By Michael Sinclair
Gooding St – which runs along the train line on the opposite side of St Albans Rd – has become a haven for motorists hoping to avoid traffic light sequences and the railway crossing at St Albans Rd, according to disgruntled residents.
But it is the speed of motorists that has riled residents of the street, who believe it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed in an accident.
“I’m just so worried that someone here is going to be killed,” Flora McKenzie, a 12-year resident of the street, told Star last week.
“We have elderly people in wheelchairs and scooters. Do we have to wait until something happens to them before something is done about the street?”
Star visited the site shortly after 4pm last Wednesday and witnessed many motorists accessing Gooding St from nearby Willaton St, then continuing on to Main Road West. There was an equal volume of traffic travelling in the opposite direction.
In the space of 30 minutes more than 50 cars had used the route as a thoroughfare, with just two cars making up local traffic and stopping at houses in adjoining streets.
Nick Vassallo is president of the Maltese Folklore Social Club on Gooding St and said the traffic problem reaches its peak between 4pm and 6pm on week days.
“We get a lot of idiot young kids speeding along here – zig-zagging and all that sort of caper – so it’s a real problem for us,” he said.
Mr Vassallo said a sharp bend in the road adjacent to his club was of concern, as speeding motorists would find it hard to correct their vehicles if they were to hit the curve at high speeds.
“We’ve had one guy lose control of his car and crash into a light pole here. It’s only going to be a matter of time before we have another person hit it,” he said.
The club is calling for roadworks, including road widening and improved lighting, to allow access for his members and reduce the chances of a serious accident.
Grasslands Ward councillor Ken Capar agreed that the street was a real concern for residents.
He said something had to be done to address the problem in the short term.
“People might argue that the State Government-proposed St Albans bypass will solve all the problems in St Albans,” he said. “But in my view the reality of that construction is more than 10 years down the track. “We need to get something done about this street now – it’s just too important.”
Cr Capar said he would take up the issue at the next ordinary council meeting tomorrow night (Wednesday) and would urge a roundabout and road-widening as part of a revamp of the road.
