The first stage of the Ballarat Safer Cycling Connections project is just about finished - so, what happens now?
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The project was allocated $9.3 million by the state government in November 2017, and an article at the time noted construction was due to begin in mid-2018.
A lot has happened since, with continued arguing over the shared path along the Sturt Street median, and ongoing concern about the design of crossovers at several troubled intersections.
The shared path, from Pleasant Street to Dawson Street, is almost finished - apart from the new traffic lights and controversial crossovers, it's really just concreting the existing footpath on the southern side.
The next stage, which is the City of Ballarat's jurisdiction, will extend the path to Grenville Street and the Bridge Mall.
This will mean one can safely walk or ride, separated from traffic, from the Bridge Mall to the Alfredton Recreation Reserve.
After that, things get murky.
A flagship part of the project was building a separate bike and pedestrian path along the existing rail corridor to connect Wendouree and Ballarat train stations.
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That part of the project is still in the design phase, with no timeline on when it will begin.
Details on the Regional Roads Victoria website note it will be built in stages, from the Howitt and Gillies Street intersection south to the rail line, then following the line on the northern side.
There'll be a safer crossing at Creswick Road, and the path will be improved on the western side down to Macarthur Street.
From there, it will cross over the rail line again, on the north-east side, and follow the reserve south to Doveton Crescent - the site notes car parks will "move" on the western side.
There's also a note for an extension of the path past the station, above Peel Street, to the Humffray Street and Scott Parade intersection.
If fully completed as detailed, that will connect Humffray Street, already popular with cyclists, to Wendouree Station.
Several pedestrian crossings would be installed, as well as a bridge over Gnarr Creek.
But there's still no official timeframe - a response from the Department of Transport noted the plan will eventually link to Lake Wendouree and help avoid arterial roads, and final designs will be presented to the community once it's finalised.
"Regional Roads Victoria is working with the City of Ballarat to improve cycling and pedestrian connections right across Ballarat," state Roads and Road Safety Minister Ben Carroll said in a statement.
"We're working with the council to finalise various elements that will provide the safest cycling route along the railway corridor."
The Ballarat Bicycle Users Group's Matt Briody said he was concerned that the project appears to have stalled.
"The band-aid's been ripped off," he said.
"Sturt Street is done, it was challenging and it became a state election and council election issue, but there's been plenty of negativity and difficult words spoken about it - having it completed, many of the other projects that are on the plans seem much simpler.
"People comment on Facebook saying "I don't see that many people riding bikes", but that's the whole point of the project - once you do get on the bike, you realise it does provide a safer way when there previously wasn't one, so you only have to get out there yourself and have a look at it, you'll see it's a safe way to get into the city, it's a no-brainer.
"(The Sturt Street shared path) has literally been built for people who don't exist yet, and that's a hard thing to keep arguing for, but for the most part, the people who already ride bikes ride regardless of the weather and conditions.
"We're arguing for these things on behalf of people who don't ride bikes, and we want them to join us and enjoy the benefits we enjoy."
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City of Ballarat councillor Belinda Coates said connectivity is the aim - council has a broader plan for a cross-city cycling routes that will plug into the state-funded upgrades.
"When it was announced, it was so welcomed, it was fabulous to have that investment in active transport and particularly safer cycling connections, and many of them also benefit safer walking options as well," she said.
"It's been a long time coming - it would be great to see the momentum really accelerated.
"For us, as the City of Ballarat, we really want to look at adding to that and linking it to our cycling action plan, because it's always been our vision to have a well-connected network that's well-promoted, easy to find, and convenient."
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