Carlton business owners are calling for extra safety measures after a fatal car crash last week.
A woman, 50, was driving down Short Street in Carlton at around 3.30pm on Tuesday, May 24, when she crashed into a parked car on Carlton Parade before hitting a male pedestrian.
The impact threw the woman from her car and she died at the scene.
The pedestrian, 16, was taken to St George Hospital with injuries to his face and elbows but was released the next day.
St George police confirmed that the woman was driving down Short Street, a one-way street, in the wrong direction when the accident happened.
They believe the woman suffered a medical episode, possibly a diabetic fit, while driving.
Rockdale Councillor Liz Barlow owns Liz’s Lunches and Deli which is directly opposite the crash site.
She witnessed the crash and called triple-0.
’Everyone was just shocked,’’ she said.
‘’It happened between trains so it could have been a lot worse.’’
She said Short Street was notoriously bad with drivers regularly driving in the wrong direction.
Cr Barlow wants spikes or possibly a camera put in place to deter people from disobeying the road rules.
‘’We have people coming up the wrong way all the time,’’ she said.
‘’It’s continual but people just ignore it.
‘’It’s been getting worse and worse.
‘’I don’t know how you’ll change driver habits. It worries me.’’
Prabin Ghimire was inside his store, the Carlton Grocer, when the accident happened.
His silver Ford Escape bore the brunt of last weeks crash and was significantly damaged.
His four-year-old son was playing on the footpath at the time and he said it was extremely lucky that the accident hadn’t been worse.
‘’God was looking after us,’’ he said.
He has only owned the store for six weeks but already has noticed cars going the wrong way down Short Street.
‘’It’s happening at least three or four times a day,’’ he said.
‘’I think people are just lazy not wanting to drive around.’’
When the Leader visited the shopping strip this week one car was spotted driving the wrong way within a 15 minute period.
A Rockdale Council spokesman said there were already two No Entry signs in Short Street facing west.
That is in addition to another No Entry sign which was installed in March on the south eastern corner.
He said spikes were not possible because they were prohibited to use on public streets.
