Dear Supporters

Late yesterday I received an email from the Member for Wakehurst, Michael Regan's, office around he requests made via this petition for improving the safety for pedestrians along Forest Way. 

The email included a letter with an update from Michael, on his correspondence with the NSW Roads Minister and Transport for NSW, about pedestrian safety on Forest Way.

I have included the content of the letter below.

Its very encouraging that planning is already underway to secure funding for more pedestrian fencing and upgrading of the road surface to high friction asphalt to increase safety in wet weather between Wearden Rd and Bowman Ave. This alone would be a wonderful outcome.

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Dear Kylie,
I am writing to thank you for all your efforts to draw attention to the urgent need to improve pedestrian safety on Forest Way and provide an update from my advocacy on this important matter.

In August last year, I highlighted the risks facing pedestrians along Forest Way, between Wearden Road and Bowman Avenue in Belrose, via a Private Members Statement in Parliament. You can read a transcript of my speech in the chamber here. I also wrote to the Minister for Roads, John Graham MLC, outlining the issue and requesting a meeting, which occurred in November. Senior staff from
Transport for NSW also attended.

In my meeting with Minister Graham, I emphasised the need for an urgent and comprehensive response to mitigate the risk of serious accidents, consistent with the calls from the community. This includes:
1. Installation of pedestrian safety railings on both sides of Forest Way;
2. Implementation of a 40 km/h school zone;
3. Construction of a pedestrian overpass; and
4. A review of the traffic lights at the Glen Street and Forest Way intersection.

Following the meeting I asked for a written statement from Transport for NSW confirming the status of their plans to improve pedestrian safety along Forest Way. I have included the statement they provided below:

Transport for NSW is investigating ways to improve pedestrian safety and amenity on Forest Way and will continue to support Northern Beaches Council with opportunities for safety projects on the local road network. Transport will review the current pedestrian crossing facilities on Forest Way with consideration to pedestrian demand and desire lines, crash history and feasibility of upgrade options.

Transport for NSW and Northern Beaches Council are actively seeking funding through State and Federal road safety programs to design and deliver pedestrian fencing along a section of Forest Way and to upgrade the road surface to a high friction asphalt to reduce wet weather and rear end crashes on Forest Way between Wearden Road and Bowman Avenue.

It is important to note that NSW funding allocations for upgrades and projects are assessed and prioritised on a state-wide basis with limited funding available. The priorities are determined on strict criteria which include reported crashes, road geometry and the safety benefits returned to the community.

The Forest Way and Glen Street intersection has a signalised pedestrian crossing across Glen Street and on the northern side of Forest Way to provide a safer crossing point for pedestrians. Pedestrian protection is installed at both crossings to hold turning drivers with a red arrow while pedestrians are crossing. The right turn movement from Forest Way southbound onto Glen Street is prohibited from 6-10am and 3-7pm Monday to Friday to further increase pedestrian protection during peak periods.

Signalised pedestrian crossings are also located at the intersection of Forest Way and Wearden Road with pedestrian protection installed for both crossings. The pedestrian signals at this intersection operate identically to most of the traffic signals in NSW where the pedestrian movements and vehicle movements operate in parallel. This provides the safest and most efficient operation of both pedestrian and vehicular phasing. All the pedestrian crossing facilities, at the subject location, meet Transport for NSW’s guidelines.

School zones are designed to slow down drivers in the immediate vicinity of school frontages and, in line with the NSW School Zoning Standards, are installed on roads where there is a direct pedestrian access point to the school grounds. Further extending school zones beyond the primary pedestrian access roads has the potential to reduce effectiveness of the school zone by making it too long and increase risk of non-compliance by motorists. To meet this standard, a 40 km/h school zone has been provided along Glen Street, Forest Glen Crescent, Annette Place and Merelyn Road for Wakehurst Public School. Forest Way is classified as a State Road and acts as a main thoroughfare through the Northern Beaches. 

I was encouraged to receive confirmation that Transport for NSW is doing an investigation of pedestrian safety along Forest Way. At my next opportunity in Parliament, I will ask more questions about the scope, time frame and outputs of this investigation.

I was also pleased to hear that planning is already underway to secure funding for more pedestrian fencing and upgrading of the road surface to high friction asphalt to increase safety in wet weather.

Unfortunately, as explained above, direct frontage to a given road is a requirement for implementation of 40km school zones. Wakehurst Primary does not meet this criteria and Transport for NSW staff made the point that going against this policy could have problematic statewide implications. In the meeting, I raised the idea of installing speed cameras as an alternative risk mitigation measure. I requested that Transport for NSW investigate this option.

On the final point of the pedestrian bridge, Transport for NSW staff committed to come back to me with likely approximate costs and the criteria required to have one prioritised. In the meeting they indicated the cost of a pedestrian bridge may be prohibitively expensive. I disputed this and emphasised the strong local support from the school community, Northern Beaches Council and the local Traffic Committee, which includes representatives from Police and Transport and so on sitting on it. I will update you when I get further information on this.

Thank you again for working so hard to bring the serious safety risks along Forest Way to the attention of decision makers. The whole community benefits when people like you speak up. I will continue to monitor and advocate for improvements to pedestrian safety on Forest Way throughout the year. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if I can be of further assistance.

Kind regards,
Michael Regan MP
Independent Member for Wakehurst

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