As families rushed to the splash park at Ballarat North's Midlands Reserve on Monday, some were concerned the increased traffic could lead to more accidents.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The park, which includes a community centre, kindergarten, and playground, is next to busy Doveton Street in a small shopping precinct.
Late last year, the Committee for Ballarat North were successful in securing City of Ballarat funding for a major upgrade to the park, which will include more shade, trees, and a community garden.
As part of the works, the unused Scout hall will be demolished, which is expected to begin in February when there are less children using the park, before construction work begins on the community garden.
However, more work may be needed to improve safety on the roads with so many younger users - one resident said they'd seen several "near misses", and it was "only a matter of time" before someone else was hurt.
Committee president Cat Davis agreed, and said a roundabout was being investigated on the Walker Street corner.
She said there had been a fatality in the past few years, and she had often seen families trying to cross Doveton Street "stuck in the middle".
"To me, it's a well-known problem that has been brushed aside despite the huge risk to life," she said in a statement.
"A problem occurs when a car is turning right from Doveton (northbound) into Walker Street, and drivers veer left, only to nearly hit pedestrians or vehicles exiting the service station."
A roundabout would solve several problems at once, she said, with potentially a signalised pedestrian crossing.
"Even crossing at the roundabout at Doveton and Howitt ... is still quite dangerous and busy," she said.
A City of Ballarat spokesperson said new traffic counts will soon be under way across the city, which can help with funding applications and determining traffic calming measures.
"The area in Doveton Street forms part of our application for Blackspot funding in 2021/22 ... and successful submissions will not be announced by Regional Roads Victoria until around August/October this year," they said in a statement.
"Should we be successful we would hope to see the works implemented by early 2022."
A new roundabout at Havelock and Landsborough streets will be built with federal Black Spot funding this year.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.
