WHEN Lake Macquarie Greens candidate Jane Oakley sent her son off to high school she never imagined he'd end up in hospital after being hit by a car while biking home.
That was ten years ago, but East Ward candidate Ms Oakley said not enough had been done for road safety.
Starting year seven at Warners Bay High School, Mackenzie Oakley, now 23, ended up in hospital for a week after the collision.
He was in intensive care for 24 hours, and spent a week in hospital with multiple fractures and damage to his internal organs.
Forced to ride along the shoulder on Bayview Street just after Dunkley Parade, Mount Hutton, Mr Oakley was hit off his bike, and taken to hospital.
His parents had agonised about whether he should bike to school given both routes had no cycleways and inconsistent footpaths.
They chose the route from their home in Mount Hutton which they believed would be the safest.
"The area where my son was hit was very near a black spot site, and nothing much has been done," Ms Oakley said.
"This is what can happen when we don't think about planning for travellers other than vehicle traffic."
Dangerous crossings
The Greens candidate wants to improve accessibility and safety for pedestrians across Lake Macquarie neighbourhoods.
She said this would include more footpaths, accessibility ramps, cycleways, and non-car focused infrastructure.
Ms Oakley said the intersection at Bayview Street and Dunkley Parade used to have a sign designating it as a black spot site but the area was still dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists.
"It's been unsafe since we moved to Mount Hutton in 2008," she said.
The federal government's black spot program designates dangerous crash sites and is intended to fund safety measures such as traffic signals and roundabouts.
Lake Macquarie City Council assets manager Rob Morris said the council received funding under the program in 2020/2021 and completed road safety upgrades on Dunkley Parade between Mt Hutton Public School and Bayview street.
Improvements included widening the road, a guardrail and improved road surfaces.
He said the intersection at Bayview Street and Dunkley Parade was identified for upgrading to a roundabout in the next four years.
Ms Oakley suggested improving pedestrian safety by adding a footpath or cycle path to the area.
She said the council had a responsibility to lobby relevant bodies and ensure residents were safe on their roads.
The Greens member acknowledged council's road safety improvements outside Mount Hutton Public School as a step in the right direction.
"It just has to also be done more than 100 metres either side of the school," she said.
Safe and walkable suburbs
If successful as councillor for Lake Macquarie East Ward, Ms Oakley said she wanted to invest in pedestrian safety.
"Improving walkability has a range of health, environmental and economic benefits. It's really a win-win for the council and for people in our communities," she said.
She said prioritising cars placed an unfair burden on people who don't drive including school children, and those using mobility aids.
For school children, she said it was dangerous for them to have no other choice but to walk on the roads, which were sometimes narrow and hilly.
Ms Oakley pointed to Fernleigh Track as a successful pedestrian area which promoted walkability and social connection.
It was healthy for people to be able to walk easily around their neighbourhoods, she said.
She was also concerned with implementing a consistent footpath between Charlestown and Gateshead on Algona road.
"That street connects so many residents to schools and childcare centres," she said.
She was contacted by a community group petitioning for better footpaths to connect the Gateshead local village centre and the Charlestown economic centre.
"Being able to walk safely in our community, whether for transport, leisure or exercise, is critically important."
Lake Macquarie Greens North Ward candidate, Bryce Ham said he was also focused on safer walking options. He said he wanted to focus on connecting Charlestown to the coast via the Dudley trail.
"Council has not done enough in this area to make Lake Macquarie walkable for people of all ages," he said.
Better streets strategy
Lake Macquarie council said since 2021 they have completed road safety improvements under their 'walking, cycling and better streets strategy'.
"It sets a framework for streetscapes that cater for the safety and convenience of all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, children, elderly and people with a disability," assets manager Rob Morris said.
Mr Morris said in the last three years, 18.3 kilometres of cycleways had been implemented with another three kilometres of pathways this financial year.
He said just a few examples of council road safety projects included, the Windale speed high pedestrian activity area, Fernleigh Awabakal shared track, and footpaths at Henry street, Belmont.
Council were constantly on the lookout for grant funding for safer streets, he said.
He said an example was the council receiving $1.5 million funding from the Get NSW Active program in 2023/24 for nominated pedestrian and cycling projects.
Lake Macquarie City Council projects
Lake Macquarie council lists their projects under construction, in design or in early concept planning stages in their operational plan.
Some projects currently in construction include:
- Fernleigh Awabakal Shared Track - creating a safe walking and cycling route between Belmont and Swansea
- Cardiff to Cardiff South - providing a safe walking and cycling route between Hillsborough and Cardiff, allowing connection to Cardiff High School
- Pelican Street Swansea - providing safe and accessible footpaths on local streets and to Swansea Public School
Some recently completed projects include:
- Hillsborough Road Warners Bay - addressing a missing link near the service road at Warners Bay High School
- Henry Street Belmont - providing a safe and accessible footpath on local streets and providing a connection to Belmont High School
- Windale speed High Pedestrian Activity Area including reduced speed limit - improving pedestrian accessibility and safety on local centres between St Pius X Primary School and Windale Public School
- Alton Road at Freemans Drive, Cooranbong traffic signals - ensuring pedestrian and cycling links are included in larger road upgrades
Some projects currently in design and soon to commence construction include:
- Charlestown to Whitebridge shared pathway - providing a safe walking and cycling connection between Charlestown Economic Area, Charlestown Public School, Whitebridge High School and the Fernleigh Track
- Pasterfield Oval to Albatross Avenue, Cameron Park - providing a missing link in the walking and cycling network
Some examples of recent grants Council have won or have applied for include:
- Council received over $1.6 million from Transport for NSW (TfNSW) for the Get NSW Active program in 2022/23 and $1.5 million in 2023/24 towards nominated pedestrian and cycling projects.
- Council received $400,000 from TfNSW for the construction of the High Pedestrian Activity Area in Windale, and for the design of a High Pedestrian Activity Area in Charlestown.
- We applied for over $4.5 million of funding in the 2024/25 Get NSW Active program from TfNSW. These applications are for six walking and cycling projects.
- We have also applied for more than $2.2 million from the Australian Government Growing Regions program for the construction of a section of the Charlestown to Whitebridge shared path.
