Complete closures of Appin Road are bad for business, according to a coffee shop owner in the town.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Last month Roads and Maritime Services closed Appin Road for three days, between 9am and 3pm to aid with road resurfacing.
The closure meant a shortage of traffic through the town of Appin, which led to Gather Coffee House owner Scott Dougherty taking to Facebook with his concerns.
“We, like all businesses in Appin, rely just as much on passing trade as we do on our legendary locals,” Mr Dougherty wrote on the coffee house’s Facebook page, “and when you can’t drive through the town without being stopped and turned around, it makes things difficult.”
But RMS said the full road closures were essential for worker safety.
Speaking to the Mercury, Mr Dougherty said the Appin Road closures – of which he claimed there had been three this year – brought the township “to a standstill”.
“Everyone understands that roadworks have to happen but I don’t see why they have to close major thoroughfares when they don’t do that elsewhere,” he said.
Mr Dougherty pointed to the extensive roadwork along Narellan Road at Campbelltown that went on for at least two years.
“I don’t think they closed it once,” he said.
“They had other things in place; they blocked off lanes, had temporary traffic lights so people could get to where they were going without having to bypass a whole town.”
He said there was a “signficant decrease” in the number of people passing through when Appin Road was closed and that he and other businesses noticed the difference in their tills at the end of the day.
An RMS spokesman said Appin Road was scheduled for closure for essential maintenance for three days every six months, which includes repairing the road and trimming vegetation.
“RMS closes roads for essential maintenance to ensure safety of motorists and our workers,” the spokesman said.
“During maintenance activities workers are mobile, walking along and across the road to carry out activities. Full road closures ensure safety.”
The spokesman also said some effort went into notifying both businesses and motorists ahead of any planned closures of Appin Road.
“RMS continues to work with those businesses directly affected by the Appin Road works to manage impacts,” he said.
“Electronic message signs are displayed prior to the closure to inform motorists of the upcoming closure.
“The closure is published on Live Traffic weeks in advance, and on the Southern Road Closures map on the RMS web page for up to six months in advance.”