The City of Ballarat needs your feedback on proposed upgrades to the Little Bridge bus stop

The City of Ballarat is working on upgrading the Little Bridge bus stop as part of the Bakery Hill Urban Renewal Project. The project aims to increase the appeal and safety for public transport users by providing better infrastructure for those waiting for buses, strengthening pedestrian connections through the space and making Little Bridge Street a welcoming entrance to Ballarat.

The Little Bridge bus stop services the majority of bus routes in Ballarat, accommodating 14 of the current 15 bus lines. The bus stop provides CBD access and departure for patrons and receives articulated buses and school buses from Damascus College during the morning and afternoon periods. The bus stop is well patronised but suffers from antisocial behaviour that discourages many from using public transport and a negative perception of the area.

The bus shelters and surrounds are tired, frequently tagged with graffiti and due for replacement. To increase the appeal and safety for legitimate public transport users the entire space needs to be rethought and redesigned. Working with traders, Victoria Police and the Department of Transport and Planning a detailed concept design has been developed that is ready to share with public transport users and the wider community.

In December 2023 - January 2024, we reached out the users of the Little Bridge Street bus stop and the general community to find out what features of the bus stop should be kept or removed and to hear feedback on the draft design. There was 75 contributions to the questions we asked.

The project scope includes:

  • Relocate existing raised zebra crossing from current position to align with Time Lane
  • Addition of outdoor dining at Wen and Ware
  • Reduce Little Bridge Street to single lane to provide safe reversing space for parking
  • Modify parking to 60 degrees, and realign as per design plans
  • Remove existing bus shelters and replace by larger single shelter at western end
  • Upgrade CCTV, lighting and install bollards to address safety concerns from Victoria Police and Traders
  • New 2.5m exposed aggregate shared user path to rear of bus interchange which ties into wider bicycle

    • network at Grenville Street to the west and Porter Street to the east

  • New streetscape planting, tree planting and amenity upgrades

    • A snap shot of the results from the Community Engagement

    The results of the Community Engagement have been analysed and summarised in the in the Engagement and Evaluation Report linked to this page. To see some high level findings please click on the drop downs below.

    Recommendations

    The feedback received from the community was largely supportive of the changes that were already incorporated in the design. The community were supportive of moving the raised pedestrian crossing to align with Time Lane. They were concerned that reducing the thru lanes to one lane would cause traffic to queue for unreasonable time. Everyone was after increased safety for all users of the bus stop. It was noted that many users of the bus stop have special needs that need to be taken into account when decisions are made on seating, shelter and footpath treatment. The public were particularly strong on cleanliness of the site and making sure adequate rubbish bins are provided.

    A number of items were outside the scope of the project but will be pursued with the relevant authorities, these include live information boards that track when the bus will arrive.

    • Requests for singular seating. Sitting separate but still at bus stop. Seating under tree canopies. Comments around removal of block seating.
    • Rubbish bins were the most requested feature to keep. Need to consider location of bins.
    • Choice of bus shelter. Clear, transparent shelter. Seating on both sides. Have a mix of seating and standing rails.
    • Request for DoT to provide live information boards so customers know when to expect next bus.
    • Widen footpath to decrease conflict between customers waiting for the bus and those getting onto buses.
    • Increase green space on both north and south side of Lt Bridge. Make space more colourful.