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This is the second accident at the intersection in two weeks.
Police at the scene said one car was on its side and on fire when they arrived, and the occupant was pulled to safety by passers-by.
PREVIOUSLY:
A roundabout will eventually be installed at the Gregory Street West and Ring Road intersection in Ballarat's west.
A City of Ballarat spokesperson confirmed the plan, which comes after roadworks earlier this year left drivers confused and made an already risky intersection even more unsafe.
"At some stage the Ring Road will be truncated at the rail crossing and with the final upgrade, the intersection at Gregory Street West and Ring Road is earmarked for a roundabout," they said in a statement.
"Upgrading the intersection to a roundabout is planned once Gregory Street West begins to operate to full potential."
This year, council reopened and sealed Gregory Street West to provide a new east-west link in between Ring Road and Gillies Street.
The Gillies Street intersection will eventually have a set of traffic lights, linked up with the rail signals and Learmonth Road and Howitt Street lights.
Part of the $60 million Keeping Ballarat Moving upgrades, construction on the new intersection will begin in early 2021 and take about six months, according to Regional Roads Victoria - right now, drivers are unable to turn right into Gillies Street when heading west from Gregory Street, but this will change when the lights are complete.
These intersection works will become increasingly important as traffic grows, to reduce reliance on Sturt Street, as well as providing a connection from the redeveloped Wendouree station and eventually its proposed shopping precinct.
However, in the mean time, drivers coming off the Link Road roundabout, or heading to Wendouree, face 80km/h traffic while attempting to cross Ring Road.
Last week, one person was taken to hospital after a two-car collision at the Gregory Street West and Ring Road intersection.
In May, when roadworks were being completed along Gregory Street West, council installed give way signs on Ring Road, which confused drivers - the decision was quickly reversed, and council said the intersection is now "appropriately line-marked, signed, and lit".
The state and federal governments have invested millions in major Ballarat intersections - these include the Keeping Ballarat Moving projects, which will replace the Glenelg Highway and Wiltshire Lane roundabout in Delacombe with traffic lights, among others; new traffic lights on Mair and Sturt streets; Black Spot funding at Cuthberts Road, Mair Street, and in Redan; and smaller spot fixes across the city.
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But as the city's population grows, traffic snarls become more common, and often more dangerous, with hot spots like Gregory Street West, the Creswick Road roundabout at Webster Street, the Macarthur Street and Drummond Street roundabout, and the intersection at Humffray and Water streets.
While council has focused its efforts on the securing funding for stage two of the Ballarat Link Road - which will upgrade Dyson Drive from Remembrance Drive to Carngham Road, creating an easier link to growing areas - the city's growing pains will require more planning, and money from all levels of government, to keep people safe at other intersections.
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