Council Works – Week ending 14 May 2019

 “For the week ending 14 May, the following key works were completed by Council staff”, noted Council’s Mayor, Cr. Ray Thompson.

“Within the urban Lithgow area last week, Council staff continued working towards the completion of a number of storm water infrastructure repairs,” said Mayor Thompson. “Repairs to the storm water infrastructure underneath Knight Street, Lithgow is ongoing. While the original defect was isolated in nature, staff are in the process of removing the segment as a whole to ensure a complete renewal. Given the age of the infrastructure and the fact that the road is currently closed, the decision has been made to renew the entire length from pit to pit to ensure the asset remains serviceable for the foreseeable future,” said Mayor Thompson.

“In the last week Council’s rural works staff have continued their focus on the maintenance of sealed and unsealed roads,” noted Mayor Thompson. “The maintenance grading of McManus Road, Portland, Palmers Oakey Road and Cullenbenbong Road is ongoing. Alongside this maintenance, asphalt patching has occurred widely on Rydal Hampton Road (including roadside slashing), Glen Alice Road and Dark Corner Road and staff have assisted with water and wastewater repairs at Ridge Street, Hazel Street and Bellevue Place, Portland. Lastly, staff have also commenced their program of street tree pruning with works completed on Amiens Street, Lithgow Street, Laidley Street and Enfield Avenue, Lithgow.”

“Over the past number of months, Council has received requests from the public regarding the installation of pedestrian crossings throughout the local government area,” said Mayor Thompson. “While Council understands the need to maximize pedestrian safety, in many circumstances a pedestrian crossing may not be the best answer for a given area. To this effect, Council’s engineers advise that guidelines exist for marked zebra crossings which require minimum levels of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, as well as available sight distance which may limit parking in the vicinity,” said Mayor Thompson. “However, where these warrants are not able to be met, other alternatives can be considered. For example, a pedestrian refuge and lighting has been recently installed in Wallerawang which allows pedestrians to cross the road in stages.”

“It is very important to note that where marked zebra crossings already exist, some pedestrians may expect to cross the road safely and afford less awareness to their surroundings as a result. While Council is in the process of upgrading zebra crossings to increase awareness where required, it is urged for all motorists to be vigilant in urban areas and for pedestrians to show this same caution while crossing roads, for their own safety.”