Lushington Street, East Gosford, fighting for road works

AN East Gosford man has been fighting for 35 years for an upgrade of what could be the worst road on the Central Coast. Find out what the council had to say.

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AN East Gosford man has been fighting for 35 years for an upgrade of what could be the worst road on the Central Coast.

For three and a half decades Ken Campbell has been calling on the council to install kerb and guttering, fix ongoing safety issues and discourage people from using Lushington Street as a shortcut to avoid the Wells St/Henry Parry Drive intersection.

When Ken Campbell moved into Lushington Street in 1957, the problems were blatantly obvious and they still are.

Here’s what he says is wrong with the road:

• Safety issues with children and the elderly forced to walk on the road
• Lack of kerb, guttering and footpaths
• Lack of on-street parking
• Speeding cars using the street as a shortcut
• Damage to the road surface
• Poor property access
• Drainage issues and water ingress into private property
• Road rage and noise pollution from excess vehicles using the street

Mr Campbell has a thick folder filled with the 35 years of communication between himself, the former Gosford City Council and Central Coast Council regarding the state of the road.

“Safety issues, lack of infrastructure, poor drainage, speeding vehicles, difficult property access, limited on street parking, noise pollution and road rage are some of the issues that have affected us as residents of Lushington Street,” Mr Campbell said.

Ken Campbell shows the folder of letters to and from council over the past 35 years

“I do remember being present when my father had a meeting with the council in the early 1960s, and he was told not to worry because the kerb and guttering would be fixed in a couple of years.”

Over the years, traffic has increased significantly through the narrow, steep street which has no on-street parking and residents fear a fatal accident is imminent.

Mr Campbell said cars have been clocked at 108km/h going over the crest, and anyone crossing the road or pulling out of their driveway is in danger. Children, elderly and disabled residents are forced to walk on the road, and many residents are unable to access their driveways due to the poor condition of the road.

Cars park anywhere and everywhere

The state of the street

Mr Campbell has council documents identifying works needing to be done and, while council installed a chicane to slow vehicles down in 2009, the situation has not improved. In 2016, he wrote to former Central Coast Council Administrator Ian Reynolds and outlined the issues. He received a reply five months later saying he would be contacted following an investigation. He has not heard back.

“It angers and frustrates residents that council cries poormouth when asked to provide safety and basic infrastructure, but found only recently $1.7 million to gift to a professional soccer team,” Mr Campbell said.

Federal Member for Robertson Lucy Wicks recently met with Lushington Street residents, and has taken up their cause through her Local Roads Petition.

Robertson federal Liberal MP Lucy Wicks has joined the fight to fix Lushington Street, East Gosford, with Ken Campbell and fellow residents.

“Here in East Gosford, Ken and his neighbours have written to various council, state and federal representatives over many years. While he’s almost always received a polite reply, there’s been no action except for a ‘slow point’ being added to help slow down the hundreds of cars that travel up and down Lushington Street each day,” she said.

“My message to Ken, and people across my electorate, is that if you agree that it’s time for Central Coast Council to take a closer look at your street, please sign our Local Roads Petition and ask all your neighbours to do the same.”

A view from the entrance to Lushington Street, off Henry Parry Drive

A spokeswomen from council said “Lushington Street has been assessed by Council and will be considered for future funding”.

“Council has considered a number of initiatives for Lushington Street and has implemented line marking and traffic calming,” she said.

“The topography of Lushington Street poses a number of constraints around kerb and guttering, footpaths and on-street parking.

“Council is currently developing a new Capital Priority Matrix to prioritise projects across the Central Coast. This will determine future road upgrade projects across the region such as Lushington Street.”