Locals call for speed bumps after nine crashes in six months

Residents in Larapinta are calling on the Alice Springs Town Council to take immediate action after a recent spate of serious road accidents on Lyndavale Drive.

Damage to a property on Lyndavale Dr in Larapinta after a car lost control Wednesday May 13, 2020. Picture: SHERALEE TAYLOR FOR NAMATJIRA FACEBOOK

Residents in Larapinta are calling on the Alice Springs Town Council to take immediate action after a recent spate of serious road accidents on Lyndavale Drive.

Concerned for the safety of their homes and the welfare of the community, the thoroughfare – not uncommonly referred to by locals as ‘Lyndavale Speedway’ – has developed a reputation for dangerous driving, despite a strict 50 kilometre per hour speed limit.

Recording nine traffic crashes in the Larapinta area in the last six months, four of which occurred in the past month, Sgt Conan Robertson of the Northern Territory Police Southern Region Traffic Command explained one or more of the fatal five behaviours – speeding, fatigue, alcohol and/or drugs, and distraction – were considered to be a contributing factor.

“A lot of people negotiate the corner every day without crashing so it is about driving lawfully and to the conditions,” Sgt Robertson said.

Residents of Larapinta and particular Lyndavale Dr have spoken to me about the need for speed control works to occur on...

Posted by Sheralee Taylor for Namatjira on Wednesday, 13 May 2020

“The area has a 50 kilometre per hour speed limit and Police will continue to target drivers who want to ignore the road rules and put others at risk.”

Speaking to the Centralian Advocate, one resident who lives adjacent to Harper Court explained their home had been damaged by reckless drivers almost half a dozen times in the space of five years.

“We were hit twice in one week, with a car almost entering the pool on one occasion,” they said.

“When the first incident happened in 2018 I was informed by the relevant authorities that it would be looked into. With this recent incident just last week I’ve had enough and something needs to be done to curb the speed of drivers, because there are young children that walk up and down the Drive and it’s close to parks.

“Everyone knows my house is famous for being hit – even to the point where people have said we need to move.”

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In a statement released to the Centralian Advocate on Wednesday, ASTC said the installation of ‘speed detection units’ in key locations along Lyndavale Drive would allow Council Officers to gather “relevant traffic data” for a period of time.

“The data will be analysed to enable the development of acceptable technical solutions, which will be included in a report for Council to provide further direction on the matter,” the statement read.