Campbelltown resident Angela Lemaitre calls for more upgrades to Raby Rd, as Eagle Dr intersection nears completion

Residents soon won’t have to face construction speed zones as Campbelltown Council readies to completely reopen Raby Rd after a major upgrade. Have your say on the changes in our poll.

A dedicated local is continuing the fight for a notorious stretch of road in Sydney’s southwest to be upgraded after witnessing “countless close calls”.

In September 2020, Campbelltown City Council began works to upgrade Raby Rd by replacing the roundabout at Eagle Drive with traffic lights and installing new traffic lights at the intersection with Spitfire Drive.

Contractors have also installed new shared footpaths for pedestrians and cyclists, widened the road for slip lanes for Eagle Vale Drive to Raby Road (North) and Raby Road to Eagle Vale Drive (West), and put in pedestrian crossing facilities at traffic signals.

It was also decided that there would be no right turn from Spitfire Drive on to Raby Road during construction and after completion. The road will be reopened in October, but council have not provided an exact date.

Campbelltown resident Angela Lemaitre has been calling for urgent safety upgrades to the dangerous stretch of Raby Rd slightly further up from the nearly complete roadworks.

Campbelltown resident Angela Lemaitre. Picture: Annie Lewis

Her campaign started when beloved grandmother Margaret Waugh was killed on March 30 when she was involved in a three-car crash on Raby Rd at the intersection of Mustang Drive.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene following reports a Ford Falcon, Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla collided and found the 70-year-old with serious injuries. Emergency crews worked to save her but she died at the scene.

At the time, Campbelltown City Council said police did not raise any immediate concerns regarding safety or infrastructure improvements.

Ms Lemaitre questioned the works completed by council, saying the roundabout did not need to be touched and it was “unnecessary”.

“I understand that it could be that they are doing it now, for in five years time because then the roundabout might not be doing the trick but I think there were other sections they needed to look at first,” she said.

“If you go through St Andrews towards Raby, cars are just flying down there and there are so many accidents at the intersection near me at Mustang Dr and Kearns Ave. I think some of the focus should have been there.”

Ms Lemaitre said she was concerned that there was no accurate data around crashes on Raby Rd because police were not always called but it was “only a matter of time” before there was another fatal.

“I can’t count the number of near misses that I have seen,” she said.

“I started a petition to have a speed camera on Raby Rd just near Kearns Ave to catch all those people who fly down there but the intersections could be upgraded to make them safer.”

Works to replace the roundabout at Eagle Vale Drive and Raby Road with traffic lights are almost complete. An aerial shot of the site prior to construction. Picture: Campbelltown City Council

Ms Lemaitre also questioned the decision to enforce no right-hand turns onto Raby Rd from Spitfire Dr, adding that she was not aware of any community consultation around this decision.

“It seems ridiculous to do that. Unless you were checking the council’s site daily, how are you meant to know,” she asked.

“There was nothing in the mail. There should be more effort to notify people.”

While Ms Lemaitre wants council to do more, she does not believe the responsibility for safe roads lies purely with the government body.

“People need to drive safely,” she said. “Think about the people on the road with you.”

A Campbelltown City Council spokesman said the Raby Road upgrade has been designed to improve safety and traffic flow in the precinct.

“In 2017, the Raby Precinct Traffic and Transport Study identified a significant build-up of traffic attempting to turn left from Spitfire Drive onto Raby Road while a minimal number of cars were recorded using the right hand turn,” they said.

“The design aims to improve traffic flow for residents to access the Eagle Vale shopping precinct, Hume Highway, Minto Railway Station and Campbelltown Road by adding a second left hand traffic lane, increasing the number of vehicles able to turn out of Spitfire Drive.

“Residents are still able to access Raby Road westbound via Thunderbolt Drive.”

The spokesman said the design was finalised following a community consultation phase in 2020 using Council’s website, social media and flyers distributed to surrounding residents.

“Council continues to review safety and traffic flow on its road networks and considers future upgrades in conjunction with other government agencies and services,” the spokesman said.

Originally published as Campbelltown resident Angela Lemaitre calls for more upgrades to Raby Rd, as Eagle Dr intersection nears completion