Community disbelief at council’s road “safety” plan
Local residents are up in arms about a Council plan to narrow a frequently used road in Berowra.
Hornsby Shire Council is preparing to kerb and gutter Anembo Rd but in doing so, Council plans to narrow the road from 11m down to 9m. That means when cars are parked on both sides of the road, only one lane would be left for traffic to get through.
Council is claiming that by narrowing the road it will make it safer to use, a concept refuted by over 150 locals that have so far signed a petition against narrowing the road.
As a thorough/connector road, Anembo takes the pressure off the Berowra Waters Rd/Pacific Hwy lights. Yet Council says it wants to use the road narrowing to push more traffic up to the Pacific Hwy.
During a medical emergency in the week before Christmas 2025, multiple ambulances and police cars converged on the corner of Anembo and Yallambee roads. Cars turning into Anembo from Yallambee had to drive along the wrong side of Anembo to pass through. At 9m wide, the road transit would have been significantly compromised and potentially blocked.
Berowra residents already have to suffer the inconvenience of a narrow Crowley Rd. Some residents have to park on the Council verge if they want to avoid potentially getting their side mirrors damaged or their cars scratched. Recently the installation of NBN in Crowley Rd brought the road to a complete standstill. With more and more cars entering from either end, drivers were stuck in their cars with no way out.
Council claims that the streets surrounding Anembo Rd are all 9m wide. Of the nearby streets, Acacia Rd, a quiet dead-end street off Anembo is 13m kerb to kerb, Waratah Rd is 11m wide as is Yallambee Rd. Anembo itself is currently 11m wide without kerb and gutter. So why narrow Anembo?
Many houses on Anembo Rd are on bushfire prone land. It’s at the bushfire interface. A hot westerly would drive a bushfire in Berowra Valley right up into this area. In the event of a bushfire, Yallambee and its linking road Anembo are one of only two ways out of Berowra and Berowra Heights if there’s congestion at the Berowra Waters Rd lights.
It is dangerous and unacceptable to unnecessarily narrow a street that’s an important bushfire exit road for two whole suburbs. Roadway standards should not be blindly applied at a bushfire interface. Common sense says have as wide a street as possible, especially when the width is already available.
Council should not put the safety of its residents, pedestrians and drivers at risk by unnecessarily narrowing an existing road in a bush fire prone area just to save a few dollars.
Key Takeaways: Anembo Road Proposal
- The Plan: Hornsby Shire Council intends to narrow Anembo Road from 11m to 9m while installing kerb and guttering.
- Community Backlash: Over 150 residents have signed a petition, arguing the "safety" plan actually creates dangerous congestion.
- Emergency Risks: Locals cite a recent medical emergency where ambulances struggled to access the area, a problem they fear will worsen with a narrower road.
- Bushfire Threat: Residents argue that narrowing a key exit route at the bushfire interface is dangerous for the evacuation of Berowra and Berowra Heights.
