran to help victims of a horrific crash outside his Thirroul home in February, Bill Collins was determined to do whatever he could to make sure there would be no more fatalities at the bottom of Bulli Pass.
He met with local MPs and was advised to get community support for changes to the road.
Bill and his wife, Tracey, wasted no time organising a community survey to identify what safety improvements residents thought would be most effective.
The community consensus was that the most helpful options would be a maximum vehicle load limit of four tonnes on Bulli Pass; flashing “heavy vehicle” speed limit signs kept clear of foliage growth; clear signage indicating heavy vehicle emergency action such as the location of the arrest barrier and an improved line of sight for Bulli Pass and Lawrence Hargrave Drive intersection via convex mirrors or slip lanes.
When he submitted the suggestions however, he found the response was underwhelming.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said there were no plans for immediate changes to the road, despite its history.
“Any crash resulting in a death or serious injury is tragic and we consider data from these incidents to inform planning and potential road safety measures,” the Transport for NSW spokesperson said.
“A signage audit of Bulli Pass is being carried out which will consider opportunities for signs including flashing ‘heavy vehicle’ alerts and those pointing to the location of emergency arrest barriers for heavy vehicles.
“Transport for NSW has completed a review of the existing speed limit signs on Bulli Pass and found there are 19 repeater signs, and six advisory curve signs and there are no plans to install more.
The spokesperson said there were no plans to make any upgrades to the intersection at the bottom of the pass, although there would be a review of the speed zones.
“The Princes Highway (Bulli Pass) and Lawrence Hargrave Drive intersection has ‘Stop’ signs and lines in place, requiring vehicles to stop completely before making a left turn,” the spokesperson said.
“The existing sight distance is considered appropriate at the hold line.
“Convex mirrors are more commonly used in very low speed environments such as underground carparks and private property and would not be suitable for Bulli Pass.
“Transport for NSW is carrying out a speed zone review on the Princes Highway at Thirroul (Bulli Pass). This review will take into account a number of factors including crash data, traffic volumes, roadside environment and driveway access.
“The community will be kept informed of any speed zone change before it is implemented.”
After the devastation he saw at the crash in February, that killed one person immediately and left three others in critical conditions, Bill said he was underwhelmed by the response to community feedback.
“My big issue is the reticence to indicate where heavy vehicles must be in an emergency,” he said.
“That is my immediate concern, as no change is considered following an accident that caused death and life-changing injuries.
“I can’t see any issue here short of cost.”
Loading ...
