We've installed a number of pedestrian safety improvements across the Borough to make it easier to get where you need to go on foot. You'll notice new pedestrian crossings and refuges throughout Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, including at the following locations:
Project status: Complete
Vehicles on Gellibrand Street regularly exceed the speed limit, endangering pedestrians and other vehicles. To make the street safer, we built a pedestrian crossing using a design produced alongside community consultation. Ninety-six people shared their ideas for how we could make Gellibrand Street even safer:
Council has now completed the Gellibrand Street crossing and it is operational for all vehicles and pedestrians. We've also allocated $20,000 in the 2021–22 budget to undertake a traffic study of the broader area.
We also heard feedback that crossing points in Hesse Street didn't work as well as they should. Based on the feedback we heard from our Gellibrand Street consultation, Council commissioned a transport safety specialist to investigate how we might make this street safer for pedestrians. The specialist's report(PDF, 3MB) made four recommendations:
We asked the community what they thought about these recommendations during an additional round of consultation. The majority of respondents supported the recommendations(PDF, 566KB). At the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 28 April, Council resolved to implement the first two recommendations. Works to construct a pedestrian crossing and permanently set a 40km/h speed limit were completed in August 2021.
We've built a new safe pedestrian refuge on King Street opposite the General Store Café. This new crossing consists of a traffic island in the centre of the road, wider verges, and associated line markings. These works will make it safer and easier for pedestrians to cross the road in stages. Works were completed in November 2021.
We've built a new pedestrian refuge near the intersection of Flinders Street and Swanston Street that assists pedestrians in safely crossing the road when accessing programmes and events held at Cottage By The Sea, as well as providing beach access further down Swanston Street. Works were completed in November 2021.
Improvement works in Point Lonsdale
Ocean Road is a busy and popular thoroughfare in Point Lonsdale. Surfers, swimmers, tennis players and exercisers use this stretch of road year round to access our beaches, play sport and keep fit. To help increase the safety of the large number of pedestrians utilising Ocean Road, we installed a wombat crossing at the entrance to Point Lonsdale Back Beach, two 'slow points' at nearby T-intersections, two gateway treatments, and introducing a 40km/h zone to encourage safer driving. Works on these installations were completed in August 2021.
We also installed a wombat crossing at the top end of Point Lonsdale Road, near Admans Street. This provides another crossover point for shoppers accessing retail and cafes further up Point Lonsdale Road, as well as improving pedestrian access to the Point Lonsdale Bowls Club. Works were completed in late August 2021.
These works are funded by the Australian Government's Road Safety Program.
April 2021 Council endorses two recommendations from specialist report for action.
May 2021 Construction complete on new pedestrian crossing in Gellibrand Street.
August 2021 Construction complete on new pedestrian crossings in Hesse Street, Ocean Road and Point Lonsdale Road.
November 2021 Construction complete on new pedestrian refuges in King Street and Flinders Street.