DISABILITY advocates will lodge a last-ditch bid for a roundabout to be installed on the corner of Rusden and Faulkner Streets.
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They will write to the state government, pleading for black spot funding for the roundabout, estimated to cost about $400,000.
Access advisory committee members will also ask Armidale Dumaresq Council to relocate the pedestrian crossing at the busy intersection further up Rusden Street.
“The committee wishes to highlight the significant safety issues of the existing crossing including the location, the steep camber of the road and the difficulties using the kerb ramp,” member Jeff Parker said at last month’s meeting.
The fight for a roundabout at the intersection dates to at least 2013.
At least two applications from Council for federal government black spot funding was knocked back because the project didn’t have a high enough cost-benefit ratio.
“The eligibility for intersection funding is… a history of at least three injury crashes in five years,” a black spot funding spokesman said at the time.
“In the five years to 2012 there were five reported crashes at the intersection of Faulkner and Rudsen Streets at Armidale with one crash causing injury.”
Funding for the roundabout had been included as part of the $12 million library upgrade, however, was removed from the proposal as the Northern Joint Regional Planning Panel did not believe traffic would increase as a result of the redevelopment.
“Council is now resigned to not receiving government funding [for the roundabout] and has decided to include the project in a forward plan for construction,” the access advisory committee was told. “They cannot advise a date at this stage.”
Council engineer Mark Wilson said a design for the roundabout was complete.
The pedestrian crossing at the intersection would be moved further up Rusden Street once the roundabout was installed, since it was deemed unsafe to move it beforehand.
Nevertheless, committee members said the issue was urgent and recommended the matter be addressed by Council as soon as possible.
On that they had the support of Cr Rob Richardson.
He said earlier Armidale’s CBD was “basically a ring road of roundabouts except for Rusden and Faulkner Streets which is the only piece missing”.
