The works to construct a new crossing and pedestrian refuge and improve an existing refuge at Whitelaw Avenue are part of a joint $92.7 million targeted road safety program which includes three other locations across greater Ballarat.

As part of the works, the speed limit along Wiltshire Lane will also be reduced from 80km/h to 60km/h between La Trobe Street and the Glenelg Highway.

Two new pedestrian refuges will be constructed on Learmonth Road between Gillies and Norman streets near Wendouree station with more than 60 metres of new footpath to be built to encourage commuters to walk to the station.

Further south, a school crossing at the entrance to the Buninyong township will be improved and made more prominent and a new crossing will be built on Albert Street in Sebastopol.

The new crossing in Delacombe comes after advocacy from the Wiltshire Lane Pedestrian Crossing Action Group. Group member Rebekah Foster said she was pleased to see action being taken on the road.

"This has been an ongoing issue as the developments and things are starting to expand quite quickly and from a parent's perspective, a community perspective, it really has been quite a danger to families and any community members just trying to cross the road safely to school or even to other community facilities," she said.

"It really gives me chills, really, for good reasons, not bad. Our worst fear was that something terrible had to happen before action was taken, so the fact that today work is starting before there's been any injuries or accidents or anything is a really positive step," she said.

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"By having this in place, hopefully, it will help to reduce the traffic as well and it's a good thing for your children to be able to walk and ride to school safely and have that peace of mind."

Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison said she first raised the issue with the roads minister two years ago.

"I'm so delighted that this funding has now come through and we are making it safer for families in our new estates to get their kids to school as well as on weekends and to access local shops and facilities," she said.

Lumen Christi Primary School principal Murray Macdonald said the road was a significant safety issue for families trying to travel from home to school and back each day.

"This part of Ballarat is extremely busy traffic-wise and we also try and encourage families to be active. A number of families will walk and perhaps ride their bikes or scooters once this is in place which will engage them more physically," he said.

"Probably for the last three or four years, our school advisory council have been discussing and advocating for improvements, so it's really good now after four years, something is actually happening as we speak."

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