11/07/2026
Letter sent to our mayor this morning via email .
Re safe pedestrian access In Lapstone.
If you have a concern please act now.
If you have heard people using the sporting facilities complaining please act now.
Send an email
With photos
( happy for you to cut n paste this text)
Thank you
Good morning Mark
Thank you for including the Lapstone intersection at Explorers Road and Governors Drive in Councilās recent pedestrian device works and upgrades: Active Transport Links - Pedestrian Devices | Blue Mountains City Council.
I also appreciate the path delivered more than a decade ago from Lapstone railway station up to Explorers Road, which now connects with one ramp and the new Traffic Calming Blister (TCB).
Key concerns
There is currently no path connecting the new pedestrian access ramps to allow safe access up or down Governors Drive.
The road access ramps appear steep and are challenging to use. Could Council please confirm whether they meet the required gradient?
There was no community liaison before the current works were completed, so local input and suggestions were not captured.
Pedestrian safety and access on Governors Drive
The absence of a path on Governors Drive is a safety and access issue for all pedestrians. As someone who regularly pushes a pram in this area, I often need to use the road and face oncoming traffic because the grassy verge is uneven and difficult to navigate.
Many parents use the verge or road on their daily walk to the local school, sports fields and park. A new resident recently raised concerns with me about accessing Explorers Road, particularly the route to the school. She has reluctantly chosen to drive instead of walking with her children and using the journey as time to explore the local environment.
On weekends, hundreds of sports participants and visitors park on both sides of the road, which makes access to the path toward the school, parks, sporting facilities and Glenbrook very difficult. Vehicles are often parked close to the corners. While the new Stop signs may be becoming familiar to locals, they do not appear to be as effective for weekend visitors who are focused on finding parking.
Community experiences
I have spoken with other parents, carers and grandparents who also feel they are taking a risk when using the road with strollers. The uneven verge does not feel like a safe or practical alternative.
Families in Lapstoneās North Island are often choosing to drive rather than walk because cars are frequently parked on both sides of the road. The grassy verges around the dip are often damaged and difficult to navigate safely.
As a community member, I believe walking access to Childrenās Park, the tennis and netball courts, the preschool and Lapstone Public School should support exercise, vitamin D, learning, community connection and reduced social isolation. Easy access to local amenities should be a right, not a privilege.
The path at the dip itself also does not connect with any other path, which limits its usefulness and leaves pedestrians without a continuous safe route.
Community consultation
I was looking forward to the promised Council plan and the opportunity to provide feedback, so I am disappointed that the works have been completed without that consultation.
I would have liked to discuss the need for a path on Governors Drive and the possibility of reusing the existing bricks to maintain continuity with the villageās appearance. Reusing those bricks would likely have required them to be removed more carefully during the works.
Thanks Mark. I look forward to hearing from you.
