A dangerous Wakehurst Parkway intersection linked to at least eight serious crashes in recent years is being redesigned by Transport for NSW. While TfNSW and local residents agree the current setup is unsafe, they disagree on how to fix it.
Elanora Heights Residents Association (EHRA) says Transport for NSW’s (TfNSW) proposed modifications to Wakehurst Parkway, particularly at the Elanora Road intersection, are a design failure and safety concern.
On 26 May 2025, TfNSW held a pop-up consultation to inform residents of their approved plans as part of the Wakehurst Parkway Improvements project. These plans include removing the current slip lane for motorists turning right out of Elanora Road onto Wakehurst Parkway and constructing a concrete barrier, as well as flood improvement works on Wakehurst Parkway between Dreadnought Road and Oxford Falls Road.
Manly Observer was told residents at the consultation were furious and frustrated, firstly with what they described as safety and design flaws in TfNSW’s proposals, and also over the consultation process. Some told Manly Observer the pop-up was the first they’d heard of TfNSW’s plans for Elanora Road intersection.
However, TfNSW say they held a consultation and submission process from 6 November 2023 to 20 December 2023 which was published on their webpage, promoted through social media and community notifications which included door-knocking, community pop-up events and briefing key stakeholders.
A total of 141 submissions were received, where 23 per cent were in support of the proposal and the remaining either objected or did not clarify their position to the proposal.
The main issues raised were fauna fatalities due to vehicles along Wakehurst Parkway, flooding issues and safety concerns around the Elanora Road intersection. In the response summary, it outlines, “there is a view that the proposed design for the Wakehurst Parkway and Elanora Road intersection does not address these safety issues”.
“These designs were already in place before I took office in November 2024 [with the project reaching final design stage in August 2024],” Ms Jacqui Scruby, Member for Pittwater, then asked of her views by Manly Observer.
“[Residents] concerns are entirely valid. Requiring vehicles to turn right across two lanes of high-speed traffic at an intersection with a tragic history presents a serious safety risk. I’ve raised this directly with TfNSW and will continue to advocate to ensure the community’s concerns are addressed.”
Ms Scruby recently questioned the Minister for Roads, and Minister for Regional Transport in Parliament in relation to the proposed design intersection of Elanora Road and Wakehurst Parkway. A response is due 3 July 2025.
Elanora Road Intersection
A TfNSW spokesperson told Manly Observer the Elanora Road intersection in its current state is unsafe as it features a holding bay which is non-compliant to current road design and safety standards.
“[The intersection’s design] has contributed to eight recorded crashes causing injury from 2017 to 2021,” they said.
Both TfNSW and residents agree the intersection is unsafe.
“I’ve witnessed many car crashes and many accidents where I’ve had to come out and help people out of their cars because of this intersection,” Curt, who lives close to the intersection, told Manly Observer.
“I’ve witnessed many car crashes and many accidents where I’ve had to come out and help people out of their cars because of this intersection.”
“It’s an intersection that doesn’t work. Motorists are driving greater than 70km/hr (the speed limit), but what TfNSW are proposing, it’s just going to make it worse.”
TfNSW investigated five options to address safety concerns at the intersection. The approved design removes the holding bay or slip lane and installs a concrete median, moves the Elanora Road give-way forward to improve visibility onto Wakehurst Parkway, and converts the existing kerbside lane on Wakehurst Parkway into a dedicated left-turn lane into Elanora Road.
“The approved design underwent a rigorous planning approval process and was assessed as providing the best solution on balance. The project was approved in May 2024, and detailed design is underway. We will continue to keep the community updated as the project progresses,” the TfNSW spokesperson said.
“I use this intersection every day, sometimes six times a day, taking kids to school, going to work,” Kara, an Elanora Heights resident, said.
“[With TfNSW’s design] to turn right, both sides of traffic will now have to be clear. At the moment, with the slip lane, it’s already hard, but a concrete barrier is the worst possible idea they could ever have come up with.
“I don’t know how they came up with that solution, maybe it’s to do with budget, but it’s going to cause a fatality.”
The resident association has proposed an alternative design.
It would involve constructing an extended seagull acceleration merging lane approximately 100 to 200m long, similar to the one recently installed at the Sydney Academy of Sport entrance.
They also propose to reduce the speed limit near the intersection from 70km/hr to 60km/hr, and to widen the road on the northern side of the Wakehurst Parkway to accommodate the extended lane.
“TfNSW said the seagull lane couldn’t work as it would have to be 450m, but as large trucks aren’t allowed on Elanora Road, we don’t need such a long lane, just enough for cars to be safely able to cross and wait to merge with traffic,” Kara added.
EHRA are calling on the community to sign a petition which, at the time of publication, has almost 500 signatures. You can see the petition here.
While Northern Beaches Council and TfNSW are carrying out works along Wakehurst Parkway (further information below), the Elanora Road intersection is not within Council’s scope of works and is a TfNSW project.
Flooding on the Parkway
According to Council, the Wakehurst Parkway is closed six to seven times a year due to flooding and the EHRA are calling on TfNSW to flood proof and protect wildlife on what they describe as a vital road on the Northern Beaches.
Wakehurst Parkway is a state-managed road (therefore, it falls under TfNSW), but there are sections that fall in Council’s jurisdiction (read further on for Council’s works).
“Wakehurst Parkway is the most direct route to Northern Beaches Hospital for all traffic and emergency vehicles north of Narrabeen,” the EHRA said in their submission, which they shared with Manly Observer.
“It’s a major commuter route, the most direct route to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and Sydney Airport for anyone north of Narrabeen and it bisects a significant area of bushland in Garigal National Park and adjacent Crown lands containing locally endangered species.”
EHRA outline the main concerns as localised flooding of Middle Creek and the heavy loss of wildlife due to vehicle strikes.
As part of the Wakehurst Improvement Project, TfNSW will be delivering flood improvement works on Wakehurst Parkway between Dreadnought Road and Oxford Falls Road. However, EHRA says this section of the Parkway is not where major flooding occurs, is a “partial band-aid solution at best” and does not address concerns with wildlife protection.
Elanora Heights resident, Dick, says the EHRA has recommended for TfNSW to, “raise the whole roadway from south of the upper Middle Creek bridge to the intersection with the Sydney Academy of Sport”.
This includes using precast hollow box section bearings to allow both floodwater and wildlife to move freely below the road level.
Northern Beaches Council Wakehurst Parkway Flood Improvement project is a $30 million investment to reduce the frequency of flooding along the corridor and they are working in close partnership with TfNSW on the differing projects. Specifically, Council is working to mitigate flooding on The Bends and around the Sydney Academy of Sport, as well as work around Oxford Falls Road (West). More information on Council’s projects can be found here.
To find out more about EHRA’s petition, go here.
Read our earlier coverage on the Wakehurst Parkway flood-proofing funding:
Pick your poison: Wakehurst flood mitigation to come at cost
