Constant vehicle procession though Maitland Park hinders Remembrance Day celebrations

Traffic heading westbound is turning into Louth Park Road and making its way through the park to avoid the 60km/h road work zone, which causes traffic to slow at the roundabout near Maitland railway station. 

A constant procession of vehicles drove through the park as Maitland’s Remembrance Day service unfolded on Friday.

Seventeen vehicles passed in less than a minute-and-a-half, according to the Mercury’s footage, leaving the event’s organisers and the crowd disappointed.

Tradesmen, caravans, cars with trailers, trucks and buses drove past during the service. 

The line of vehicles even refused to stop for pedestrians who were trying to leave after the service.

“I’m not happy, I’m not happy at all,” Mayor of Maitland, Cr Peter Blackmore, said.

“You can see the constant procession of vehicles turning off and coming through the park.

“A lot of them are speeding and the park is not a public road, it was not built to handle all of that traffic.

“I’m fearful of a child accidentally walking out onto the road, I don’t know whether they’d have time to stop.”

Cr Blackmore said the ceremony was held at the cenotaph in the park every year and it had never encountered a problem with traffic.

He questioned whether the rat run was quicker for motorists as they had to turn left onto Cessnock Road and travel a few hundred metres before they could make a u-turn and come back to the roundabout.

The NSW Roads and Maritime Services changed the speed limit on the stretch while work was done on the one-way flyover. The clean-up and finishing touches to the New England Highway have not yet finished.

Maitland RSL Sub-Branch treasurer and Maitland councillor Henry Meskauskas said the motorists should have been more considerate of the ceremony.

He said they should have been paying their respects instead of driving through the park.

"They don’t care, a lot of people don't care, and they should be showing a bit of respect,” he said.