A year after raising concerns about their access road and the safety of 16 school-aged children, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has agreed to order signs warning drivers to slow down.

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A “No Through Road” sign is also on order, to signal to drivers that their car’s navigation system has led them astray.

Longworth Road is split in half, but drivers are finding their GPS thinks “Little Longworth” is a through road and is sending their cars, trucks, caravans and even semi-trailers down the narrow cul-de-sac.

“The issue is that what we call the lane is where the kids all stand to get on the bus,” resident and mother-of-three Chantelle Hilan told News Of The Area.

“People come flying around that corner expecting it to be long, but then they have to reverse to get out.

“Sometimes the garbage truck has had to do a ten-point turn.”

Ms Hilan said that being more like a shared lane than a street, it is not unusual for children to play on the roadway – but always with a parent nearby.

Her husband, sailing Commodore Dave Castleton, has previously collected and erected signs showing lower speed limits to force drivers to slow down.

“But council said they were ‘confusing’, so only one is still up.”

While vehicles including the garbage truck and trades vehicles might be within the 50kmph limit, that is still too fast for the conditions – something the residents hope to see changed.

“One day there will be an incident, which will be preventable,” said another resident who asked not to be named.

“This section of road should be residents-only traffic and should not have any through traffic due to the fact that it is off the beaten track, and a deeply set back cul-de-sac.

“People heading for the Dunbogan Caravan Park at the end of Longworth Road, on Bell Street, also get the [wrong] GPS directions and visit Longworth Road south before they arrive at the correct destination.”

“Angry drivers reversing vans, trucks or motorhomes are not in the best frame of mind with so many kids around.”

In response to questions from News Of The Area, a Council spokesperson replied that, “Council has reviewed the location surrounding Longworth Road in Dunbogan and identified additional signage to support the safety of motorists and pedestrians, including the provision of ‘no through road signage’ and a custom street number sign.

“Once manufactured, these signs will be scheduled for installation in the near future.”

By Sue STEPHENSON