Residents living near a potentially-deadly intersection in Ballarat's west are calling for upgrades to be made before someone is killed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It follows a serious crash at the intersection of Ballarat-Carngham Road and Finchs Road on Tuesday, January 23, where five people were taken to hospital - including a 60-year-old woman who was flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries.
That incident followed another on December 6, 2023, after one person was taken to hospital following a two-vehicle crash.
John Lorimer, who lives on Ballarat-Carngham Road, about 140 metres west of the intersection, said he and his son were woken up by last Tuesday's crash, which happened just after 6am.
"I thought something had fallen in the house," Mr Lorimer said.
"I went down the road a bit and it looked like a car had crashed into the pole on the corner."
Mr Lorimer said he has seen dozens of near-misses in his 30 years living on the property, many that could have resulted in someone being seriously hurt or killed.
He said speeding drivers are a major concern for him, as he regularly sees drivers clearly exceeding the speed limit and believes in some instances "doing 110kmh or 120kmh".
Ballarat-Carngham Road is a 100kmh zone past the intersection and there are no warning or advisory signs on the approach.
We don't want to see someone killed, or smashed up for that matter. It's just not worth it.
- Bunkers Hill resident John Lorimer on the Ballarat-Carngham Road and Finchs Road intersection
Mr Lorimer said lowering the speed limit on Ballarat-Carngham Road in the area to 80kmh would be a start in making the intersection safer.
Ballarat-Carngham Road runs east-west while Finchs Road intersects in a north-south direction.
The southern side of Finchs Road is paved, and has "give way" signs, but no "slow down" signs to warn drivers.
However, line markings are also faded and "give way" broken line markings are not visible at all.
The northern side of the road is dirt, with "give way" signs but no dotted lines. Mr Lorimer also said drivers turning left or right onto Ballarat-Carngham Road have to deal with pot holes at the edge of the dirt and bitumen while turning.
"Finchs Road (on the northern side of Ballarat-Carngham Road) really needs to be bitumen," he said.
Speaking to The Courier, another resident who has lived near the intersection for 16 years - and responded to the January 23 crash - echoed calls for the intersection to be made safer, and for Finchs Road to be turned into bitumen, also warning of the potential consequences.
Mr Lorimer said with more houses and buildings being constructed in the area, he has noticed the amount of traffic using the intersection increase and the walk from his house to his letter box around the corner on Finchs Road could sometimes be quite dangerous.
"The amount (of traffic) here is increasing, it's a busy road," he said.
"If they don't do something soon, someone will get killed.
"We don't want to see someone killed, or smashed up for that matter. It's just not worth it."
While inspecting the intersection, The Courier witnessed a number of unsafe manoeuvres by vehicles driving on Ballarat-Carngham Road through the intersection, including one driver who crossed over double white lines and started to overtake another vehicle.
City of Ballarat infrastructure and environment director Bridget Wetherall said Regional Roads Victoria is responsible for the intersection, but the council was working with RRV on "any potential safety improvements at the intersection."
"Regional Roads Victoria as the authority of Ballarat-Carngham Road are also responsible for traffic signs - regulatory, warning or direction signs - that relate to the movement of traffic to and from the arterial road," Ms Wetherall said.
"This includes both at the intersection and in advance of the intersection, located on either the arterial road or the intersecting municipal road which in this case is Finchs Road.
"RRV are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision at the intersection and the City of Ballarat will continue to liaise with RRV ..."
Four crashes have been officially reported at the intersection between 2012 and January 2024 including both of the January and December incidents.
According to data recorded by the Victorian Government to June 30, 2023, two other crashes were recorded on January 28, 2016 and on April 8, 2017.
Finchs Road, which runs between Remembrance Drive and the Glenelg Highway, crosses Cuthberts Road, Ballarat-Carngham Road, Greenhalghs Road and Bells Road.
The data shows there have been 15 crashes in the past 12 years involving Finchs Road, seven of them at the Greenhalghs Road intersection.
After a push from local residents, rumble strips and signs were installed at the Greenhalghs Road intersection, as an "interim safety measure" by the City of Ballarat, as the council works to secure funding for a permanent roundabout to be installed.
The Department of Transport and Planning has been contacted for comment.
