“I’M concerned,” Azalea Avenue resident John Widerberg told News Of The Area.

John’s worries stem from the mishaps and last-minute driver corrections taking place near his home as vehicles come across the newly opened roundabout at a former Black Spot intersection.

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“The roundabout is too close to the house on the eastern side of the Azalea Avenue and Combine Street intersection,” said John.

John lives in Azalea Avenue, Coffs Harbour, and says that within hours of the roundabout being opened to the public, vehicles were seen coming down the hill at speed and managing their control.

“If someone loses control, they will go straight over the roundabout and into either house on the Western or Eastern corners of Combine St and Azalea Ave.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen…absolutely ridiculous,” said John.

“It’s too close to the telegraph pole too, on the western corner of Azalea Ave
Graham Smith lives on the corner of Combine Street and Azalea Ave opposite the most vulnerable house on the eastern side.

“Council finished the long-awaited roundabout and opened it on Monday 27 September.

“The traffic was back to normal ‘til 4.50pm when a large truck drove straight across, leaving large tyre marks on the newly painted roundabout,“ Graham told News Of The Area.

“Shortly after that the local bus came down Combine Street trying to make a turn.

“The bus driver had to stop in the middle of the roundabout and back-up to make the turn so he wouldn’t take out the very close telegraph pole.

“This is not the first bus and large vehicles to have had problems negotiating this roundabout; cars are jumping straight across, clipping the edges as they go through.

“In my opinion, the Council didn’t think it through.

“I’ve been here watching the roundabout being built since day one.

“Will there be more accidents?

“I hope not, but time will tell.

“I think there should be a 15-ton limit to stop these large trucks driving over the roundabout when they should drive around them.”

News Of The Area asked Coffs Harbour City Council for a meeting on site at the roundabout to chat through the new build, and received this statement from a spokesperson, “A roundabout has been installed at this intersection because it had been identified as an official Black Spot, with Transport for NSW data recording a total of seven reported vehicle crashes at the site since 2014.

“An engineering assessment identified installing a roundabout as the best option to increase safety for both motorists and pedestrians.

“A roundabout will slow down traffic using the intersection and clarify right of way.

“The low-level roundabout design also provides more space for trucks and larger vehicles to negotiate the turns successfully.”

By Andrea FERRARI