Update — 3 June 2026

We're also raising it with our federal MP.

The New England Highway through Murrurundi isn't only a State road — it forms part of the Australian Government's National Land Transport Network, funded by the federal government under the National Land Transport Act 2014. So alongside Transport for NSW, we're putting the case to our federal Member, the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, Member for New England — a former federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.

A nationally significant freight corridor — through our main street. The New England Highway is the main road freight route between the Hunter Valley coalfields and the Port of Newcastle, and part of the inland Sydney–Brisbane corridor. In Murrurundi that freight passes within metres of pedestrians, on an unsignalised crossing.
The federal government funds this road. Because the highway is on the National Land Transport Network, the federal government has a direct stake in how safely it runs through the towns it passes — including ours.
Our federal Member is well placed to help. Mr Joyce served as the Australian Government's Minister for Infrastructure and Transport — experience that makes him well placed to help us make the case for a safer crossing.

Email Barnaby Joyce MP

Update — 1 June 2026

We've written back to the Minister.

On behalf of the community that backs this campaign, we've replied to the Minister's 25 May letter. We accept the points that stand and challenge the ones that don't — and we've asked the Minister to use the discretion her own standard gives her to revisit a signalised crossing at Mayne Street.

Transport for NSW already acknowledges speeding here. The Minister's letter confirms it in writing, and the department's own 2025 survey records drivers over the limit. By the government's own Every K Counts campaign, that is the source of our concern — not a reason to set it aside.
A fraction of the traffic, but most of the harm. On the New England Highway through the Upper Hunter, about 50% of all injury and fatal crashes involve a heavy vehicle — though heavy vehicles are only around 15% of the traffic (Transport for NSW data). That is the traffic passing the crossing on our narrow main street, alongside an older-than-average population.
The measures announced are welcome — but none address the crossing. We've asked the Minister to apply the discretion her own standard provides and revisit a signalised crossing at Mayne Street — before the one threshold that would automatically require it is met: two pedestrian casualties in three years.

Read our reply (PDF) Send the updated email

Crash figure: Transport for NSW NSW Road Crash Data, New England Highway, Upper Hunter LGA, 2016–2024 — 54 of 108 injury and fatal crashes (50%) involved a heavy vehicle.

Update — 25 May 2026

The Minister has responded. Now the hard work begins.

In response to representations made through this campaign, the office of the Hon Jenny Aitchison MP — Minister for Roads and Minister for Regional Transport — replied on 25 May 2026. The reply lists three measures for Murrurundi. We welcome them — but, as the letter itself notes, they are pre-existing programme commitments, and none of them address the pedestrian crossing directly.

Town Entry Gateway treatments — both ends of town, by July 2026 Enhanced signage, lane narrowing and coloured threshold treatments at both approaches, designed to slow vehicles as they enter Murrurundi.
Murrurundi nominated for fixed and mobile speed cameras Transport for NSW has formally nominated Murrurundi for both a fixed speed camera site and a mobile speed camera site.
Increased Highway Patrol presence Transport for NSW has asked NSW Police to increase Highway Patrol activity in the area.

Why this isn't the end of it. The gateway treatments, speed cameras and Highway Patrol are part of existing road-safety programmes that predate this campaign — not new action for the crossing. The letter does, however, acknowledge speeding in Murrurundi, and rests its warrant argument on a pedestrian count that has never been taken. We've written back to the Minister on that basis — see our reply above.

Page 1 of the signed response letter from the Hon Jenny Aitchison MP, Minister for Roads, dated 25 May 2026

Page 2 of the signed response letter from the Hon Jenny Aitchison MP, dated 25 May 2026

Read the full letter (PDF) Keep up the pressure — send your email

A B-double heavy vehicle passes the pedestrian crossing on the New England Highway, Mayne Street, Murrurundi

A B-double heavy vehicle at the pedestrian crossing on the New England Highway, Murrurundi. The crossing is hard to distinguish among the buildings and street furniture.

B-double heavy vehicle on the pedestrian crossing, Murrurundi NSW

Heavy vehicle on crossing

Faded Stop Look Live pedestrian safety sign on the Murrurundi crossing

Safety signage

Murrurundi pedestrian crossing is hidden among shopfront awnings and street furniture

Crossing hard to spot

Truck approaching the Murrurundi pedestrian crossing from Mayne Street

Truck from main street

Speeding cars, B-doubles and semis barrel through Murrurundi daily on the New England Highway. The crossing has no pedestrian lights, is poorly signed and almost invisible among the buildings and street furniture. Drivers don't see it — or the pedestrians on it — until it's too late. It's not a matter of if someone gets seriously hurt here. It's when. The responsible ministers should be made aware.

What you can do to help

Email the ministers

A pre-written letter opens in your email app. You send it from your address — every unique sender counts.

Send the Email

Sign the petition

Add your name to show the scale of community concern. Takes 30 seconds.

Sign the Petition

Step 1

Email the ministers & MPs

Two letters, two recipients — the NSW Roads Ministers, and our federal Member, Barnaby Joyce MP. Send whichever you can, or both. The reliable way: tap “Copy the letter”, open your own email app, paste it, and send to the addresses shown. Every individual sender counts.

