Latest news with #roundabout
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Council removes 'absolute joke' of a roundabout after hundreds of complaints from motorists
An 'absolute joke' of a roundabout has been removed from a Sydney intersection just days after it was installed following hundreds of complaints from motorists. Drivers were left stunned by the diamond-shaped roundabout at the intersection of Twenty-Eight Avenue and Fifteenth Avenue in Austral, in Sydney's south-west. Motorists said there were a number of near-misses at the busy intersection as drivers attempted to navigate its unique shape. Liverpool City Councillor Peter Ristevski told Nine's Today program on Friday he had received hundreds of complaints about the roundabout. 'My inbox was bombarded with over 300 responses asking, "What is going on? You guys can't even build a roundabout",' he said. Today host Karl Stefanovic described the roundabout as 'an absolute joke', adding it would unfortunately fall on ratepayers to fund its removal. Images published by Nine News on Saturday showed the roundabout had been painted over on Friday night, leaving a dark almond-shaped print on the road. Liverpool City Council chief executive Jason Breton said the council made the decision to remove the roundabout following the community feedback. 'We're going to take the roundabout out over the weekend,' Mr Breton said in a video posted to social media. 'We'll put the road surface back to its original position. 'We'll work with the state and federal governments about the state road and how we can improve it as we move towards the grant money that's been allocated for the area.' Footage previously shared by Nine News depicted the alarming moment two cars nearly collided while attempting to navigate the roundabout. In another close call, a ute had to carry out a three-point turn to move through the roundabout. Drivers were united in their opposition to the roundabout, which was introduced as part of a broader effort to ease congestion and improve safety in the area. 'This has to be one of the worst and most dangerously designed roundabouts I've ever seen,' a local in an Austral and Leppington community forum said on Facebook. 'You literally have to do a U-turn just to turn right — in either direction!' Another said: 'Whoever designed the 'coffin' roundabout may have taken the name a bit too literally.' 'Its layout is so confusing and hazardous, it feels less like a traffic solution and more like a traffic trap,' they said. NSW MP for Leppington Nathan Hagarty previously called the roundabout a 'waste of money', saying the council needed to 'come back and fix up a job'. The local politician posted to the community forum on Sunday saying he had been in contact with the Liverpool Council over concerns about the temporary roundabout. A spokesperson for Transport for New South Wales said the department spoke with Liverpool City Council ahead of the roundabout's removal following complaints from the Member for Leppington and the community. The roundabout was one of five recently installed in the area, including others on Eleventh, Fifteenth and Tenth avenues. In January, the federal and state governments jointly announced a $1billion upgrade to Fifteenth Avenue, but work is not expected to start until 2027.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Council removes bizarre roundabout after backlash from drivers in 'disgraceful saga'
An unconventional and much talked about road feature has disappeared overnight just days after it made headlines around the country for its very peculiar, and seemingly ineffective, design. A diamond-shaped roundabout was recently rolled out in Sydney's southwest – much to the total bemusement of drivers in the Liverpool Council area. Fifteenth Avenue, set to become a key arterial route to the new Western Sydney Airport, has recently seen a flurry of roadworks, with three new roundabouts installed in quick succession. Roundabouts have been added at 22nd Avenue, Craik Avenue, and the now-infamous – and short lived – diamond-shaped roundabout at 28th Avenue. Footage captured by Yahoo on Friday at the unusual roundabout showed a number of drivers ignoring the painted lines and driving straight through the road feature. However on Friday night, council workers quietly removed it all together. "There is no roundabout, it's gone," a council spokesperson told Yahoo News on Saturday. "We listened to our residents. It was a design that didn't work. "There were lots of complaints about it, so the simplest thing to do was to get rid of it." Photos from the scene on Saturday show black paint over the previous diamond shape and a previous sign has been removed, and replaced with a regular Giveway sign. "There was actually a mound in the middle of the intersection, so it was pulled up and the intersection has been repainted with slightly different line markings to the previous one. "It's going back to the intersection that it was, and we've also put some improved line markings to make it a bit simpler and easier," the spokesperson said. Local MP Nathan Hagarty was also on the scene on Saturday to mark the occasion. "Cars are still stopping, they're not sure what to do," he said in a video posted to constituents on social media. "But as far as I'm concerned, this is not the end of this disgraceful saga. I have had a look at the original designs and what I can say is that the design that I saw do not match what was delivered, so I think some serious questions need to be asked to Liverpool Council and the contractors... how much money has been wasted?" he said. Related: Major road rule changes coming into effect on July 1 across Australia For it's part, the Liverpool Council says the state government needs to upgrade the road to make it fit for purpose to handle the amount of traffic it receives. "It's always been an awkward intersection … we've been waiting years for that road to be upgraded – it's a major thoroughfare. It's going to be the major link into the Western Sydney International Airport and it's not going to be ready in time," the council spokesperson told Yahoo. "It hasn't been done properly and there's more pain to come unfortunately until that road is upgraded." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
News.com.au
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Liverpool City Council roundabout removed days after it was installed
An oddly-shaped roundabout that sparked mass chaos for drivers in Sydney's southwest has been removed just days after it was installed. Liverpool City Council plonked a diamond-shaped roundabout at the intersection of 15th and 28th Ave that residents found difficult to navigate and almost impossible to turn without hitting vehicles or poles. 'Because it's shaped like that, by the time I do swing it back around, I would hit those cars waiting there or the pole, so it makes it dangerous,' a road user told Yahoo. On Saturday morning, fresh photos revealed the roundabout had been painted over. A council spokesman said the council listened to complaints from local residents and acted quickly, but warned things would get worse before they got better. 'Overnight on Friday, the roundabout was removed and the intersection was repainted with better traffic markings,' the spokesman said. 'We hope that solves the problem for the time being.' 'But everybody in the area is urgently waiting for work to start upgrading 15th Ave now after the state and federal government both jointly promised a $1bn upgrade. 'Unfortunately, things are probably going to get worse before they get better, with the combined issues of the fast growth of Austral and the opening of Western Sydney International Airport.' Liverpool City Council expects an increase in housing in the areas immediately around the road, which could see 63,000 more people living there by 2041. More than 22,000 vehicles use the two-lane road each day, including 1760 trucks, which will be a major road that connects Liverpool to the new airport. About 5 million passengers are expected to transit through the western Sydney airport when it opens next year, with the number of passengers doubling by next decade. The Federal and NSW Governments announced in January a jointly funded $1bn upgrade to 15th Ave, but work isn't expected to begin until 2027. A NSW Transport spokesman said following representations from the community and the Member for Leppington, the department had spoken to Liverpool City Council, the responsible authority, who had revised the design and intended to complete works in the coming days.
