Drive on by, like it or not

Turns out, for locals at least, our problems aren't going anywhere

Just one of the many crashes at Ulmarra.

ARE you looking forward to driving along the banks of the Clarence River between Grafton and Tyndale for the rest of your life?

Sounds idyllic doesn't it? Except when it's historically one of the most fatal stretches of the old Pacific Highway.

But if you're a Clarence Valley resident, that's exactly what the NSW Government expects you to do. The plans for the Pacific Highway upgrade assume you will continue to drive the 28km to commute to and from the freeway. Only if you're heading south will you be required to use the Glenugie interchange.

The trip from Grafton to Tyndale is considered to be quicker than sidetracking the 12km to Eight Mile Lane before zooming north. Hence, neither the RMS nor the council have plans to upgrade the country road to make it roadworthy for B-Double trucks.

What does this mean? Grafton-based B-Doubles - of which there are many - will be forced to continue driving through Ulmarra.

This year we joined local residents in a campaign to fix the accident-prone corner at the south of the village; to not simply wait for the magical year 2020 when the Pacific Highway upgrade will solve all our problems.

Turns out, for locals at least, our problems aren't going anywhere, while interstate commuters, none the wiser, will glide on by on a road we'll never use.

Originally published as Drive on by, like it or not