While there have been some complaints and a few frayed tempers at the traffic disruption on Heinz Lane as the level crossing is upgraded, The Courier believes the community is mature enough to wear a certain amount of delay for the sake of long-term safety. However, it has been brought to light that this upgrade has failed to include a pedestrian crossing similar to ones in other parts of the city. 

Motorists may shrug their shoulders and move on but residents are justifiably concerned that a serious oversight has taken place in the design.

According to nearby residents in Invermay Park, an existing path for recreational users, including children, is cut off by the railway line. The current design means these users are forced to cross on the road on Heinz Lane. The fact that there are only two trains per day on the Maryborough line is beside the point; it is the road traffic that poses the perceived threat and Heinz Lane can get very busy. 

Interconnecting safe pathways whether for walking or cycling are a vital asset for any city but even more so in the outlying expanding suburbs where initial infrastructure is poor and getting about becomes almost exclusively the role of the car.  For older people who choose not to drive this can be as severe as being trapped. 

For a younger generation this can mean the beginning of a life of limited options and poor lifestyle habits. If Ballarat’s health check is any indicator, the over reliance on the car is a major contributor to the dangerously sedentary nature of many of our lives.  This equates to another long-term issue for the future health of children and a growing impost on health budgets and the public purse.

This may seem a long bow to draw from an issue around a single level crossing but the broader problem here is the lack of consideration in the planning for residents and other users and reflects an inability to think long-term. 

Many will argue that costs do not permit the luxury of a pedestrian crossing on such a lesser road. One serious accident will show it is not a luxury. 

Moreover, as Ballarat grows and traffic increases and it is recognised it is necessary, the current work will simply need to be done all over again. Surely the better investment was to meet all users’ needs now.