The Save Our Station group has long advocated for disability upgrades at the Station including at VCAT hearings with the Grampians Disability Advocacy group.

Ballarat station remains as the only station on the line without approved access.

What is disappointing is that again we have been told that consultation will occur, but when only one option appears on the table - questions need to be asked how serious the consultation will actually be?

The alternative to an overhead bridge, being an underpass, has a number of distinct advantages.

These include a reduction in the footprint on the station platform for lifts and support columns, a significant reduction in visual clutter by the overhead structure to the station's heritage value and potentially reduced costs and disruptions to train timetables during construction.

We have all seen the scale of overhead access at other stations and given possible World Heritage listing for the area it would be a disaster to not consider something a lot less intrusive.

Surely with a budget of $49.2 million dollars, there is no excuse to not do it the right way.

Gerald Jenzen, Soldiers Hill

The Courier reported community consultation is to begin on disability upgrades at Ballarat Railway Station.

This will have been read with scepticism and wry humour by anyone who has participated in community consultation and feedback on this subject over many years all of which has resulted in this major station still being without disability access between platforms.

It was in March of 2015 when I joined a rally one morning at the station organised by the former Labor member Sharon Knight.

Contrast her engagement with the current member Juliana Addison, who doesn't even reply to letters on the subject.

It will soon be the first anniversary of the time she did deign to comment by apologising for the delay.

In the nine years since that morning, stations serving a fraction of the passengers at Ballarat have been fitted with lifts and ramps while Ballarat, one of the busiest stations in the state, doesn't even have a ramp. Anyone who has difficulty with the long and steep flight of steps has to use the Lydiard Street pedestrian crossing, where they are likely to be stopped by the gates, unable to get to their platform.

The report referring to the gates being closed as the train approaches is not correct. The pedestrian crossing is routinely closed minutes before any train needs to pass through.

This is not the case at Doveton Street where there are seldom any pedestrians needing to cross.

My annoyance on this issue reached a crisis over the Labour Day long weekend when I was trapped in 38 degree heat for over 10 minutes unable to continue down Lydiard Street.

Not only was the pedestrian crossing closed before the Wendouree-bound train had even come into sight of the platform, the extreme weather timetable kept the train at the platform for a further eight minutes with the crossing closed the whole time, no train passing in either direction.

This was not the only time over the weekend that I noticed this procedure.

The attitude to the elderly and infirm at the Ballarat station is disgraceful and a shame upon our city and it just goes on year after year after year in spite of all the government's rhetoric of concern for the disabled and elderly.

It was back before Covid that I complained to a member of staff at the station and the response I got was that the crossing being closed isn't really a problem as you can easily drive up to the bridge at Armstrong Street.

Neville Dixon, Soldiers Hill

Ballarat's local parks and gardens are a wonderful place for kid's parties.

However, can parents please remember to pick up all your rubbish before you leave.

Plastic rubbish such as balloons, zooper-dooper wrappers and drink bottles are regularly left on the ground.

Please remember your rubbish can blow straight into lakes such as Lake Esmond, or wash into stormwater drains that lead straight into our waterways such as the Yarrowee River.

Clare Dawson, Golden Point.

I fully agree with Cr Ben Taylor when it comes to items set on the agenda of the Council of the City of Ballarat.

The said councillor who raised the discussion on matters happening in countries overseas should be contacting their local MHR, Catherine King, to forward their views and concerns on such matters.

To take up one and a half hours of discussion on overseas items raised by Notice of Motion should not be happening in local government.

The City of Ballarat by statute is a local government council.

Roads, rates and rubbish, local municipal actions and activities and the like should be the base of discussion by our local government council at the regular meetings.

Items outside the local government charter should be dealt with by other governments and not raised in our council agenda for discussion or action.

The Oxford Dictionary states, "local government a system of administration of a city, town, municipality, shire etc.by the elected representatives of those who live there".

Hopefully our city council will stick to local matters in the future and not be conned by councillors who have a different charter in their minds.

Paul Jenkins, Alfredton.