Estella Lowe has been working with a group of residents to prepare a submission to Maitland City Council to call for the road to be made safer for pedestrians and cyclists before the suburb’s population rises.

Council’s draft development control plan for the Farley urban release area will be on public exhibition from October 1.

Farley was identified as a potential residential development area in 2006 and council has since been working toward preparing the area for a major increase in new homes. 

The development control plan will identify infrastructure, service and land issues that need to be addressed before new homes are approved.

But Dr Lowe said the document did not recommend how to make Wollombi Road safer.

She said the road was wide enough for two cars, but did not allow any room for pedestrians or cyclists, which made it dangerous for them to get through the railway underpass.

Dr Lowe said there was a number of options that could reduce the safety risk, including widening the road slightly to install partial parking lanes on each side of the road that pedestrians and cyclists could use.

“It wouldn’t take much to fix it,” she said.

 “Traffic on Wollombi Road has increased a great deal, even with the  Hunter Expressway being open. I suspect people cut through there to miss the 

New England Highway at Rutherford. 

“I’ve seen cars tipped on their roof, not at the underpass, but on the S-bend.”

Dr Lowe said Wollombi Road was a popular route for motorists to travel between Maitland and Abermain, Kurri Kurri or the vineyards.

Under council’s plan to encourage residential development in the area, she said traffic on Wollombi Road would quadruple.

“It’s going to be deadly,” Dr Lowe said. “It seems that too many times the infrastructure comes too late.

“There is a disconnect between council and the state government. People are screaming for things to be done by the time they come through.

“Farley is a gorgeous place. 

“If it is going to be developed, surely it can be done in a civilised way.”