Traffic, car park debate Author: By DONNA SHARPE Maitland Reporter Date: 24/05/2006 Publication: Newcastle Herald
MAITLAND parking and traffic issues came under fire last night.
Maitland City councillors called for more parking for the city's rapidly growing west, a traffic study spanning Rutherford to Ashtonfield and speed humps for a "rat run" at Metford.
The first debate centred on the growth in Rutherford shopping centre, and concern that developers would not provide enough parking.
While councillors moved to take the Rutherford Shopping Centre revitalisation program closer to bricks and mortar, concern over parking dominated debate.
Cr Tony Keating said the area's retail boom could result in major parking and traffic issues unless business and the council "got it right".
Mayor Peter Blackmore said each of the major traders would be adhering to council parking requirements.
"The real problem will come from staff who work at these centres. We're probably looking at about 250 full- and part-time workers, so naturally they will have to find parking too," he said.
Cr Henry Meskauskas said he was concerned with traffic issues as a whole across the city.
He said some motorists had complained that it took 20 to 25 minutes to travel on the New England Highway from Rutherford Hotel to the Maitland Railway Station roundabout.
He said council had been waiting for almost three years for an RTA traffic study spanning Racecourse Road at Rutherford to South Seas Drive at Ashtonfield.
He called on council to invite the RTA to address the council and explain why it had taken so long for the study to be released.
Cr David Power presented a petition to the council from Metford residents who said Schanck Drive had become a "rat run" with motorists driving at excessive speeds to avoid traffic lights on the highway in the Greenhills area.
The residents called on the council to install speed humps in their street.