Hit-and-run death leads to road changes

LISMORE City Council has responded to calls for safer pedestrian access, after a woman was killed earlier this year.

Traffic conditions will change at a site in Nimbin where a woman was stuck by a car and killed. Picture: Lismore City Council

A SECTION of road where a Nimbin woman was killed in April will be temporarily converted to a single lane for traffic to protect pedestrians.

An information sheet has been sent to Nimbin residents by Lismore City Council, advising changes to traffic flow on Cecil Street at the bridge.

Tonia Jansen, 62, was walking along the street with her partner when they were struck by a vehicle at the site and were thrown across the road. Ms Jansen, also known as Kooka, sadly passed away at the scene and her partner was left with ongoing injuries..

Residents have been calling for a pedestrian bridge on the street since the incident.

Traffic will be reduced to a single lane of traffic, while the other lane will be cordoned off with a concrete divider to provide a protected pedestrian path.

A group of residents from Nimbin addressed the Traffic Advisory Committee at their meeting on June 19 regarding safety concerns.

This delegation suggested an interim measure at the site to ensure pedestrian safety until a proper pedestrian bridge is constructed.

The protected pedestrian thoroughfare would be on the northern side of Cecil Street and the existing traffic calming device would be retained and included as part of the interim measure.

Following this meeting, the Traffic Advisory Committee made a number of recommendations to the council including the interim measure and the council endorsed those recommendations.

This work is planned to take place at the end of August.

The council has applied to Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) for funding to build a pedestrian bridge across the creek and is currently finalising the design for this bridge.

The council said further consultation with the community will take place in three to four months' time regarding this longer term bridge proposal and a review of the interim one way measure will also be conducted later in the year.

The council said it had also resolved to consult more broadly with the Nimbin community regarding pedestrian management options in Nimbin, as part of its consultation for the development of a new Community Strategic Plan (CSP).