Reckless drivers are causing safety concerns for residents using Sturt Street late at night, councillors heard this week.
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At this week's council meeting, Ben Taylor, the councillor for South Ward said a constituent had raised the issue with him and he had agreed to bring it to the attention of wider council.
He said his constituent, who works shifts, frequently encounters problem drivers when returning home around 10.30 at night, including people speeding with “no regard for any authority.”
It is an issue that councillors are well aware of, Cr Taylor told The Courier.
“Every Wednesday night when we have a council meeting, we always hear a car doing a burn-out,” he said.
“One happened about 10 minutes before I got up to speak, there was a burn-out driving away from town hall.”
He said that while speeding was not within the authority of the council, they would be in a position to lobby for change.
He and other councillors are due to discuss the issue and any potential solutions with Victoria Police.
Every Wednesday night when we have a council meeting, we always hear a car doing a burn-out
- Councillor Ben Taylor
“We’ll advocate on behalf of residents around that concern and what we can do,” Cr Taylor said.
“From there, it’s a matter of how we work with police to do something.”
Cr Taylor said that speed cameras are one option that could be considered.
It is not the first time driving speed on Sturt Street speed has been in focus.
In autumn 2015, the speed limit was reduced from 50k/hr to 40 km/hr in a year-long trial, which was opposed by more than 60 per cent of those who responded to a public consultation. The trial ended up being adopted on a permanent basis.
The street is also a well known accident hotspot. There have been at least 86 crashes at six of the intersections causing more than 130 injuries in the past decade. Regional Roads Victoria and City of Ballarat Council recently invited public feedback on proposals to improve safety on the road.
The issue raised over speeding along Ballarat’s main boulevard is the latest in a series of concerns over unsafe driving in the CBD, particularly late at night.
Earlier this year, a P-plate driver was condemned by a magistrate for driving “doughnuts” with a two-year-old child in the backseat.
The incident took place in the town’s Big W car park, a well known hotspot for ‘hooning’.
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