Algona Road Charlestown is the primary pedestrian network link between Gateshead local village centre and Charlestown economic centre. 

Lake Macquarie City Council's Walking, Cycling and Better Streets Strategy 2021 highlights the following as the tools for prioritisation of footpath works:

• Filling in missing links
• Centres with missing footpaths but more people living within the 15 minute Principal Pedestrian Network
• Popular walking routes
• Streets with higher speed / traffic volumes
• Verge Safety
• Distance to secondary destinations outside of a centres core.

Given then that Algona Road is the Principal Pedestrian Network and has:

• Footpath coming from both the bottom and top of the hills already with only the middle missing
• Approx. 800 houses that connect back to Algona Road
• Regular has pedestrians walking on the verge / road at all times of the day due to high foot traffic given its connections
• Is a high volume road for a suburban collector (~4000 vehicles per day)
• Is so dangerous/restricted on the verge in some areas that there are no other options but to walk out onto the road right at the point of intersections with blind corners (Pillapai Street)
• And would connect the ~800 houses to the following:
  • The Gateshead Village Centre and it's takeaway shops, post office, business, etc.
  • Lake Macquarie Private Hospital
  • Three Primary Schools (Charlestown Public School, Wirrapang Public School and Saint Paul's Primary School)
  • Two High Schools (Hunter Sports High and St Mary's Catholic College)
  • Two Daycares (Goodstart Early learning and Felton Street Community Preschool)
  • Two Churches (Hope Uniting Church and St Paul's)
  • Four Sports Grounds (Allen Davis Fields, Ernie Calland Fields, Harold Knight Oval and Charlestown Oval)
  • Three Playgrounds (Sylvia Grozdanovski, Charlestown Lions Park and Attunga Park)
  • One active recreation area (Charlestown Skate Park)
  • Charlestown Economic Centre including Charlestown Square and all shops along the Pearson Street and Pacific Highway (also important to note that there are already parking issues in Charlestown and the need to reduce vehicles through better pedestrian networks should be a priority).
  • Charlestown Swimming Pool and Charlestown Library

It would be fair and reasonable to assume that filling in the missing link would be a high priority for Lake Macquarie City Council. Unfortunately though, despite the clear and obvious alignment with Council's strategy, the community has been trying without success for well over a decade to get the footpath completed. 

With a council election coming up in September, now is the time to get action and commitment from our Councillors that something will actually change and the Strategy actually implemented.

So speak up, sign your name and let's finally get the missing link completed!