THANKFULLY, the recent rain has not washed away complacency, but the dust is still yet to settle.
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Residents lining the gravelled Burgess Ln have long been plagued by the perfect storm of increased traffic and nearby development, detonating daily dust showers over their homes.
The dust problem has become so bad for locals that even filtered water from their own rainwater supply is brown.
At times, the blanket of dust from traffic can be so thick that you can’t see a thing for longer than an hour.
Even the popular pastime of riding a horse along the lane has become a dangerous challenge, as passing vehicles difficult to see can often spook the animal.
Sure, the rain has granted residents some reprieve from their household water concerns, but some are still forced to filter water before it even enters the tanks because of the dust plastering the roof catchment areas.
It is a reality locals blame on the increased traffic along the lane; a fallout from the nearby Calala residential development.
And while they welcome with open arms news Lampada Estate will seal Burgess Ln in stages as various parts of the development go ahead, some fears still remain.
Residents say Burgess Ln is being used as an unofficial Calala bypass and that the heavy machinery involved with the development does not create as much dust as the spike in speeding vehicles using the stretch.
Rightfully so, locals are now pleading with drivers to use the gravel road sensibly, drive to the conditions and consider those who live there.
The RMS has even thrown its weight behind pleas to slow down when using the lane by erecting signs that read, “Our daddy works here, help him come home safe”.
Tamworth Regional Council is also taking all the right steps to try to stifle the dust issue, but has conceded vehicle movement along the lane is on the up as the Calala development forges ahead.
More rain forecast for the week will no doubt deliver a welcome break from the dust in the short term, but it’s the ensuing weeks and months when the seal is being laid that we must listen to local residents.
It is far from unreasonable that we finally listen to their frustrations – let’s use the lane sensibly, drive to the conditions and consider those who live there.