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Your Community Newspaper
Thursday, July 1, 2004
Established 2003
RDAS school newsletter
Good news page
Youth news
Pages 18-19
Page 5
Page 7
STOP! Before it’s too late Hermit St residents call for fast action to slow drivers down ROXBY DOWNS...Hermit Street residents have lashed out at council’s ‘go slow’ on roundabouts, following the latest car accident in one of Roxby Downs’ ‘hot spots’ for speeding drivers. Local residents are up in arms after a car careened off the road at the corner of Hermit and Muloorina Streets at around 10.30pm on Thursday, June 17, knocking a street pole and its footings, clear over a fence and into the back yard of the corner house. According to Roxby Downs police, a 20-year-old Roxby Downs man was reported for driving in a manner dangerous, exceeding the speed limit, exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol (0.110 per cent), driving whilst suspended and contravening safety maintenance provisions. In laymen’s terms, contravening safety maintenance provisions means he was driving a vehicle which had not been maintained in a condition that enables it to be driven safely. These charges come as a result of the Hermit St accident on June 17. The house in question, owned by local contract company Cavpower, was completely rebuilt in 2000 after a car careened through the front bay window, through five rooms and out the back wall into the neighbour’s back yard. Since then, the house’s latest residents, who asked to remain anonymous, have added boulders to their front-yard landscaping to deter runaway cars. “Cars are for roads – this just shouldn’t happen,” one of the house’s current residents told The Monitor last week. “We shouldn’t have to move but we should be able to feel safe sleeping in this house at night. “But we’re still picking up concrete out of our back yard where the street pole landed.” The house’s residents are talking closely with Roxby Downs Council about proposals for two roundabouts on Hermit St. But other Hermit St residents are warning it may be a case of “too little too late”.
STOP...Zolly Ferenci heads up a team of Hermit St residents calling for fast action on too-fast drivers in this local ‘hot spot’. Donna Haugum told The Monitor she has seen as many as eight accidents at the same spot in the past few years. “Most of them can pick themselves up and drive away so the police never hear about it but you can see the tyre marks up and down the street,” she said. “And if we do call the police, by the time the call’s been diverted through to Port Augusta the driver is gone.” Mrs Haugham said she has taught her children to run to the back of the house if they hear brakes squealing in the street. Zolly Ferenci, another Hermit St resident who has woken up in the night to find a car crashed in his front yard, believes roundabouts will solve the speeding problem in Hermit St. “I’ve lived in Hermit St since 1989 when it was a dead end street, but since the day they opened up the
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new area people have been using it like a race track,” he told The Monitor. While Hermit St was identified by council and the Roxby Road Safe Committee as a ‘hot spot’ for speedrelated car accidents more than four years ago, plans for the proposed roundabouts have been too long in coming to fruition, according to former Town Board member and Hermit St resident Merv Rogers. “It amazes me that they can get a festival up and running in a couple of weeks but they can’t get a roundabout built in more than three years,” Mr Rogers said. “It’s time for council to get their priorities right – before someone gets cleaned up by one of these cars and killed.” Municipal works manager Robert Barker told The Monitor that Roxby Downs Council will call for tenders, both locally and state-wide, in the coming weeks, to begin work on the
proposed roundabouts. “Following extensive research, planning and design Council will proceed with calling for tenders this week for the construction of new roundabouts in Hermit Street at the intersections with Kennebery Crescent and Wirrda Streets. “We’re very aware that excessive speed along Hermit St is of a concern. This treatment, along with others being investigated for the Arcoona Street and Pioneer Drive intersection should greatly assist. “However, traffic control devices are very expensive, need to be funded by ratepayers. Alone they won’t cure the problem. “Community participation through Roxby Road Safe is an important element into improving road safety in town. “Motorists need to be more responsible when they’re driving within the town limits.
“The speed limit of 50km an hour applies to all township streets. “This has been introduced statewide for the safety of residents and motorists alike. “Essentially excessive traffic speed is a blight on our great community and puts residents at risk.” Father Jim Monaghan – chairman of the Roxby Road Safe Committee and a Community Board Mentor, has also called on drivers to be more responsible. The Hermit St roundabout issue has been tabled before the committee for almost three years, he told The Monitor this week. “We were first notified about the roundabouts a couple of years ago. “That was given as one of the reasons given by Council as to why footpaths weren’t being kept up to scratch because they’d only be ripped up when the works were done. “We recently raised the issue again and Council advised us the roundabouts are due soon – it’s a relief to hear that because we have concerns about vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, kids on bikes and skateboards. “We keep coming back to the Fatal Five that the police are always highlighting which include speed and alcohol – key causes of serious accidents. In response to those concerns we ran that Roxby Roadsafe exercise in March – and soon we’ll have our Roxby Roadsafe banner in town which will highlight those Fatal Five and encourage people to drive safely. “Each of us, behind the wheel, is a potential killer - drivers need to think of that. “Residents can have a say on these issues – their opinions are important – by attending our committee meetings or emailing me – jmonagha@stbarbs.pp.catholic.edu.au.” For more information about Roxby Road Safe, log onto www.rrs.roxby downs.com . Roxby Road Safe will meet at the council boardrooms on August 19, at 5.30pm. Council response - Page 2 Roundabout timeline - Page 2 Letters to the Editor - Page 4
For Barry Wakelin’s 4-page “Across the Regions” lift-out Thursday, July 1, 2004 - Page 1