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According to Harold Scruby, chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, the newly-completed traffic upgrades along The Spit which were implemented to improve safety along the road have instead had the opposite effect. The primary concerns he had listed were confusing paving, the lack of safety rails, traffic signage he deemed conflicting, and road layouts that led to cars facing one another when parked. 

The project, which cost a total of $1.4 million, revolved around the construction of a mixed-use sliplane between The Spit Rd and nearby business by the Mosman Council. These upgrades, however, led to the creation of paving that resembles pedestrian walkways, making for an incredibly confusing experience for those attempting to cross the road. 

One of the bus stops within the area also fails to have a clear line of sight between the bus shelter and the slip road behind it. Mr Scruby had commented that if a pedestrian was to get off the bus and walk to the beach, they would be in danger as there’s no line of sight from behind the bus shelter. 

Despite Mr Scruby’s claims, the Mosman Council’s director of environment and planning, Craig Kovich, mentioned that his outrage was not entirely proportional to the risk, and that the man had no clear evidence in terms of his expertise on road design, safety audits, and traffic management.  

The Mosman Council later mentioned that the upgrades implemented along The Spit roadway underwent safety assessments including an audit by a qualified engineer. Certified experts had designed this section of the road to improve pedestrian safety, and the council is currently unaware of any traffic accidents involving pedestrians since the upgrade was implemented.

Despite the lack of accidents, Harold Scruby proposes that the new roadway upgrades could be fixed dropping the speed limit from 60kmh to 10kmh, increasing signage, creating pedestrian barriers and clearer paving to differentiate them, and improving overall line of sight.

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