Riverstone business owners’ plea to ease traffic crisis

RIVERSTONE business owner Desmond Smith cannot escape the suburb’s woes.

T5 Railway Cafe owner Desmond Smith. Picture: Angelo Velardo

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RIVERSTONE business owner Desmond Smith cannot escape the suburb’s woes.

As a landscaper, he would battle the gridlock in Garfield Rd East where he drove his trailer to jobs on the truck-clogged streets.

Now, as the owner of T5 Railway Cafe, that mayhem is repelling customers from stopping at the Riverstone Pde shop he started to run with his fiancee Cheryl Parish in March.

It is these long-term problems that prompted Riverstone Schofields Chamber of Commerce president Kurt Hippe to write to Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Transport Minister Andrew Constance.

Desmond Smith is too familiar with congestion: Picture: Angelo Velardo

The group has proposed a bypass to alleviate congestion in the centre of the suburb.

Mr Hippe said a bypass to the industrial estate could be delivered swiftly and stop the centre being shut by traffic.

He said a bypass linking Garfield Rd West to Denmark Rd and Loftus St or Bandon Rd to Windsor Rd was one suggestion.

“While we’re not traffic experts we are ready, right now, to work with those experts in government to resolve these major traffic problems in Riverstone,” Mr Hippe said.

Heavy traffic is cutting off shoppers’ easy access to Riverstone. Picture: Angelo Velardo

Mr Hippe said the RMS plan for an underpass could not be delivered in reasonable time.

“Various authorities in the past have proposed fanciful solutions but these can’t provide immediate relief,’’ he said.

“The chamber’s solutions bring both short- and long-term benefits to the area.”

Mr Hippe said 16,000 vehicles passed through Riverstone CBD each day and peak travel times averaged 35 minutes over 3.5km.

Sam's Gourmet Cafe owner Sam Zale. Picture: Angelo Velardo

Mr Smith would use rat runs to avoid Riverstone Pde and Garfield Rd East.

“I tried to avoid it and go around the back streets, but the back streets are locked up anyway and you try to go to Oxford St but it’s banked up, so you had to go through Piccadilly St,’’ he said.

Traffic lights have not contributed to business. T5 Railway Cafe owner Desmond Smith and Sam's Gourmet Cafe owner Sam Zale. Picture: Angelo Velardo

The installation of traffic lights at the railway crossing has also been negative.

“Truckies and tradies tell us they don’t want to come here because of the lights,’’ Mr Smith said.

The chamber of commerce wants a bypass linking trucks to the industrial estate. Picture: Angelo Velardo

“If it flowed better I think we would have more business.”

Sam’s Gourmet Cafe owner Sam Zale called for Riverstone to be given more attention.

“I think there’s a lot of things that need to happen and the first thing is to help bring businesses back to this main street (Garfield Rd East),” Mr Zale said.