Concerns have been raised about pedestrian safety at the railway underpass at Aurville, with the lack of footpaths being cited as a contributing factor.
The underpass permits the only legal flow of pedestrian traffic along the Barwang Road from Aurville to Harden and vice versa, and many people have cut across the railway yard at Harden as an illegal means to get to the CBD and beyond.
A well-worn path is evident across the yard, which leads from the south-eastern corner of the canola silo across now-vacant land to the Main Southern Rail Line, where it encounters a set of points. This is a dangerous section of railway line to be on, considering a sudden switch of the points could result in a pedestrian’s foot being trapped. With Network Control now located in Junee, it would be considerably difficult to extricate oneself before being hit by an oncoming train.
Furthermore, individuals caught trespassing could receive fines of up to $5,000.
In contrast, the Bathurst Street underpass in Murrumburrah has had a footpath permitting the safe transit of pedestrians for a number of years. In addition, extra funding received by Council through the Federal Government’s Roads to Recovery Program (R2R) has resulted in $230,000 being allocated to reconstruct 770 square metres of pavement at the Bathurst Street underpass using asphalt. This work is to be conducted in the 2016/2017 Financial Year.
