Greg Warren says he is confident Appin Road will become a four lane, dual carriageway between Rosemeadow and Appin in the first term of a Labor Government.
“What people have to understand is that this government, which has been in power 12 years, hasn’t even started planning for the upgrade of this notorious road which ahs claimed so many lives,’’ the member for Campbelltown told the South West Voice in Macarthur this morning.
He was responding to commentary on social media that labelled as “disappointing’’ the announcement of a $2 million scoping study by an incoming Labor Government.
Earlier this week, Mr Warren, along with shadow minister for roads John Graham (pictured above) revealed that an elected Minns Labor Government will contribute $2 million to accelerate the planning and delivery of improvements to Appin Road, between Rosemeadow and Appin township.
They said NSW Labor would commit $2 million for a scoping study, a vital first step in addressing the years of neglect.
“This must be done right the first time and the scoping study must occur for that to happen,’’ they said.
Almost 30 people have lost their lives on Appin Road in the past 20 years, and with new residential developments bringing more traffic the need for an upgrade has become urgent.
The last publicly available Transport for NSW traffic study in 2018 showed 12,000 daily traffic movements on the road each day.
“As someone who used to cart coal up in trucks and down Appin Road, I am acutely aware of the dangers,” the Campbelltown MP said.
“What was once just a dirt track is now the major arterial road connecting Macarthur with the Illawarra.
“Putting in place provisions to ensure safe passage from one side of the road to the other for native wildlife – particularly koalas – is also paramount.
“This funding for a scoping study will allow us to adequately assess existing and future needs of the road to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.”
30 people killed between Campbelltown and Bulli, development continues, but where are the evacuation plans in times of fire, where are the reports on future air pollution and excessive heat.
Not good enough, Greg, it has taken a Chinese charity to fund the new cancer clinic for one of the highest regions for lung cancer.