The intersection of La Perouse Street and Carnegie Crescent is a frightening, dangerous corner, Narrabundah locals say – and they worry there will be a fatal accident before long, as more cars and heavy trucks use roads developed 70 years ago.

“We don’t want a local child or a senior citizen to become the next traffic incident,” says resident Timothy DeWan.

Chris Steel, ACT Minister for Transport and City Services, said the ACT Government would release a pedestrian safety study early next year. Announced in March, it was delayed by the pandemic and lockdown.

Mr DeWan has also written to local MLAs about the problem. Canberra Liberals member Elizabeth Lee will table a motion early next year.

Already, residents say there are two accidents a week – and, it seems, a lot of near-misses. Cars have been T-boned, or driven into hedges, according to a video made by concerned locals. Drivers sail through STOP signs, or enter intersections illegally. Articulated trucks cross in front of traffic, or cross round corners where children might stand. Trucks speed down the street, narrowly missing cars going through the intersection. Residents have had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting children.

Over the last year, eight peafowl have been killed near the intersection, and six more in surrounding streets. These birds’ deaths are the ‘canaries in the coal mine’ for increased commuter traffic and speed, Mr DeWan believes.

“Workers transit to their offices, tradespeople rush to worksites, and large trucks move to and from large building projects in the area,” he said. A commercial Red Hill building project will add 260 more cars when finished next year, he estimates.

Red Hill Primary School is only 600 metres from the intersection – but many parents drive students the short distance to school, Mr DeWan said; that may be safer, but he thinks it adds to the traffic problems. The number of cars on the road around the drop-off and pick-up times had risen significantly, Ms Lee said, due to the loss of dedicated school buses.

There are several aged-care facilities nearby: “Residents find it difficult navigating through the traffic, and sometimes find themselves marooned on the traffic islands during peak periods,” Mr DeWan said.

“We want the cars to slow down in the area and the traffic to decrease,” he said.

Residents believe 40km/h speed limits on either side of the intersection, a roundabout, and road markings reminding drivers to slow down would alleviate the problem.

“Slowing the speed down … would allow cars to slow down in time if they encounter a young child on a bike or a senior citizen trying to cross the street,” Mr DeWan said.

“A roundabout would stop people speeding down Carnegie, as they currently have right of way. Road markings that can be seen (as distinct from the current bland yellow peafowl signs) would assist in reminding people where they are and assist in changing perceptions regarding road use and speed.”

The four ‘wildlife on road’ signs warning of peafowls on La Perouse Street and Carnegie Crescent were installed by the government last year.

Earlier this year, the ACT Government commissioned a pedestrian safety study for the intersection, investigating ways to prioritise safety for traffic, pedestrians, and peafowl, a spokesperson said.

The final draft had been completed, and would be shared with the Narrabundah community in early 2022, once the government had considered its contents and recommendations.

The report will likely recommend reducing vehicle speeds and improving pedestrian crossings. “[This] will benefit all the community, including older residents and school children,” the spokesperson said.

Mr DeWan said Mr Steel had promised the traffic study since March. “We have yet to see change,” he said.

The government spokesperson said the pandemic delayed the report; less traffic on the roads would have meant the study’s outcomes did not represent normal traffic conditions.

Before the government begins work on the road, it will advise locally affected residents by letterbox drop, and liaise with the Griffith Narrabundah Community Association (GNCA), the spokesperson said.

While Mr DeWan welcomes the support of the GNCA, he thinks letterboxing is not good enough.

“We want active local community engagement with the ACT Government in defining the issues and developing solutions, rather than simple letterbox drops from them telling us what they will (or won’t) do.”

He wrote to local MLAs about the issue. While he said Labor and Green Members for Kurrajong simply acknowledged receipt, the Canberra Liberals’ Ms Lee promised to table a motion about the problem next year.

Ms Lee told Canberra Daily that she had heard from multiple Inner South community groups – including the GNCA, Red Hill P&C, and Active Streets Canberra – about this dangerous intersection since 2016.

“I’ve raised this safety issue repeatedly with the Labor-Greens Government, and they’ve still not done anything to address the problem,” Ms Lee said. “A traffic study was commissioned, but only after years of neglect by this Labor-Greens Government.”

Red Hill School parents asked for a separate pedestrian crossing to allow children to safely get to school, she noted. Residents also suggested moving the stop signs to Carnegie Crescent, rather than on La Perouse.

“After over four years of complaints and studies,” Ms Lee said, “the government has done nothing other than erect peafowl signs.”