Call for road safety fix on Hill St ‘rat run’ in West Hobart

WEST Hobart businesses, schools and community groups are pushing the Hobart City Council to address road safety concerns in busy Hill St.

Paul Staley won't let son Archie, 8, cross Hill St in West Hobart without supervision. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

WEST Hobart businesses, schools and community groups are pushing the Hobart City Council to address road safety concerns in busy Hill St.

The street’s 12 businesses have joined six schools, aged accommodation provider Southern Cross Care and the West Hobart Environment Network in calling for a speed limit reduction for the suburb and raised “wombat” crossings.

The latest push comes after the State Government reduced the speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/near one of Hobart’s busiest playgrounds — the Caldew “train” Park — last year.

MORE: SPEED LIMIT CUTS AT CALDEW PARK

West Hobart Environment Network member Di Elliffe said at the time that the speed of vehicles near the park had been a problem for a decade, with a campaign to reduce the speed limit running for close to three years.

Yesterday she said the community wanted at least two safe crossing points for pedestrians.

“A raised crossing would make a physical barrier that cars would have to slow down for and that is what the street needs,” Ms Elliffe said.

Earlier this year, the council passed a resolution to install two crossing points on Hill St in the current financial year with $300,000 set aside for this infrastructure.

Ms Elliffe said Hobart’s growing population had increased the traffic and more motorists were using Hill St as an alternative route.

“The council said that Hill St has become a collector road for traffic which only means that more people will be using it,” Ms Elliffe said.

“Our major concerns are the speed and the volume of the traffic coming through here. They’re treating Hill St as a rat run.”

A car rushes past pedestrians waiting to cross Hill St in West Hobart. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Business owner Paul Staley said Hill St had become a barrier for his son who walked to and from school.

Archie, 8, attends Lansdowne Crescent Primary School, less than a block from Mr Staley’s framing business on Hill St.

“I get Archie to wait across the road and then I go get him,” Mr Staley said.

“I worry about how fast the cars go up and down the hill.”

Hobart City Council will hold a workshop on the issue at Lansdowne Crescent Primary School today from 10.30am-1pm.

Originally published as Call for road safety fix on Hill St ‘rat run’ in West Hobart