To say Whittingham residents are frustrated would be a a gross understatement as they have spent years and countless hours trying to convince authorities that the speed limit on the New England Highway needs to be reduced from 100km to 80km/hour.
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Thirteen fatalities in 14 years on the highway between Belford and Whittingham has not resulted in any change in the speed limit and the residents, who have to enter and cross the highway on a daily basis, are asking how many more fatal or serious accidents will it take before the State Government and Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) listen to their concerns.
At a meeting in Whittingham Hall on Wednesday night speaker after speak voiced their anger at the total disregard shown towards their community when it came to improving safety along a seven kilometre stretch of the highway.
What has really stirred them into action once again is the latest so-called highway improvements undertaken last year at a cost of $3.3 million at the intersection of Racecourse Lane and the highway.
According to the residents the work has in fact made that section of road far more dangerous.
Resident Chris Bennett spoke about his family's recent near miss while turning right from Racecourse Lane onto the New England Highway and their car being overtaken on the left hand side by a speeding vehicle.
The installation of a wire barrier fence on the highway opposite Racecourse Lane now prevents residents from using the verge as a type of acceleration lane before accessing the highway.
Mr Bennett said there had also been a near miss involving the school bus. He said in meetings with the RMS the views of the residents were not reflected in their final plans for upgrade works to the highway.
"The work last year has made that section of road far more dangerous because we could pull over if a vehicle come speeding up us as we tried to turn right onto the highway but now we can't due to the wire barrier- there is no acceleration lane it 's an accident waiting to happen, " said Mr Bennett.
"The RMS must be held accountable for the state of this road and how dangerous it is for locals trying to access the highway.
"The easiest way to eliminate the risk is to reduce the speed. Its that simple and I have driven the highway from the service station into Singleton and it takes two minutes more at 80km than 100km. Surely for everyone's safety its worth an extra two minutes of travel time."
One resident said the only advantage gained from the upgrade work occurred during the construction period because of the lower speed limits that were implemented otherwise the work made the highway far more dangerous to enter.
Residents were also angry that the promised street lights at the intersection of both Racecourse Lane and Range Road had not been installed.
Haggarty's Lane resident Pip Byrnes said funding for improvements to the intersection of Haggartys Lane and the highway had been approved four years ago but they are still waiting for the work to be completed.
"One of the biggest problems for us is the fact the RMS does not communicate with the residents and although we have seen some small improvements along the highway some of the changes have actually made the road more dangerous," she said.
Ms Byrnes also raised concerned about the proposed Singleton bypass plans that would incorporate using the highway through Whittingham.
"In none of those plans is there any information regarding what happens in times of flood for the Whittingham residents. How do we move livestock and machinery for example to higher ground on Range Road?", she said.
"Any drilling in the area also poses a risk of spreading PFAS into ground water due to drilling and construction."
A petition has been prepared by the group which they hope deliver to the RMS, Environment Protection Authority and the local politicians.
In the meantime everyone at the meeting agreed the highway through Whittingham posed a threat to all users and the speed limit must be reduced.
The residents do not want to see a repeat of the two fatal accidents near the old Whittingham school in December 2015 and November 2016.