Road safety is at the forefront of all decisions made by Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) when designing new roads and implementing improvements to existing road infrastructure. As a result of increased traffic movements and safety concerns within the Southern end of Sheraton Road in Dubbo, DRC is installing a formalised U-turn bay, with concrete medium island and line marking.
This new measure will ensure cars that can regularly be seen making informal U-turns do so safely. DRC’s Manager of Infrastructure Strategy and Design Chris Godfrey said this process is now more necessary than ever. “With the Boundary Road extension project nearing completion, we will see vehicles enter Sheraton Road from the South, which they haven’t been able to do before. This means the cars making the U-turns will now be doing so into much higher volumes of oncoming traffic,” said Mr Godfrey.
The formalised U-turn bay is an interim measure until a new roundabout can be constructed as part of the Keswick Estate expansion.
“The interim U-turn bay will create a much safer means for vehicles having to turn around and exit Sheraton Road from the North,” said Mr Godfrey.
An additional traffic issue that can be observed in Sheraton Road, particularly during times of school drop off and pick up, is the informal queuing on the side of Sheraton Road. The informal queuing can be attributed to drivers having insufficient space to park in the vicinity of the schools. As a result of installing the U-turn bay, it has become evident that there is not enough space either side for cars to be safely queuing up in that area. To ensure road safety standards for vehicles and pedestrians are maintained, DRC will be installing no stopping signs.
“DRC is aware that this will cause some inconvenience to some motorists, we apologise for this inconvenience however road safety for motorists and pedestrians is the highest priority in this decision-making process”, said Mr Godfrey.
DRC is aware that some portions of Sheraton Road surface are in poor condition as a result of heavy vehicles using this passage frequently. It is in DRC’s long term Transportation Strategy to direct these heavy vehicles via an alternative route and away from the school zones. DRC is actively seeking external funding to reconstruct Sheraton Road and in the event funding is received significant consultation with the relevant stakeholders will take place to inform the design of the upgrade.
