Roadside tributes

The placement of roadside flowers/tributes is a matter for individual families and is recognised as an important part of the grieving process for people dealing with the loss of life of a person involved in a road trauma. Council respects their wishes and will provide sympathetic advice for those seeking it.

Council is the roads authority for local roads within the Cessnock City Council Local Government Area, however Transport for NSW (TfNSW) should be contacted for advice regarding tributes on: Hunter Expressway, New England Highway, Wine Country Drive, Leggetts Drive, Lake Road, Maitland Road, John Renshaw Drive, and Cessnock Road. For information regarding the erection and removal of roadside memorials please refer to the TfNSW website.

Although there is no limit to the time a tribute can remain, Council will remove any tribute that appears to have been neglected, or is considered to pose a potential risk to public safety. Anything more substantial than flowers or small, lightweight wooden crosses or religious symbols of similar size to a floral tribute should not be placed in the road reserve. Anything larger could in and of itself become a road safety hazard and also contravene statutory road safety requirements.

In the interests of the wider community and in particular neighbouring residents, Council Officers advice should be sought in regard to a proposed tribute location prior to its installation. Accordingly, before installing a roadside tribute, community members are invited to contact Council to discuss and plan the proposed location with Council’s Traffic & Transport Team by telephone on (02) 4993 4100.