Renewed call for highway widening after cyclist hit by car at Faulconbridge

According to police, the cyclist, a 63-year-old Sydney woman, and her husband, had been heading west on the highway when the woman turned right across the highway at Bellevue Road, and was hit by an oncoming car, travelling east on the highway.

Blue Mountains Police Sergeant Mick Magill said the woman was hit by the car travelling at 80km/hr, and sustained pelvic and facial injuries. She was treated by paramedics and then airlifted to Westmead Hospital by CareFlight in a stable condition.

"It's extremely lucky that there wasn't a fatality on this occasion," said Blue Mountains Cycling Safety Forum spokesman David Tritton.

He said cyclists heading west risked their lives crossing the highway at Bellevue Rd to access the service road between Bellevue Rd and Faulconbridge Farm, which had been the RMS recommendation since 2017 to avoid the problematic section of highway. Cyclists then cross back over the highway again to continue west once they were past the fruit shop.

"You're replacing one danger with another danger. Why not fix this?" Mr Tritton said.

"The RMS could resolve the problem by building adequate shoulders between Bellevue Rd and Todarello's [Fruit House]."

The group has been campaigning for years for emergency breakdown lanes on both sides of the carriageway between Bellevue Rd and Weemala Ave to make it safer for all road users.

Before the March state election they had written to Blue Mountains Labor MP Trish Doyle and Liberal candidate Owen Laffin, as well as the NSW roads minister and Labor's roads spokeswoman, calling on them to support a highway safety upgrade estimated to cost between $14-$18 million.