Some residents of Robertson Street, Mudgee have been left baffled by a recent decision by Council to remove the speed humps currently placed in the area.
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A letter dated December 17, 2020 was distributed to residents of Robertson Street confirming the Council's desire, as directed by the Local Traffic Committee, to restore the road to its original form.
"After removal, the area will be monitored to ascertain whether additional traffic calming measures are required," the letter read.
Resident of the area, Mark Gallego, submitted a letter to the Mudgee Guardian detailing his bewilderment at the decision, citing safety as his primary concern.
"We [residents] feel that this poor decision will affect the children playing in Lions Park, just down the road from our houses, as well as the numerous joggers and dog walkers who use Robertson Street as it runs along the Golf Course," Mr Gallego said.
"I'm a regular user of the buses, I've spoken to all of the drivers and they say they don't want the speed humps taken out either. They have to get kids on and off the bus and the last thing they want is people hooning past, whether large or regular vehicles."
The decision to remove was made before consultation with residents, according to Mr Gallego who suggested "that's poor form, isn't it?".
"I don't understand why the Council is trying to take them out, who actually wants this to happen?," Robertson Street resident, Suzanne Suttor, said.
"Anybody who is a resident living in the area wouldn't want the speed humps taken away."
As one of the recipients to receive the cited letter, Ms Suttor also admits she was bemused about the matter, admitting the speed humps was one of the reasons she was attracted to her current place of residence.
"I got the letter in December, I looked at it and thought 'this is terrible'. One of the reasons why I bought this house in particular is the fact there are speed humps to protect me from a whole lot of nasty traffic," she said.
"We have a lot of dog walkers who walk up and down, a lot of kids who walk to and from school, and the little ones who use the path for scooters and skateboards. There's also mothers with prams, and we've got Lions Park.
If they're going to open this road up to big trucks, it won't only affect Robertson Street, but Lions Drive and Madeira Road too.
- Robertson Street resident, Suzanne Suttor
While the area is already subject to a selection of heavy vehicles using the 'rat run' as an alternative route to Sydney Road, Mr Gallego and Ms Suttor fear this will only get worse.
"There's already a few bigger vehicles who use it but that would only get worse should the speed humps be removed," Mr Gallego said.
"Historically, the trucks have taken out the warning signs for the speed humps."
"If more people protest to Council, surely that will make a difference," Ms Suttor said.
A Council spokesperson said the request to remove the speeds was issued due to noise concerns.
"The Local Traffic Committee had been approached to remove the speed humps due to noise," the spokesperson said.
The committee resolved to remove the speed humps and to monitor the street to determine whether there was a need for other speed calming devices that are not speed humps.
- Mid-Western Council spokesperson
"Council recently installed speed readers to use as a marker to determine if speeds increase following removal of the speed humps.
"Robertson Street residents were notified of the removal via mail in December 2020."
Should residents require further information or wish to discuss the matter, contact Council on 6378 2850 or via council@midwestern.nsw.gov.au.
According to Council's letter, the work is scheduled for February, 2021.
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