ALBURY’S most notorious pedestrian crossing will finally be fixed.
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Pedestrians play Russian roulette with traffic in Kiewa Street on a daily basis with cars having right of way.
But with NSW Roads and Maritime Services and Albury Council agreeing to a 50-50 split on the $90,000 project, pedestrian-operated traffic lights will be installed at the crossing by mid- next year.
The council’s traffic and transport team leader Steve Swann said more people used the Kiewa Street crossing than the five zebra crossings in Dean Street combined.
“It is one of the last foot crossings in Albury where cars have right of way and it is a constant source of headaches for motorists and pedestrians,” Mr Swann said.
“Anyone who has ever used that crossing before knows that confusion reigns.
“No one ever seems to know who exactly is going to give way.”
The “raised threshold” crossing was first installed in 1992, along with five others in Dean Street.
But, the ones in Dean Street have since been replaced by pedestrian-friendly zebra crossings.
In peak periods of the day, more than 500 pedestrians will use the Kiewa Street crossing every hour.
Another 300 pedestrians will cross elsewhere on Kiewa Street and, in some instances, illegally.
During the same period, more than 600 cars can travel along the section between Dean and Smollett streets, putting them in direct conflict with pedestrians.
“With this funding from the state government, we’re going to be able to address a long-running safety issue in the CBD,” Mr Swann said.
“We’ve got a plan to make the CBD more pedestrian and cyclist friendly and this is going to be a key milestone.
“We want the area to be functional, but most of all we want it to be safe.”
The council will also eventually narrow the section of Kiewa Street to one lane and convert parking from parallel to angle.