The plight of local commuters who still faced lengthy delays on Richmond Road despite significant upgrades will be brought to the attention of the State Government.
At the June 25 council meeting, councillors voted to write to the Minister for Roads and Transport to acknowledge significant improvements made to Richmond Road in the Blacktown Local Government Area (LGA) but to also advise that "Hawkesbury residents are still experiencing lengthy delays when travelling on Richmond Road" despite the work.
Cr Patrick Conolly moved a notice of motion at the meeting to shine the spotlight on the issue, saying the road was "already full again" despite being improved dramatically over the past five or six years.
"It's hard to see where the demand's all coming from at this end of Richmond Road, however as someone who travels it not every day but every now and again, it is pretty terrible," he told the meeting.
"It's disappointing that all that money and all that effort has gone into this great new asset and it's already at capacity when it's finished.
"I think we need to put it back on the radar of the State Government again that they need to finish it off and make it widened all the way down to Bligh Park because that's the point up to which it tends to choke.
"The point of the motion is just to put it back on the radar, to write to the minister but also to our local member and just ask our local member to get on board with our advocacy and get it back in the attention of the State Government so hopefully we can get something to happen in the not too distant future."
The point of the motion is just to put it back on the radar.
- Cr Patrick Conolly
And while on the topic, Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) should be looking at how the Richmond Road roundabouts were functioning, he said.
"You've got those multiple roundabouts in that vicinity all very close together, and just to look at whether they're working properly together and it would be interesting to see what their long-term plan is as well with all those intersections down there," Cr Conolly said.
In the correspondence agreed to on the night, council would seek a commitment from the government to widen Richmond Road to the George Street intersection.
It would also seek an RMS review of George Street to Rifle Range Road at Bligh Park to ensure optimum operation of the roundabouts, and "achieve appropriate pedestrian access".