UPDATE:
At the Hurstville Council meeting on Wednesday (October 15) Cr Brent Thomas raised the traffic problem surrounding the new Woolworths at Roberts Avenue Mortdale as a matter of urgency, to be dealt with immediately.
The mayor, Con Hindi, shut him down, saying it wasn’t urgent enough.
‘‘I did see it as urgent but not urgent enough to be dealt with on the night,’’ Cr Hindi said.
‘‘The matter couldn’t be resolved on the night as the council is already doing something.
‘‘We are undertaking traffic and speed surveys to work out the best solution for traffic and pedestrians.’’
‘‘We can’t do things ad hoc.’’
The matter is expected to be discussed at the Traffic Advisory Committee meeting on October 30.
EARLIER STORY:
BANKS MP David Coleman is calling on Hurstville Council to sort out traffic problems caused by the opening of the new Woolworths in Roberts Avenue, Mortdale.
At a community meeting outside Woolworths on Saturday, Mr Coleman said that this was one of the biggest concerns he was hearing about in the Banks electorate.
"There are so many problems in this short stretch of road and I won't stop fighting until a solution is found," he said. "We have traffic banking up both sides of Roberts Avenue, meaning that local residents can't turn in or out of their streets.
"We have people risking accidents by turning right out of Woolworths into busy traffic because they are frustrated by how long they are stuck there for."
Mr Coleman said Roberts Avenue also was dangerous for pedestrians who found it difficult to find a safe time to cross the road.
"This whole area is a major concern," he said. "Council must act as soon as possible."
Mr Coleman said a petition would be distributed to residents calling on the council to act.
‘‘I encourage everyone to sign the petition and return it to me, to help demonstrate the high level of community concern over this issue.’’
A Hurstville Council spokeswoman said the council was aware of the residents’ traffic concerns on Roberts Avenue and that steps were being taken to solve the problems.
‘‘Council resolved to undertake a study three months after the opening of the shopping centre to assess the impact of traffic, particularly at the intersection of the entry/exit,’’ she said.
‘‘In August 2014, council commissioned GTA Consultants to undertake the study, the findings of which were reported to the Traffic Advisory Committee in September 2014.’’
She said the council was doing a traffic count and getting adviceon how to fix the problems.
Results will be reported to the Traffic Advisory Committee on October 30.
Labor councillor Brent Thomas was at the meeting and agreed with Mr Coleman that the traffic problems needed to be fixed.
What do you think of the traffic in the area?