A building site has installed controllers to stop pedestrians, including schoolchildren, walking along the bike lane in busy Stewart Avenue within inches of speeding cars and trucks.
The Newcastle Herald sent pictures of pedestrians walking along the bike lane to SafeWork NSW, City of Newcastle and builder Bloc on Monday morning.
The builders fenced off the footpath in front of DOMA's Store office redevelopment on January 27, but hundreds of pedestrians have been ignoring warning signs and cones at either end of the site.
The Newcastle Herald has seen pedestrians walking on the bike lane at night. Some have been crossing Stewart Avenue on the tram line.
The footpath was a thoroughfare for workers, students and shoppers moving to and from the interchange. The alternative route, which is not clear to pedestrians, is via the traffic signals at Honeysuckle Drive.
SafeWork NSW said on Monday afternoon that it had dispatched inspectors to the work site and was "working with the construction company around their existing traffic management plan and safety of pedestrians".
A Bloc spokesman said the footpath works were being carried out until February 26 under a road occupancy permit issued by the council.
"The approved plan requires pedestrians to detour to the Hunter Street or Honeysuckle signalised intersections for safe passage from one side of the street to the other," he said.
"Pedestrians, in some cases, are ignoring signage in place providing direction of detour and have been witnessed walking with and against the flow of traffic in addition to crossing Stewart Avenue away from the signalised intersections.
"In an effort to provide further instruction to pedestrians, two certified traffic controllers have been placed, one at the rail interchange and one at the Hunter Street to Stewart Avenue intersection, requesting pedestrians redirect to the relevant signalised intersection for safe passage across Stewart Avenue."
The permit says: "Pedestrian/cyclist safety around the site to be maintained at all times using detoured signs; traffic controllers to assist/control movements as needed."
Newcastle Cycleways Movement president Sam Reich was critical of Bloc, DOMA and safety authorities, citing safety concerns at other building sites in the city.
"It's been an ongoing issue, and this is just another example of it," he said.
"Pedestrian as well as cyclist safety has been compromised by the developers that have been so-called revitalising our city.
"These projects simply don't have adequate access and bypass plans in place. They don't think it through."
Mr Reich said pedestrians were "notoriously hard to divert".
"They're going to follow their noses and find the shortest route between A and B.
"The city's got to wake up to these issues. It's the city that's got to hold them to account. We have to develop some teeth in our development control plans and have enforcement.
"We need to insist that the city and the developers do better without us having to hassle them, before something terrible happens."
A council spokesperson said in a written statement that the redevelopment site had been approved by Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel "subject to conditions of consent addressing matters including traffic management and road work approvals".
"City of Newcastle is responsible for issuing Roads Acts approvals and road occupation permits in respect to development occurring within the local government area," the spokesperson said.
"These approvals consider how development will interact with roads, footpaths and other council assets.
"Where development occurs on a state-classified road, such as Stewart Avenue, City of Newcastle will consult with Transport for NSW.
"A road occupation permit has been issued for the subject development which establishes required traffic and pedestrian management measures to ensure public safety.
"The installation of traffic and pedestrian information signage formed part of the submitted documentation. For site safety practices and traffic management plan, contact DOMA Group."
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