The Andrews Labor Government is making the Ballarat CBD safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, unveiling new options to fix six notorious intersections along Sturt Street.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Jaala Pulford said that everyone in the community will get a chance to have their say on the options for the Sturt Street intersections of Lyons, Raglan, Errard, Ascot, Talbot and Windermere Streets.
The intersections have been the site of 85 crashes in the past 10 years, resulting in 135 people being injured.
Community sessions will be held later this month, giving people the chance to ask questions and view the concept designs for each intersection.
The current options are the result of an extensive collaboration between Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) and a dedicated group of Sturt Street traders.
Alongside these options, a new public reference group will be established to determine the best options for a planned off-road cycling and pedestrian path along Sturt Street as part of the Ballarat Cycling Connections project.
The group will include representatives from RRV, the City of Ballarat, the Ballarat Heritage Advisory Group, the Ballarat Bicycle Users Group and the Sturt Street Traders’ Group.
The group will meet in February in order to consider a range of options for the location of the proposed path, taking into account safety, environmental and heritage concerns.
Once an appropriate option is identified, draft plans will be made available for public comment.
RRV is delivering upgrades along Sturt Street as part of the Ballarat Safer Cycling Connections project, funded through the Labor Government’s $100 million Safer Cyclists and Pedestrians Fund.
The cycling and pedestrian safety program is just one of a number of projects scheduled to take place across Ballarat in 2019, with works on the $7 million opening stage of the Mair Street upgrade set to begin next week.
Works will centre around the intersection of Humffray and Mair streets, improving traffic flow and safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
Initial works are scheduled to take place between 9:00am and 5:00pm each day, and a 40km/h speed limit will be in place within a one-block radius for the duration of the works.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Jaala Pulford
“Something needs to be done to address the safety drivers, cyclists and pedestrians along Sturt Street and we’re making sure that the whole community can be involved in discussions around how we achieve that goal.”
“Delivering projects like the upgrades to Sturt Street and Mair Street will make sure Ballarat gets the safe and reliable road network that our vibrant regional city needs.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020