Graham Brown said it was “ridiculous” to lower the speed limits along the road in the name of safety when so many others around the Tilligerry Peninsula, including Tanilba Road where he lives, are what he, and a number of his neighbours, feel are unsafe.

“That road [Lemon Tree] used to be a goat track and you could do 100km/h,” Mr Brown said.

“But here, in our street, which we have called the council about I don’t know how many times, they say it’s fine.”

The RMS, which determines all NSW road speed zones, dropped the speed limit along Lemon Tree Passage Road by 10km/h this month due to a higher than average rate of injuries stemming from crashes.

While Port Stephens Council does not determine speed limits, it is responsible for the condition of roads.

This is why Mr Brown and a group of his neighbours formally wrote to the council’s traffic committee in December 2016 with their concerns regarding speeding, poor visibility, surface condition and drainage along Tanilba Road and Alfred Lane.

In a reply letter, sent in February 2017, the committee said it would refer their concerns about sight construction and drainage issues to the council’s roadside maintenance section.

Following inquiries by Fairfax Media, Port Stephens Council revealed that $750,000 worth of works is scheduled for Tanilba Road, between Bay Street and Mallabula Road, for the next financial year (2019-2020).

The works will include road widening, kerb and guttering.

John Maretich, the council’s asset section manager, said the entrance to Alfred Lane would also be improved in the works, which was a main issue for the group of Mallabula residents that wrote to the council in December.

“Funding is the greatest restriction on council when it comes to upgrading roads,” Mr Maretich said.

“Most of the funding we receive for road upgrades and rehabilitation comes from state and federal government grants.”