The chances of some serious improvements being made to the deadly Appin Road have just increased by a substantial margin.
That’s because both the roads minister and the chief executive officer of NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) have just seen with their own eyes why Appin Road needs urgent attention before it claims more lives.
The Member for Campbelltown, Greg Warren, this week welcomed the roads minister, Mr Duncan Gay, and Peter Duncan, CEO of RMS, and officials from his department, on a tour of Appin Road to see for themselves the safety issues affecting local motorists.
They checked out key sites along the road between Campbelltown and Bulli, with a particular focus on areas with poor lighting, a lack of safety barriers and poorly surfaced roadway.
Concerns about the road have been growing within the community following another fatal accident earlier this year, bringing the death toll to 41 in the past 20 years.
The visit comes after Mr Warren’s numerous addresses to the Parliament and a recent open letter to the Premier calling on the NSW Government to put politics aside and address Appin Road as a matter of priority.
Mr Warren said he welcomed the minister’s visit as a positive, bipartisan step towards addressing the safety issues affecting road users.
“I gave an undertaking to our community that I would never let politics get in the way of what matters most to our local families,’’ Mr Warren said.
“That’s why I welcome anyone who is interested in sitting down and working out a solution to this issue, which has gone on for far too long.”
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“I was encouraged to have senior departmental officials and road engineers from Roads and Maritime Services join me and the minister on the tour, as these are the people who will consolidate all information and community concerns to provide us with the potential solutions.[/social_quote]
“I look forward to hearing the findings of the tour and the response of the government to the issues raised.”
Earlier this month the Campbelltown MP tabled a notice of motion, calling on the NSW Parliament to:
• Acknowledge the serious safety issues affecting commuters and road users on Appin Road and recognises the desperate need for extensive safety improvements on the road;
• Call on the Premier and the Roads Minister to make addressing the safety issues on Appin Road a priority for their Government;
• Call on the [roads] minister to convene a round table discussion with community leaders, stakeholders, experts and other interested parties;
• Support any actions or recommendations and subsequent funding allocations required to reduce the number motor vehicle accidents on Appin Road.
Mr Warren says he had tried to utilise every parliamentary instrument possible to ensure the community is heard loud and clear by the Premier and the roads minister.
“I make no apologies for doing everything I can and as much as I can for as long as it takes to ensure Appin Road gets the attention it requires” Mr Warren said.
