LAST weekend’s fatal accident on Bathurst’s iconic Mt Panorama has prompted calls for greater safety measures at the part time race omcircuit, including demands for the road to be closed to the general public.
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And while Bathurst Council is unlikely to accede to such an extreme measure the suggestion sums up the mood of residents around the circuit who are fed up with motorists who see themselves as race drivers.
Last weekend a Yetholme man died and his teenage daughter was seriously injured when their motorcycle and a 4WD collided on Mt Panorama’s famous Esses.
The driver of the Toyota 4WD has since been charged with a string of serious offences.
Since then the criticism published in Bathurst’s Western Advocate has come thick and fast with demands for urgent safety measures.
One issue of concern is the belief that many drivers familiar with the circuit only through race day TV coverage do not realise this is a public road with traffic in both directions.
There are a number of private homes around Mt Panorama and one such resident Fiona Hope says she has seen numerous near misses.
She believes part of the problem is that tourists get ‘carried away with the ambience’ of the famous track and miss the limited two way traffic signage.
This is exacerbated by the fact that there are no centre lines on the road.
In a survey conducted by the Advocate it was even mooted that the circuit should be closed year round to non residents.
Bathurst Regional Council member Warren Aubin says the calls for extreme action were a kneejerk reaction to the weekend accident.
“People just need to know it is a public road and not a racetrack,” he said.
Police appear to agree and said the accident rate on the road was not a major issue.
They agreed that more prominent signage would be beneficial.