Belrose black spot Pringle, Haigh avenues: Road safety work set to begin

Work is set to begin on a notorious intersection on the northern beaches — where drivers regularly lose control of their cars — after a community push to keep people safe.

A community push for authorities to fix a notorious road accident black spot, where dozens of people have been injured and a pedestrian nearly died, has been successful.

The family of Lorraine Gooden, who was mown down by a drink driver while walking on the footpath, had been lobbying Northern Beaches Council to make the intersection safer before, they said, someone was killed.

Lorraine Gooden suffered numerous injuries including a serious neck injury when she was hit by a car on Pringle Ave, Belrose. Picture: Channel 9

In May 2019 Mrs Gooden was struck by a Mercedes driven by a neighbour, Monica Louise Mecham, who was five times over the limit. She had a blood alcohol reading of 0.278 before she headed to work at 9.30am.

When Mecham tried to negotiate the right-hand bend on Pringle Ave, her hatchback left the road and hit Mrs Gooden, 46, from behind.

Mrs Gooden’s head shattered the car’s windscreen before she was thrown 10 metres into the low brick wall by the impact.

Emergency workers assist Lorraine Gooden after she was hit by the red Mercedes while she walked on the footpath on Pringle Ave, Belrose. Picture: Supplied

She spent 10 days in Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment to a fractured left wrist and facial lacerations. She also had surgery on her left shoulder and was left with some memory loss due to a traumatic brain injury.

Mecham was convicted of high-range drink-driving and sentenced to a 12-month Intensive Corrections Order.

In September last year, after a car driven by a P-plater left the road as it entered a slight downhill right-hand bend heading north on Pringle Ave, at the junction with Haigh Ave, and smashed through a brick garden fence.

Property owner Pat Ridden told the Manly Daily there had been dozens of similar incidents at the intersection.

“A section of the nature strip, on the bend, sticks out too far, and drivers see it at the last moment,” Mrs Ridden said.

A damaged brick boundary fence at the home of Pam Ridden at the intersection of Pringle and Haigh avenues at Belrose. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

“I’ve come outside and found a girl with serious head injury in the back seat of a car after it hit a tree.”

After hearing about the crash into Mrs Ridden’s property, Mrs Godden’s husband Nick contacted Mayor Michael Regan and three councillors.

Mr Gooden told them that “clearly ‘speed’ signs are not slowing anyone down”.

“Why do we have to wait for a fatality before something is done,” he said.

The council has already replaced 50km/h speed signs near the intersection with yellow 35km/h advisory signs.

The intersection of Pringle and Haigh avenues at Belrose. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

In September, Council CEO Ray Brownlee told the Manly Daily that it was aware of “the safety issues at this intersection”.

“We have conducted a traffic survey of the intersection and road alignment options are being investigated for potential safety upgrades,” Mr Brownlee said.

Lorraine Gooden, with her husband Nick, outside Manly Court House after their neighbour, Monica Mecham, was jailed for being over the limit when she ran Mrs Gooden over in her car on a Belrose street. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

This week Mr Gooden was told by the mayor that he had spoken with council staff and was told that work on the final design of a new intersection configuration was underway.

“(It) should be completed early June,” Mr Regan said in an email to Mr Gooden.

“Construction of the project will commence late 2021.”

Mr Gooden said on Tuesday that was happy that something positive in relation to pedestrian safety would come from his wife’s ordeal.

“It highlights that pedestrian safety is not always considered when roads are designed.

“I’m glad that this particular intersection is being looked at.”