LOCALS BEG CITY TO GIVE WAY

A Waikiki roundabout has become a neighbourhood “nightmare”, with a give-way line put directly in front of one resident’s driveway, but the City of Rockingham says locals need to “adjust”.

Peta-Jane MacLean-Russell says she has been abused trying to turn into her home along Gnangara Drive, has seen multiple near-collisions and was never given the chance to speak up before construction began.

She first noticed something was going on around Christmas.

“I rang the council to ask. They said there were no works going on in my area,” Ms MacLean-Russell said.

“I called them back (a week later) and again they said there was no works, but they would follow up further and give me a call. They never did.

“We were first informed it was going to be a roundabout when they came to dig it up.”

She also said she never received a letter from council informing her of the public consultation period.

“If I had of received that letter I would have 100 per cent written in, so would my neighbour,” she said.

Ms MacLean-Russell is not the only one, with several residents speaking up about the lack of consultation and increased traffic issues due to the roadworks on Gnangara Drive at two recent council meetings.

Ms MacLean-Russell said her main issue with the roundabout was that a give-way line had been placed directly across her driveway.

“I have been abused sitting at that roundabout because I have wanted to pull into my driveway and no one knows what I am trying to do. It has caused such a nightmare and such a problem for us,” she said.

Ms MacLean-Russell begged the City for the line to be moved, even slightly, but said she had been told “it is what it is, it won’t be changed”.

“The treatment we have received is my biggest complaint. The way the council has gone about it, the way they don’t care this affected anybody.

“To me the attitude was “it’s not my property so oh well,” she said.

“That’s how it has felt when I have been spoken to.”

She said her neighbour was also directly affected and they both needed to reverse onto their driveways from the roundabout.

She also said rubble and sand had been left on her front lawn, a loud grate in the road was keeping her awake at night and her reticulation was still not working.

“It is a mess. It has caused a lot of grief, a lot of headaches and a lot of sleepless nights,” she said.

Mayor Barry Sammels said traffic patterns on modified roads take “three to six months” to get used to.

“The construction of the roundabout was in response to a number of recorded crashes at the intersection,” he said.

“It is expected that there will be a period of adjustment as the community becomes accustomed to the changes.

“As part of the installation, accompanying signage and drainage needs to be installed in accordance with relevant standards.”

Cr Sammels also said records showed letters were sent to all of the affected residents on Gnangara Drive and was “not able to comment on why the letter might not have been received.”