PlanningAlerts

5 Comments

Create an account or sign in to have your say by adding your own comment.

1. This is an unsuitable location for a childcare centre. There is already a childcare centre right opposite this site. The current centre already causes traffic chaos on this narrow street. The street also has a hill at this point which makes it impossible for those driving north past the preschool to see what is approaching southbound. Traffic is forced to blindly drive on the wrong side of the road to pass parked cars and is extremely dangerous. The current childcare centre has its own car park but this does not stop numerous parents from parking in Eastern Road to load and unload small children. Please don't add another childcare centre to the current dangerous mess.

2. There is already a childcare centre directly opposite 205 Eastern Road. This is a very narrow street which rises up as you come up towards the current centre - particularly if you are travelling in a northerly direction there is no vision of any oncoming traffic, even if it is the Shorelink Eastern Road bus approaching. On a daily basis every driver must just take a guess that the road ahead is clear and hope no-one is approaching. Although there are some 'No Stopping' zones on either side of the current centre it is a very common occurrence to come over the hill and find some-one parked in one of the zones - in which case I have narrowly avoided many collisions.

   In the mornings, travelling south past the existing centre it can be even more dangerous as parents pull into park on the left hand side of the road then take their children from the car onto the roadway (as there is no pathed footpath on the left hand side). I can only assume they have no idea that any vehicle coming up and over the hill has no vision at all of them & their child in the road. I have had to stop very sharply a number of times and have spoken both to the parents and to the management of the centre about this issue. It scares me that there will be a collision and a child/parent injured.

   My daughter arrived home a couple of weeks ago, shaking in fear as she drives a small car and when approaching the existing centre had a large 4 wheel drive just pull out of the centre's driveway in front of her. Luckily she managed to brake fast enough to avoid a collision but I'm not sure if they can see clearly in either direction when exiting the existing car park.

   Please don't even consider adding another centre into this already very dangerous traffic mix. The staff working in the existing centre already park on the eastern side of Eastern Road blocking vision all day for anyone trying to exit towards the traffic lights. Another centre directly opposite is unthinkable.

   Please come out and visit the site around 9am or 3pm at the worst times of the day and the mess will be evident but a drive over this blind hill at any time of the day will illustrate as described above.

3. In August 2013 I wrote to the Council requesting that the "no stopping" zone be reinstated to both sides of Eastern Road opposite the existing Bee Hive pre-school. I had pointed out that the road was too narrow when parents were parking on the opposite side of Eastern Road to the pre-school and next to the existing no stopping zone. This narrowing meant that two cars could not pass each other.

   Furthermore the car parking at the site is insufficient for the number of customers dropping/collecting children and the staff members. The children are so young they cannot be 'kiss/dropped' but must be escorted in and settled. Thus the centre must have enough parking to cater for this and its staff members. Clearly it does not as at peak times the area is very congested.

   The Council's Deva Thevaraja replied as follows:

   Eastern Road is about 7m wide at this location. There is a considerable
   length of 'No Stopping' zone applies on the western side of Eastern Road
   along the full frontage of the child care centre and a bit more towards
   northerly. This facility is providing about 5m road width for vehicles
   to exit the centre car park, which is more than adequate. There is not
   visibility restriction when exiting the centre car park, mainly due to
   the presence of 'No Stopping' restrictions on the centre side. There
   is no need to restrict parking on the opposite side as you suggested.
   It is my understanding that there must have been a temporary "No
   Stopping' zone during construction of a house at No. 203 Eastern Road
   and that this facility must have been removed once the construction is
   completed.

   There was a subsequent exchange of emails where I disagreed with this view. Primarly because patrons park right at the commencement of the "no stopping" zone obstruct the view of drivers as well as narrow the road so that the full 5 metres width is impossible to be used. This is basic traffing engineering - the zone needs to stretch to the traffic lights at the junction of Eastern/Junction road. Please refer to these emails as I also attached photographs demonstrating that this zone is now dangerous particularly as buses use the road.

   Just to make the existing area safe, the zone on the side of the child care centre needs to be lengthened and a no-stopping zone applied on the opposite side. This would create a useable space for vehicles to simultaneously use both sides of the road without having to stop/give way to oncoming vehicles. Under the current arrangement this is not possible.

   The concept of adding a second child care centre in this narrow stretch of road is adding to the danger to road users and the existing/proposed child care centres' customers. Of course the entire stretch of Eastern Road will now need to be 'no stopping' due to the multiplication effect of this second centre.

   The council should undertake a road survey of users at peak times and during the day to assess the current situation before considering adding over 200 car movements per day to this narrow stretch of road.

4. 205 Eastern Road Wahroonga is a completely unsuitable place for another childcare centre.
   The existing childcare centre directly opposite the proposed one already causes major traffic problems for the local residents. As it is now, every weekday during morning & afternoon drop-off, cars block through access to local traffic by parking, turning & manoeuvring across Eastern Road.
   This is dangerous for the local traffic & causes frequent delays. I have had "near misses" and witnessed a number of dangerous incidents.
   Adding any traffic to the existing mess would result in locals often being blocked in & denied proper access to travel to Turramurra or south via St Ives.
   Please do not clog up this end of Eastern Road with any more commercial establishments which are unsuitable for purely residential areas.

5. Apart from the "more than obvious traffic problems" is it fair to allow another competitive business in such close proximity.........I would think not and If I was the owner/s of the existing business I would be complaining very strongly... Surely it could be located in a street with less traffic flow for all locals and people driving through......but as we all know "common sense" is anything but common.
   A resident of almost 38 years in 2076. Les H

Have your say on this application

Your comment and details will be sent to Ku-ring-gai Council. They may consider your submission when they decide whether to approve this application. Your name and comment will be posted publicly above.

Create an account or sign in to make a comment