Choose who to email — the letter below updates to match:

Letter to the NSW Roads Ministers

Jenny Aitchison MP & John Graham MLC — Transport for NSW

Updated 1 June 2026 — new letter responding to the Minister

This replies directly to the Minister's 25 May response. Already sent the first one? Please send this one too.

To: office@aitchison.minister.nsw.gov.au
CC: office@graham.minister.nsw.gov.au, upperhunter@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Subject: Pedestrian Crossing, Mayne Street Murrurundi — Ref: C-00107049

Or open your email app

On a phone, “Copy the letter” works everywhere — including the Facebook in-app browser. If “open your email app” does nothing, use Copy instead.

To: office@aitchison.minister.nsw.gov.au CC: office@graham.minister.nsw.gov.au, upperhunter@parliament.nsw.gov.au Subject: Pedestrian Crossing, Mayne Street Murrurundi — Ref: C-00107049 Dear Minister Aitchison, I am writing as a resident of Murrurundi to reinforce the community response to your letter of 25 May 2026 (Ref: C-00107049) regarding the pedestrian crossing on Mayne Street. I have read your response, and I do not accept that it addresses the safety risk this crossing poses. The reasons are straightforward: • Your letter confirms that "Transport for NSW is aware of speeding issues through parts of Murrurundi." That acknowledgment alone warrants a closer look at this crossing. • The 2025 speed survey shows 15 per cent of drivers exceed the 50 km/h limit and 5 per cent exceed 55 km/h at this location. Transport for NSW's own Every K Counts campaign is built on the position that small exceedances materially raise casualty risk. The survey is the basis for community concern, not a counter to it. • The claim that pedestrian counts would not meet the warrants under TS02670.0_0.00 Section 2 is made without any pedestrian count having been undertaken. Murrurundi has one of the oldest age profiles in NSW — half the town is over 55, a quarter is over 70 — and the standard allows thresholds to be adjusted where vulnerable user populations are demonstrably high. • The 120 metre southbound sight line is met on paper. A B-double at 60 km/h requires approximately 90 metres to stop on dry road. In practical conditions, the margin is thinner than the standard implies. • The Town Entry Gateway treatments, speed camera nomination, and Highway Patrol request are welcome, but none address the crossing directly. TS02670.0_0.00 Section 2 confers ministerial discretion on these decisions. I ask that you apply it — and revisit the case for a signalised crossing at Mayne Street — before the one threshold that would automatically guarantee signals is met: two pedestrian casualties within three years. Yours sincerely, [Your name] [Your address, Murrurundi NSW 2338]

Letter to Barnaby Joyce MP

Federal Member for New England

Because the New England Highway is part of the National Land Transport Network, this letter puts the case to our federal Member, Barnaby Joyce MP — a former federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.

To: Barnaby.Joyce.MP@aph.gov.au
CC: upperhunter@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Subject: Pedestrian Crossing Safety — New England Highway, Mayne Street Murrurundi

Or open your email app

On a phone, “Copy the letter” works everywhere — including the Facebook in-app browser. If “open your email app” does nothing, use Copy instead.

To: Barnaby.Joyce.MP@aph.gov.au CC: upperhunter@parliament.nsw.gov.au Subject: Pedestrian Crossing Safety — New England Highway, Mayne Street Murrurundi Dear Mr Joyce, I am writing as a resident of Murrurundi about the safety of the pedestrian crossing on Mayne Street — the New England Highway — in the centre of our town. The crossing has no pedestrian signals, is poorly signed, and sits among shopfronts and street furniture that make it hard for drivers to see. It carries a high volume of heavy freight vehicles. On the New England Highway through the Upper Hunter, around half of all injury and fatal crashes involve a heavy vehicle, though heavy vehicles make up only about 15 per cent of the traffic (Transport for NSW data). We have raised this with Transport for NSW and with the Hon Jenny Aitchison MP, NSW Minister for Roads. As the New England Highway forms part of the Australian Government's National Land Transport Network — funded by the federal government under the National Land Transport Act 2014 — we are also writing to you as our federal Member. The corridor is recognised nationally as the main road freight route between the Hunter Valley coalfields and the Port of Newcastle, and part of the inland Sydney–Brisbane freight corridor. It is exactly the mix the National Land Transport Network is meant to manage well — high-productivity freight passing through the centre of small towns. In Murrurundi, that traffic passes within metres of pedestrians, on an unsignalised crossing, in a town with one of the oldest age profiles in NSW. With your experience as a former Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, and as our local representative, you are well placed to help. We would value your support in making the case — to Transport for NSW and to the federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport — for a signalised pedestrian crossing at Mayne Street, before the threshold that would automatically require one is met: two pedestrian casualties within three years. I would welcome the chance to discuss this, and to show you the crossing in person. In the meantime, you can see photographs of the crossing, the community's petition, and the full correspondence with Transport for NSW at https://murrurundi.au. Yours sincerely, [Your name] [Your address, Murrurundi NSW 2338]

Done? Now sign the petition below.

Sign the Petition ↓

Step 2

Sign the petition

residents have signed

Every signature strengthens the case.

Thank you for signing. Now share this page with everyone you know.

Spread the Word

Share this campaign

The more voices, the harder to ignore. Share with neighbours and the local Facebook group.