Thirroul Village Committee Update in June

The TVC was invited to a number of meetings in April, including the Road Safety Forum with Transport for NSW and the Wollongong City Council (WCC) Neighbourhood Committee Convenors meeting. 

Road Safety Action Plan Forum

Representatives from Wollongong and Shellharbour Councils, local community groups (IBUG, 30 km zones, TVC and NIRAG) and the community attended this forum organised by TfNSW. In the room there were people with expertise in all aspects of road development and safety, which was fantastic. The forum commenced with a solemn reminder of the importance of road safety when a father spoke of the trauma of losing his daughter in an unfortunate motor vehicle accident a few years ago. 

Thereafter there were round table discussions concentrating on the following themes:

• Creating safe and vibrant urban places across NSW

• Creating safer high-speed roads (80kms/h or higher)

• Increasing the safety of vehicles and protective equipment

• Improving safety for vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, older and younger road users

• Increasing safe road user behaviour. 

We were able to relate these topics back to traffic impacts in the northern suburbs of Wollongong. There was discussion about decreasing the road speed on side roads, and around schools – 30kms was suggested as happens in the UK. The suggestion was for higher speeds on main roads and lower in the side streets.

There was lots of discussion about E-bikes and safety for all – cyclists, pedestrians and drivers, as well as the need for cycle lanes.

There was lively discussion about the need for emergency access through Thirroul, the extension of Memorial Drive to the M1 and the need for a better integrated public transportation system.

TfNSW will assess the information gathered from this, and other forums throughout NSW before releasing its plan later in the year. 

WCC Neighbourhood Committee Convenors meeting

WCC hosted a Convenors Forum for the Neighbourhood Forum Convenors on 23rd April where Council provided an overview of the draft Delivery Program 2026-2030 and the draft Operational Plan 2026-2027. 

In attendance were representatives from the active Neighbourhood Committees across the LGA, NIRAG, the TVC, plus representatives from various sections of Council – Corporate Strategy, Infrastructure and Development and Engagement. Such a meeting has not been held before. It was a great opportunity to meet the convenors of the various Neighbourhood Committees, to hear their concerns and to hear what Council has planned for 2026 to 2030.

WCC's General Manager, Greg Doyle, addressed the meeting, sharing he grew up in Thirroul and appreciated some of the challenges and opportunities for the LGA. He said that Council has been advocating and applying for State and Federal Government funding for additional projects to take stress off ratepayers, with some success – e.g. skateparks in Thirroul and Wollongong and the seawall at North Beach. 

Council officers stated they receive around 4,500 submissions each quarter concerning assets that need to be replaced or repaired. Council has identified over 360 projects of various complexity for action over four years. The operations and maintenance budget is over $263 million. 

A lot of frustration was expressed by a number of Convenors about the progress of some large projects – in particular around Dapto and Helensburgh. Some have been promised for many years and are yet to be delivered. It was acknowledged that some of these projects are very complex in nature and, therefore need to be completed in stages. Residents will have noticed that work has commenced at Austinmer Beach on the Grand Pacific Walk.

The next TVC meeting (AGM) will be held on Sunday, 30 August 2026 commencing at 4pm at TRIPS Hall, in Railway Parade, Thirroul.