Balmoral beach car park awaits safety improvements

POLICE want ‘significant signage’ at Balmoral Beach car park warning drivers they are entering a 10km/h shared zone with pedestrians.

Sgt Mick Sweeney was alerted to problems at the car park. Picture: Virginia Young

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BALMORAL beach car park is awaiting safety improvements after police were alerted to a series of problems.

Harbourside LAC traffic sergeant Mick Sweeney wants to see new signs warning drivers that pedestrians have right of way as it is a 10km/h shared zone.

“A car park like that needs significant signage,” Sgt Sweeney said.

“You need to be aware you are entering the shared zone. While the signs comply with the technical requirements they don’t actually indicate what the rules are.”

Sgt Sweeney wants to see new signs warning drivers. Picture: Virginia Young

Police have spent time in the car park assessing the problem and questioned drivers who were breaking the road rules.

Sgt Sweeney has alerted Mosman Council to the signage problem and is working with them to also see the repainting of worn out road markings and the installation of a new speed hump.

Police were alerted to the issue by safety campaigner Harold Scruby, chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia.

He says he has seen drivers travelling at over 50km/h in the car park and said Mosman Council were “utterly incompetent” as he told them a year ago about the problem.

“They shouldn’t need us to tell them,” he said. “They are moribund.”

Mosman Council's Craig Covich. Picture: Braden Fastier

Mosman Council’s director of environment and planning, Craig Covich, said the council works closely with police to improve signage whenever such issues arise.

“Council disputes Mr Scruby’s assertions and advises that if he has any calibrated data to support his claims he should provide it to council for review,” he said.

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