Residents and business owners have reignited fears a new service station being built next to Wagga's "worst roundabout" will make the intersection even more dangerous.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Construction is almost complete on the Mobil petrol station at 34 Dobney Avenue, on the eastern side of the notorious double Bunnings roundabouts.
For years the intersection has been labelled confusing and dangerous by Wagga drivers and there are concerns the addition of a potentially busy service station will add to the chaos.
However, some residents are hopeful the proposed relocation of Bunnings could provide a chance for the intersection to be re-evaluated.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Wagga resident Russ Meyers said the area "can be very tricky" and drivers have to watch three different directions at once to pass through it safely.
"If you add people who want to go straight into the service station that will confuse the issue a lot more," he said.
"It will certainly cause more crashes and I hope I'm wrong but I can't see any alternative - it will be chaotic."
Mr Meyers said he was always happy to see development going ahead in Wagga but questioned why Wagga City Council approved the construction of the service station back in 2016.
"I don't think there's any way around it now ... that road system is just going to be a nightmare," he said.
This sentiment was shared by Lynne Bodell, secretary of the Wagga Residents and Ratepayers Association, who said safety measures such as traffic lights should be considered for the roundabouts.
"It's the worst roundabout in Wagga at the moment and I think the new service station is going to make it a lot worse," Dr Bodell said.
"I think they're going to have to put traffic lights there or some other control because you can't rely on people's common sense unfortunately."
Wagga City Council approved the construction of a new $24m Bunnings Warehouse on the corner of the Sturt Highway and Pearson Street, subject to conditions, in December.
Dr Bodell said this potential relocation would help alleviate pressure on the notorious intersection and would be the "ideal time" for the stretch of road to be re-evaluated.
The need for changes to the roundabouts has also been voiced by Phil Dryden, the owner of Riverina Concretors Warehouse, who said he sees multiple near-misses at the intersection each week.
"There is an extraordinary number of vehicles that come through these roundabouts each day and there will be even more pressure when they open the new service station - they need to revisit it," he said.
When concerns were raised over the service station in 2016, developer Tim Brennan said he did not believe it would exacerbate problems at the intersection.
The Daily Advertiser reached out to Mr Brennan for comment.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Download our app from the Apple Store or Google Play
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters