A father whose son was hit by a car in Islington last month is outraged that traffic signals approved for the busy intersection almost four years ago still haven't been installed.
Tristram Baumber, his two kids, Santiago 10, and Alonso, 6, and their dog were doing their regular walk home from school on October 31 when Santiago's leg was broken from being hit at the intersection of Chinchen and Clyde streets.
He believes that if traffic lights approved for the intersection in March 2019 were installed, the accident never would have happened.
The Herald put questions to Transport for NSW about why they had not approved City of Newcastle's proposal for traffic lights years after being lodged, and just one day later council and Transport confirmed the approval had come through.
But it's too late for the Baumber family, after a traumatic incident that the father has been forced to watch on repeat in his own head ever since.
"It's quite a bad intersection, there's no crossing," Mr Baumber said.
"The road was completely jammed. A truck stopped to let us go out to the middle of the road and he ran ahead.
"It was one of those nightmare things. I yelled 'stop, stop!'
"He couldn't see the traffic coming and an SUV hit him.
"The tyre went over his ankle, it was very badly fractured.
"He was in a huge amount of pain.
"His brother was with us. He's only 6.
"I was holding Santi's leg and Loni just had to stand at the fence away from where it was all happening.
"We've been trying to talk about it with kids, without them reliving the trauma but making sure they don't carry it around and feel like they can't talk about it."
City of Newcastle said the upgrade was "a high priority to improve pedestrian, cyclist and road user safety" at the intersection which sits at the entrance to the Tighes Hill campus of TAFE NSW and the junction of two key cycling routes.
Council has already completed associated works including kerb and gutter replacement, footpath construction, and asphalting, and had been waiting on Transport for NSW to rubber-stamp the traffic light plans.
But council said after the approval was received that the works still weren't expected to start until mid-2023.
Mr Baumber said mid next year was still too far away for the works to begin and fears that someone else could be hurt before something is done.
"How many accidents will happen before then?" he said.
"How many people will be hurt or killed?
"I drive past that intersection every day with the wheelchair in the back. I look and think somebody else is going to get hit there."
There have been six reported crashes at the intersection between 2019 and 2021, including four that resulted in injury.
"That's six accidents that never needed to happen," Mr Baumber said.
"Something has to happen now.
"There's no reason why this shouldn't be addressed."
Council said tenders to install the traffic lights will be called before the end of the year, followed by the relocation of utilities from the site by the relevant electricity and telecommunications providers.
Construction is expected to begin in mid-2023 and will take about two months, weather permitting.
Santiago remains in a full leg cast and has months of recovery ahead of him, meaning the aspiring young footballer's start in Cooks Hill's Junior Development League team will be delayed next year.
"It's heartbreaking when you think he's such an active kid," Mr Baumber said.
"That's how he relates to the world and all of that has been taken away from him.
"He's doing remarkably well, he's in good spirits.
"But he has a few tearful moments. Those moments break your heart.
"We're unlucky in some ways, but lucky because it could have been much worse.
"We're grateful he is still the same bubbly kid."
Newcastle Greens councillor John Mackenzie was also angered that works hadn't started yet.
"There is simply no excuse for the delays in installing such basic road safety in this notorious black spot," he said.
"An entire school community has been traumatised by this most recent accident, which would have been avoided if those traffic signals had been in place.
"Six months to installation is not good enough."
