Annangrove Rd: Hills Shire seek funding for safety upgrades to Langford, Davey, Sagars roads

After too many crashes and fatalities in Sydney’s northwest, The Hills Shire Council is calling on the state government to fund safety upgrades for the region’s most dangerous roads.

The six most dangerous roads in The Hills have been revealed as council calls on the state government for urgent funding to improve the hazardous intersections.

The area’s most dangerous stretch of tarmac – Annangrove Rd, between Box Hill’s Edwards Rd and Kenthurst Rd – runs past a primary school and has been the scene of 18 crashes which resulted in injuries in a five-year period (2016-2021).

The Hills Shire Council is calling for the state government to fund $2 million in safety upgrades, including the installation of flexible barriers, advanced warning signs and traffic calming around Annangrove Public School.

“There have been a number of crashes on Annangrove Rd that have resulted in people being hurt and injured, including head-on, on the bend and straight road run-off crashes,” Mayor Peter Gangemi said.

“The cost of an accident is significant, and this also includes the toll it takes on those who are involved in the accident, their families and friends, as well as this community.”

Hills Shire Mayor Peter Gangemi is calling for urgent funding to improve Annangrove Road.

This is welcome news for Annangrove Progress Association member Joe Laviona who has lived in the area for more than 25 years.

“This stretch of road is really dangerous … we pay our taxes and we do expect a little bit more from the government,” he said.

A 2017 car accident on Annangrove Road left a woman needing to be cut out of her car.

A 5-year-old child died following a crash on Annangrove Road this January. Picture: TNV.

“The state government has been promising to upgrade this road for the past 20 years … (but the upgrades) have been delayed so many times now it’s not even funny.”

Speaking to The Hills Shire Times, Mr Laviona said he believed the number of accidents on this road was much higher than reported, citing crashes which may result in damage to cars but not injuries.

Annangrove Public School P&C president Sophia (who asked for her last name not to be included) also stressed the need for improvements to Annangrove Rd.

“The school would be really supportive of the upgrades … and we really need them with our school’s growing population,” she said.

Damage to a fence at Annangrove PS after a car crashed into it this June — luckily no children were injured.

The P&C president said a major issue was as the road has a 70km/h speed limit, many people forget to slow down for the school zone.

There is also no dedicated parking area or paths for parents to pick up their children, leaving many cars parked alongside Annangrove Rd which sees children forced to walk alongside the road with cars rushing past.

“We’ve had a lot of incidents where there have been close calls,” the P&C president said. “It’s really dangerous when you have parents and kids trying to enter or exit their car while other cars are speeding alongside you.”

Annangrove Rd is one of six projects that council will seek funding for under the Australian Government‘s Black spot Program and the NSW Government’s Safer Local Roads Program.

Both programs aim to target roads where crashes are taking place and increase safety measures — such as roundabouts, audio-tactile line marking and signage — through funding.

The other road projects council has nominated for funding include: Langford Rd and Davey Rd, Dural; Sagars Rd, Dural; Sanctuary Dr, Rouse Hill, between Caddies Boulevard and Grandiflora St; the intersection of Green Rd and Cooper Dr, Castle Hill; and the intersection of Glenhaven Rd and Holland Rd, Glenhaven.

Recently, council voted to seek a total of $3.24 million of grant funding for the six roads from the NSW Government.