A TWO-YEAR trial of pedestrian crossings on three central Warrnambool roundabouts could face a bumpy ride, judging by a similar initiative in Warragul which was scrapped after only four months.
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Civic leaders in the Gippsland regional city buckled under widespread community protest, including a 4500-signature petition in 2010 that prompted removal of zebra crossing stripes on a CBD roundabout.
“It caused traffic chaos,” Warragul Business Group executive officer David Cann told The Standard yesterday.
“The zebra crossings were impractical — stupid.
“Traffic banked up across the intersection. It caused conflict between two sets of road rules — stopping for pedestrians and stopping in a roundabout.
“Central businesses lost trade because shoppers avoided the intersection and parked at the supermarket.
“It prompted a community-led campaign and the crossings were removed.”
Baw Baw Shire Council removed the Warragul roundabout zebra crossings and instead installed mid-block zebra crossings and slowed all CBD traffic to 40 kilometres an hour.
Warrnambool City councillors on Monday night approved the installation of zebra crossings and speed humps at three Liebig Street roundabouts in a radical move which changes priority at intersections on Lava, Koroit and Timor streets from driver to pedestrian right-of-way.
Costing about $150,000, the project represents a major step in unfolding a long-awaited city centre revitalisation masterplan after years of community debate.
It is expected work will start in the next two months after fine-tuning with VicRoads.
The Standard understands the speed humps will be hardened plastic fastened to the bitumen.
Mayor Michael Neoh told Monday night’s meeting the inconvenience to motorists would be a small price to pay for pedestrian safety and other councillors applauded the move.
However, the sole council objector, Cr Rob Askew, warned of traffic jams and confusion about roundabout rules.
Already a Warrnambool business leader has called for the trial period to be shortened, a bus company manager considers speed humps unnecessary and several The Standard readers predict gridlock and an exodus of shoppers from the CBD.
VicRoads has also warned of potential vehicle congestion and rear-end collisions at roundabouts with pedestrian crossings.