Daily Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Telegraph
‘Embarrassing' Sydney roundabout leaves drivers in a mess
Don't miss out on the headlines from On the Road. Followed categories will be added to My News. Residents in Sydney's southwest are fuming over a strange new diamond-shaped roundabout that has left drivers in a mess. The oddly-shaped intersection at Austral's 28th Avenue has been branded 'embarrassing' by Liverpool City Councillor Peter Ristevski, who admitted he's just as baffled as the public. 'My inbox last night was bombarded with over 300 responses asking, 'what is going on? You guys can't even build a roundabout',' he told Channel Nine's Today. 'They've pretty much lost confidence in the council, which is very concerning at the moment.' Footage captured by Yahoo News Australia on Friday shows a steady stream of motorists ignoring the layout altogether and simply driving straight through the roundabout — including a large truck and several SUVs. There are no visible signs explaining how to navigate it, and residents say it's dangerous. 'It's f**king sh*t,' a local man told Yahoo. 'I can't even turn onto my street because of the shape of the roundabout.' He added that turning through the intersection without hitting a waiting car or nearby pole is nearly impossible. Residents in Sydney's southwest are fuming over a strange new diamond-shaped roundabout that has left drivers in a mess. 'Because it's shaped like that, by the time I do swing it back around, I would hit those cars waiting there or the pole, so it makes it dangerous.' Liverpool City Council CEO Jason Breton announced in a video posted to the council's LinkedIn page the roundabout would be dismantled this weekend. 'We'll put the road surface back to its original position,' Mr Breton said. 'And then we'll work with the state and federal governments about the state road and how we can improve it.' Despite what appears to be ample space for a standard circular roundabout, the diamond design was reportedly chosen due to the angled layout of the intersecting street. The controversial roundabout is part of a series of upgrades on Fifteenth Avenue, which will eventually connect to the new Western Sydney Airport. Councillor Ristevski blamed external contractors and said he didn't know the cost of the diamond-shaped layout. 'It's quite embarrassing,' he admitted. 'I'm in Canberra for the Australian Local Government Conference, where I've had every single councillor here in Australia rip into me about this roundabout.' Originally published as 'Embarrassing' Sydney roundabout leaves drivers in a mess
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Embarrassing' Sydney roundabout leaves drivers in a mess
Residents in Sydney's southwest are fuming over a strange new diamond-shaped roundabout that has left drivers in a mess. The oddly-shaped intersection at Austral's 28th Avenue has been branded 'embarrassing' by Liverpool City Councillor Peter Ristevski, who admitted he's just as baffled as the public. 'My inbox last night was bombarded with over 300 responses asking, 'what is going on? You guys can't even build a roundabout',' he told Channel Nine's Today. 'They've pretty much lost confidence in the council, which is very concerning at the moment.' Footage captured by Yahoo News Australia on Friday shows a steady stream of motorists ignoring the layout altogether and simply driving straight through the roundabout — including a large truck and several SUVs. There are no visible signs explaining how to navigate it, and residents say it's dangerous. 'It's f**king sh*t,' a local man told Yahoo. 'I can't even turn onto my street because of the shape of the roundabout.' He added that turning through the intersection without hitting a waiting car or nearby pole is nearly impossible. 'Because it's shaped like that, by the time I do swing it back around, I would hit those cars waiting there or the pole, so it makes it dangerous.' Despite what appears to be ample space for a standard circular roundabout, the diamond design was reportedly chosen due to the angled layout of the intersecting street. The controversial roundabout is part of a series of upgrades on Fifteenth Avenue, which will eventually connect to the new Western Sydney Airport. Councillor Ristevski blamed external contractors and said he didn't know the cost of the diamond-shaped layout. 'It's quite embarrassing,' he admitted. 'I'm in Canberra for the Australian Local Government Conference, where I've had every single councillor here in Australia rip into me about this roundabout.'
