By FRANK GIBSON
A LOCAL resident of Grahams Road on Mt Rumney is worried that a tragic accident is just around the corner – literally.
Having approached Clarence Council with his concerns about the 600-metre stretch of gravel road in 2008, Ron Adams of Mt Rumney was advised that Council had undertaken a road safety audit and was “considering the affordability of the options”.
Concealed by long grass, some parts of the Grahams Road gutter are 600mm deep as Ron Adams demonstrates.
Ron, who is a retired engineer who lives on Grahams Road, believes that this simply isn’t good enough.
“Two years on and the road is still very dangerous,” Mr Adams said. “It’s an accident waiting to happen.
“Motorists still drive too fast down the centre of the road, even approaching bends with restricted visibility.
“This stretch of Grahams Road is gravel with gutters up to 600 mm deep, and in places, totally obscured by long grass. A number of people have had their side mirrors swiped, even after pulling over to the side of the road.
“There is no crown on the road, and after heavy rains the grooves and corrugations produce mounds of gravel that could easily cause a driver to lose control and end up in the gutter.
“One young woman rolled her car a while ago. It is pure luck that more motorists don’t end up in the ditches. It’s a miracle that someone hasn’t been killed.”
Mr Adams said he believed the problem could be solved without major expenditure by Council.
“In 2008 an engineer from the Council told me that the ditches were not only dangerous, but illegal. But nothing has been done about it.
“We don’t want the Council to seal the road. We just want it to make the road safe.
“For example Council could fill the deep open gutters with rock to allow the water to flow but stop cars from rolling if they need to pull over to let a car pass,” he said.
