Inner West Council releases study for possible traffic signals for proposed Tempe Bunnings

By TILEAH DOBSON

The latest in the saga of Tempe residents’ opposition to the proposed Bunnings development continues with the Inner West Council releasing their Traffic Signals Feasibility Study (TSFS).

The issue began when local residents urged the NSW government to act against the proposed store’s development as what they believe is a safety risk to the area, particularly to Tempe Primary School.

Earlier in the week, the community was briefed on the status of the council’s TSFS by council staff at the behest of  Greens Councillor Justine Langford and Labor Councillor Mat Howard.

The proposed findings include road safety such as Transport for NSW ‘Warrants’, traffic signals and road delineation. Physical constraint suggestions include a heritage wall and an IKEA service driveway.

Cr Howard has stressed that putting traffic lights at the Bunnings Tempe Princes Highway access driveway is “absolutely necessary and could very well save lives.”

“Let’s be clear. Kids’ safety is at risk here,” Cr Howard told City Hub.

“We have been pressuring Bunnings to improve traffic arrangements at their new Tempe store for close to a year. Despite the serious concerns of the community, the lack of action from both Bunnings and TfNSW [Transport for NSW] has been astonishing,” he said.

“We wrote to the Minister for Transport and Roads seeking approval for these traffic signals almost a year ago, to no avail. Our independent and new feasibility study is clear that traffic lights is the safest option and will have the least impact on our community.”

“The Minister for Metropolitan Roads and Transport for NSW owe it to our community to do their job, assess the feasibility study and confirm it is the safest option for our community. Bunnings should then do the right thing by the community they want to be a part of.”

Cr Langford was pleased with the community turnout, saying that people “were very engaged and asked a lot of questions.”

“Having face-to-face meetings really helps explain the complexities. Bringing [the] community together around an issue shows that Council cares. Council staff provided updates on the Traffic Light Feasibility Study, the Supplementary Report to the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel, the Local Area Traffic Management Plan for South Tempe and other details,” she told City Hub.

“Transport for NSW and Bunnings must listen to the concerns of Tempe residents. It is their civic duty. If they don’t, both Council and the community would need to lobby the NSW Minister for Transport and run a very strong public campaign.”

City Hub reached out to Bunnings for comment and a spokesperson reassured us that they “remain committed to achieving a safe and efficient outcome for local residents, inclusive of traffic calming measures to minimise any impacts.”

“However, we’re yet to receive approval of the Local Area Traffic Management Plan (LATM), which is delaying the implementation of our development consent issued three years ago. We understand the unchanged LATM will now be put out for consultation again,” a spokesperson for Bunnings told City Hub.

“We continue to participate in the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel process and are hopeful the matter can be resolved through the scheduled meeting on 1 September, so we can move the project forward and provide certainty to our contracted builder and hundreds of trades people who will be engaged to undertake the work.”

 The NSW Planning Panel will be meeting on Thursday 1^st September via video conference to adhere to Covid-19 precautions. The Facebook group Safe Traffic Plan for Bunnings Tempe is urging passionate Tempe residents to attend the meeting and speak.

City Hub reached out to Transport for NSW who said that they “will consider the Traffic Signals Feasibility Study released by Inner West Council.”

“We are taking community concerns seriously and have been working with Council and Bunnings to investigate options to satisfy the concerns raised by residents, Tempe Public School and the community,” a spokesperson for Transport for NSW said.