Risky walkway at Wombarra

A local resident is worried that a dangerous section of footpath has fallen into the ‘too hard’ basket. The Illawarra Flame reports

During the past 18 months, Wombarra resident Irene Lesniewicz has written almost a dozen letters to our local and state governments, flagging a problematic and potentially dangerous section of footpath on Lawrence Hargrave Drive.

No safe solution has been found.

Irene told Wollongong City Council that one section – between 623 and 625 LHD at Wombarra – was particularly dangerous to navigate when residents put out their bins.

In a letter to council that included the photo above, Irene wrote: “You will also see that one of the delineators has been hit so many times by cars that it has been moved to the opposite side of the footpath, how is this safe for pedestrians?”

“I initially contacted council approximately June 2020,” Irene told the Illawarra Flame. “I have written to council and Cr Mithra Cox 10 times and once to Transport NSW recently.”

Irene is worried about pedestrian safety during summer, when thousands of tourists descend on the region. “The new sub-division (Wombarra Vista) opposite this section of footpath will add further chaos and danger to the community and pedestrians. I would like council to address this as a matter of urgency, and not wait for a serious injury or death before they consider it a priority.

“A perfect solution would be a new footpath with barriers, however, council insists this is not possible. A minimum of kerb and guttering which outlines a definite road and footpath should be considered immediately, and at least re-install the delineator to the correct side of the footpath.”

The issue is complicated by a shared responsibility – Council maintains the footpath; Transport for NSW looks after the state road.

“Transport NSW will inspect the road adjacent to the footpath between 637 and 619 Lawrence Hargrave Drive in the coming weeks to help inform future work at this location,” a TfNSW spokesperson said last month.

A council spokesperson said: “This particular location is particularly challenging as the road drops away significantly where it connects to private property. The terrain impacts the potential to build a pathway without affecting resident access. Council has no plan to construct a footpath at this location at this point in time.”

Read the full statement by a Council spokesperson below:

“Council is working to improve the Grand Pacific Walk pathway to make it easier for people to walk or ride along our coast. Due to the size of the area and the challenging environment of steep cliffs and headlands, this is a long-term project that will be completed over many years in different stages. Recently we built several new sections of path between Stanwell Park and Seacliff Bridge. See our website for completed works: https://wollongong.nsw.gov.au/council-projects/ongoing-projects/grand-pacific-walk

Pedestrian safety is a key priority for Council and we are aware of a resident’s concerns regarding safety along the section between 637 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Coledale and 619 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Wombarra. This particular location is particularly challenging as the road drops away significantly where it connects to private property. The terrain impacts the potential to build a pathway without affecting resident access. Council has no plan to construct a footpath at this location at this point in time.

As Lawrence Hargrave Drive is a State Road under the control of Transport for NSW (TfNSW), Council has requested that TfNSW conduct a road safety review and take action to improve road safety along this section.

We receive a high number of requests for new pedestrian paths across the Wollongong Local Government Area each year. When deciding where to prioritise footpaths in our community, we consider multiple aspects such as the needs of residents, the surrounding land use and connections to key infrastructure such as schools, shops and services.

Council’s Infrastructure Delivery Program outlines the work we’ll be doing over the next few years to achieve the goals laid out in our Wollongong 2028 Community Strategic Plan. We revise the Infrastructure Delivery Program each year and there will be further opportunities into the future to reconsider whether this section of Lawrence Hargrave Drive should be included in our planned works.”