NEW ROUNDABOUT TO IMPROVE ROAD SAFETY IN BALLARAT

A new roundabout at the intersection of Ripon Street South and Urquhart Street in Ballarat will improve road safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Member for Ballarat Catherine King and City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson visited the site to inspect the completed roundabout, which has previously been the site of several accidents and near misses.

The works began in June and were recently completed. The project included construction of a new roundabout and traffic islands, separated cycling and pedestrian paths, kerb and channel construction, road pavement construction, line-marking, drainage and signage.

The safety upgrade was funded with $464,000 from the Australian Government’s 2023-24 Black Spot Program and a further $276,000 from the City of Ballarat’s 2023-24 capital works program.

The Black Spot Program funds a range of safety measures at locations where serious crashes have occurred or are at risk of occurring.

Four known crash sites across Ballarat will also be funded thanks to more than $5 million in Australian Government funding recently announced under the 2024-25 Black Spot Program.

The Australian Government has substantially increased Black Spot Program funding, which is progressively rising from $110 million to $150 million per year. This is part of the Government’s response to the worsening road toll which includes doubling Roads to Recovery funding from $500 million to $1 billion a year and delivering a nationally harmonised set of high-quality and timely data to inform road safety decision making.

Quotes attributable to Member for Ballarat Catherine King:

"This new roundabout will create a safer environment for people accessing Food is Free or going to band rehearsals or sports practice at the Western Oval. 

“We want to make sure that drivers, pedestrians and cyclists living in, or passing through Ballarat can get where they need to go quickly and safely.

“The Australian Government is partnering with City of Ballarat to improve road safety because every injury and every death on our roads is a tragedy. Road safety is a shared responsibility and something we all need to work together to prevent.”  

Quotes attributable to City of Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson:

“This new roundabout will help make our roads safer for not only motorists but for cyclists and pedestrians.

“This intersection has a history of crashes and the works to upgrade this intersection will help keep our community safe.

“We thank the Member for Ballarat, Catherine King, and the Australian Government for their vital support to improve Ballarat’s local road network through the Black Spot Funding Program.”