A Lemon Tree Passage man is calling for speed cameras to be installed at the entrance to the town following an early morning car crash at the weekend that left a trail of destruction in the front yard of three homes and the driver with serious injuries.
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Paul Fairhall said the crash outside of his Lemon Tree Passage Road home about 3am on Sunday highlighted the need for a permanent and effective speeding deterrent, an issue he has raised with Port Stephens Council in the past.
"It's a 50 kilometre street but you get people driving through here at phenomenal speeds," he said.
"The mobile speed camera gets set up outside Tanilba Bay RSL every now and then but it never comes here. What we need is for the red tape to be cut, for someone to do something about this road."
Mr Fairhall raised his concerns about car crashes near his home and the need for speed cameras with Port Stephens Council in April 2018.
In a reply letter to Mr Fairhall, the council said the requests for speed cameras are assessed by the Centre For Road Safety.
"The Local Traffic Committee makes recommendations to council on the installation of traffic control devices like signs or traffic calming devices like speed humps on local roads," a council spokesperson told the Examiner.
"While speed humps could be recommended to calm traffic, they can also have a negative impact. Nearby residents often complain about noise and vibrations, while drivers complain of damage caused to trailers, caravans and boats.
"Council does not have authority or control over the placement of speed cameras.
"The Safer Roads NSW website provides an opportunity for community members to have a say on where speed cameras should be positioned."
Port Stephens police are now investigating whether speed and alcohol played a factor in Sunday morning's crash, which happened near Crawley Avenue.
Police said the driver of a Hyundai i30, a 26 year old woman from Bradbury, near Sydney, "failed to negotiate" a bend in Lemon Tree Passage Road, travelled down a slight embankment and travelled a further 55 metres into the front yards of three properties.
The i30 hit two parked cars, a boat and a trailer. It is understood the car hit a tree stump, causing it to flip and land upside down in the front of Mr Fairhall's yard.
The driver was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition with a broken and dislocated hip, fractured wrist and lacerations to her head and legs.
The woman remains in hospital in a stable condition.
As of Tuesday, no charges had been laid.