It’s been a couple of weeks since my last burnout update, so this article tells you about what’s happened since then.
Media coverage
On 12 January we put out a media release on Council’s backflip on installing a CCTV surveillance system. Considering that it’s now been nearly a year since the burnout tragedy when two young women were badly injured by a burnout that went wrong, and nothing has been done since then to stop the burnouts, both local and regional newspapers have shown significant interest.
Articles have already been published in News Of The Area and the Newcastle Herald.
Copies of these articles and the media release are attached.
MidCoast Council
Since Council advised on 8 January that it withdrawn its undertaking to install a CCTV system to deter burnout hoons and provide footage to the police for use in enforcement, we have followed up on its statement that it would like feedback on its "lower cost actions" such as closing off one end of Gooreengi Rd.
We figured the best way to provide feedback was to hold a community meeting on 8 February with North Arm Cove, Carrington and Tahlee residents all invited, with Council invited to come along and tell us what it planned and how the road closure and other options would work. By holding this meeting residents could hear directly from Council and give Council direct feedback on what they thought of the options.
So we sent invitations to the Council Mayor, General Manager, Director of Infrastructure and Engineering, all of the Councillors, Kate Washington, the Police Minister and the Detective Superintendent Port Stephens- Hunter Police District. We were hoping that out of this meeting we could have discussed the issue together and agreed on solutions and a timetable for stopping the burnouts.
Unfortunately this was wishful thinking - apart from two Councillors and a police representative, they all declined to attend, with the Mayor and the General Manager saying that it should be discussed at the next Tea Gardens Police Community Forum.
Now a Tea Gardens Police Community Forum is not the place where residents can have an in-depth discussion on the pros and cons of the different options. The forums are only one hour duration, have a broad policing focus, and anyway it will be months until the next one is held.
So we implemented “plan B”, and I wrote to the Council and requested details of the “lower cost options”, so we could discuss them at the next NACCAi meeting and provide feedback to Council.
Some details on these options were provided tonight. The options being considered by Council are:
- Temporary road closure of Gooreengi Rd just east of Somerset Ave
- Disconnection of the streetlighting at the intersection
- Installation of raised pavement markers on the centre and edge lines of the intersection and 100m in each direction
We will include discussion of these options in the agenda for the NACCAi meeting on 8 February.
Kate Washington
We been liaising with our local MP, Kate Washington, on the burnouts since late 2023. I met with her last Friday and she has promised to meet with Council's Mayor and General Manager to discuss our concerns.
Tell us about the burnout impacts on you
A couple of days ago I put an article on the website asking residents to tell us about the impacts the burnouts were having on them, their families and their visitors.
We need to let the authorities know that there is a human impact from these burnouts, with residents having previously reported feeling threatened and intimidated, and getting flat tyres from the burnout debris.
The article contained details of how residents can tell us about their burnout experiences, and a couple of days ago a printed letter was placed in all NAC letterboxes with copies delivered to Carrington and Tahlee.
We have already received a dozen responses, with stories of residents ranging from being threatened to flat tyres.
The responses (without any identifying information) will be put into a dossier and presented to Council and the State Government with a call for urgent action to stop the burnouts
If you have been adversely impacted by the burnouts, please tell us about your experiences asap. You can find further information and details on how you can provide the feedback at this link to my article – burnout impacts on me and my family.