Dubbo councillor Greg Mohr says the new River Street Bridge design is "an accident waiting to happen" with no consideration of pedestrian safety.
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The new Dubbo bridge design by Transport for NSW - formerly Roads and Maritime Services - includes a way for cars to cross the river but not pedestrians.
Cr Mohr is concerned about walkers sharing the road with large trucks, but Transport for NSW director western Alistair Lunn said pedestrian safety would be improved under the new design.
"The new Dubbo bridge aims to separate pedestrians and vehicles, for the safety of all road users," he said.
"The project will improve safety in Dubbo for pedestrians with an upgrade to the Thompson Street and Whylandra Street intersection including a dedicated pedestrian connection to the Emile Serisier Bridge, and provide new pedestrian access from River Street to Brisbane Street."
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The $140 million New Dubbo Bridge has been designed to allow motorists to cross the river in the event of a high level flood. In February, a refined design of the bridge was unveiled, following feedback from the public.
Cr Mohr, a former truck driver, said both the LH Ford and Serisier bridges were built with separate footpaths.
"The new bridge has no such designs," he said.
"What the state government is saying is that they want people to use the exact same carriageway to walk as large B-Doubles."
The 545 metre bridge will cross the Macquarie River at River Street. Work will also be done to upgrade the intersections at Thomas Street, Whylandra Street and the Newell Highway.
"As a former truck driver I know how difficult it is negotiating safety when you have pedestrians in close proximity. It's already frightening when people walk close to moving trucks on open roads. This is even worse because their reckless design gives people no choice," Cr Mohr said.
The councillor said even though Transport for NSW was discouraging pedestrians from using the new bridge it was not going to stop people from walking across it.
"Locals should be angry about the state government's blatant disregard for even basic safety standards," Cr Mohr said.
"This isn't even about people in the pro or anti-River Street Bridge camps, anyone with common sense would agree that the bridge needs footpaths."