A SEVEN-minute trip to work has become a 20-minute journey for Nemingha Tavern owner Aimee Breeze, but that is the least of her worries.
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The closure of O’Briens Ln for the next three weeks has been questioned by some people in the community, but Tamworth Regional Council says it had no other option. Mrs Breeze said she had already lost some customers, who used to drive over for a beer or two in the afternoon but now would never drive around the other way through town.
“We never heard anything from council about the closures – no letter, no phone call, nothing. And to do it during the Country Music Festival is going to cost us untold business. Surely there was a better solution, such as leaving one lane open?” Mrs Breeze said.
The council said keeping one side of the road open was not only dangerous for the workers but was timely and expensive, and now was the best time to do it, so as to not disrupt Farrer students and buses during the school term.
“With the buses having to go through town, especially with festivalgoers on board, it makes it a much bigger trip. I doubt many who used to come here will bother any more. It is going to take more time for my staff to get here, and inconvenience regulars and visitors,” Mrs Breeze said.
Council civic construction manager Graeme McKenzie said there were good reasons for doing the works now, and, regardless of what time of year roadworks were done, it would affect somebody, somehow.