But there has not been a word about the safety of pedestrians, who are forced to take their lives into their hands when trying to cross busy CBD streets at roundabouts.

It is only a matter of time before there is a fatal accident at one of these busy roundabouts, where pedestrians - especially people with young children, the elderly, the disabled and schoolchildren - are forced to compete with, and dodge, fast moving vehicles.

Regrettably, drivers in Orange have an unfortunate and undesirable habit of increasing speed as they enter a roundabout.

Some towns have installed marked pedestrian foot-crossings at roundabouts enabling pedestrians the protection and comfort of crossing safely. Grafton is one such town where pedestrian safety is seen as a paramount consideration.

An alternative would be for marked pedestrian foot-crossings to be installed in the centre of a block meaning that pedestrians would know that there is a nearby location, which will afford them protection.

Until the problem for pedestrians crossing at roundabouts is addressed, Orange cannot boast of being pedestrian friendly.

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