Neighbours of a notorious Redan intersection are waiting for the day they'll face death on their doorstep.
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"It's inevitable that someone will be killed at this spot, and being one of the people who live nearby, I'll be there and have to deal with it," resident Peter Waugh told The Courier.
The intersection, at Talbot and Darling streets, was the site of another car crash this week when a ute and hatchback collided on Monday about 4pm.
The ute skidded off the road through a nearby fence, landing in the front yard of a home centimetres away from crashing into the building. The front of the hatchback was ravaged.
"I was amazed that no one was seriously hurt on Monday as one of the cars was extensively damaged," Mr Waugh said.
"This was also the third time in two years where a vehicle has smashed through the fence of the house on the north-west corner. On Monday one of the vehicles came within a metre of the house wall."
On June 12, 2019 a van went through the same wooden fence after it collided with a ute about noon. Paramedics attended to those involved at the scene.
To increase visibility, council relocated and increased the size of give way signs at the intersection and trimmed trees obstructing the view.
In 2022, on April 26, two men were taken to hospital after a crash at the intersection about 8.50am.
The following day, a separate collision about 1.25pm saw another trip to the hospital for a woman with minor injuries.
Neighbour Brooke Muller told The Courier at the time her family avoided travelling through the crossing when possible.
"When we do use it, we almost come to a complete stop even though we've got the right of way, we slow right down because the amount of times that we've almost been collected ourselves is insane," she said.
"People just tend to go straight through the give ways. It's really, really dangerous."
City of Ballarat director of infrastructure and environment Bridget Wetherall told The Courier after listening to further community feedback, design works were under way in 2023 to upgrade the safety of the intersection.
"The project is on the City of Ballarat's capital program for the 2023-2024 financial year. Works are expected to begin in this period," she said.
"Safety improvements may include kerb [extension] nibbings and splitter islands."
Mr Waugh said in response to the 2022 collisions, the City of Ballarat had also repainted the white lines on the road.
Ballarat Highway Patrol's acting sergeant Guinther Borgelt said in some Ballarat back streets line markings could be difficult to see, especially in wet weather.
"Every crossroad that you come up to you need to be looking left and right not only looking for cars, but actually be sure of what the intersection layout is," he said.
"No point just going through thinking, you've got a straight run right when you might not. We see far too many collisions like that where people are just not paying attention to the crossroad thinking they've got that right of way, when in fact they've got it wrong."
Other updates to the site, including installing a roundabout, speed bumps, and rumble strips, have been suggested by community members on social media.
For residents nearby, action can't come soon enough.
"I regularly see vehicles on Darling Street drive straight through the intersection without appearing to notice [the give way sign] was there," Mr Waugh said.
"As on Monday, the vehicle in Darling Street went through the intersection almost without realising it was there, and did not see the other vehicle and or attempt to brake, so both cars collided at speed."
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