Bendigo is the neighbourhood bounded by Bridge Road, Burnley Street, Swan Street and the Yarra (Birrarung) River, designated as Council’s Local Area Place Making (LAPM) precinct #19.

Image credit: City of Yarra.

LAPM review

Council conducted a LAPM review in 2018; the consultation identified a number of issues:

LAPM 19 Issues. Image credit: City of Yarra

O’Brien Traffic delivered their final report in November 2018, with recommended treatments:

LAPM 19 Plan. Image credit: City of Yarra.

Council adopted (in 2018) a plan to be delivered in 2019/20, with a budget of only $360k:

Minutes from 18th December 2018. Image credit: City of Yarra.

In 2022 two new wombat crossings were constructed on Yarra Boulevard, near Melbourne Girls College.

Suggestions for further improvement

Local champion, Cameron, has identified 5 key areas in the Bendigo LAPM that should be improved to make it easier and safer for people walking or biking to navigate through the area.

  1. Improve safety at the intersection of Westbank Terrace and Bridge Road. This crossing is dangerous because of the large amount of car traffic, and the long distance to cross. One option is to add kerb outstands and a raised pedestrian crossing to (a) reduce the crossing distance, (b) improve sight lines by preventing cars from lining up next to each other at the intersection, and (c) encourage drivers to slow down and look.
  2. Drivers speed around the bend from Westbank Terrace into Bendigo St, making it unsafe to cross the road here and to ride a bike here. One option is to make a roundabout at the intersection, meaning that drivers would have to slow down as they go around. It would also be beneficial to add raised pedestrian crossings to make crossing the road safer. Also change the priority route for cars at the intersection of Vesper and Tudor Streets to stop drivers going down Vesper street before realising its a no through road.
  3. Wertheim Street is dangerous to ride down on a bike, owing to blind corners and the street being too narrow to pass cars going in the opposite direction. One option is to remove parking and one planter bed on the north side of Wertheim Street and add protection to the contraflow bike lane on the south side. Also, making a raised pedestrian crossing across Stawell Street would make the area safer for pedestrians.
  4. Close the southern end of Park Grove to stop drivers using it as a through route, and make the intersection safer by stopping drivers turning into Swan Street, which is a blind spot owing to the bridge.
  5. Improve safety on the Wallen Road Bridge (located at the end of Swan Street). This bridge is very unsafe to cross, with high speed traffic and narrow footpaths with no protection from cars.
Overview of suggestions. Image credit: Cameron.
1. Better pedestrian crossing at Westbank Terrace. Image credit: Cameron.
2. Roundabout and better crossings. Image credit: Cameron.
2. Roundabout and better crossings, looking north up Westbank Terrace. Image credit: Cameron.
3. Better crossing and protected bike lane. Image credit: Cameron.
3. Add protection to the contraflow bike lane on Wertheim Street. Image credit: Cameron.
4. Modal filter at Park Grove. Image credit: Cameron.
5. Need to improve safety on this bridge. Image credit: Cameron.

Local champion

Your local champion for LAPM 19 Bendigo is Cameron, Yarra resident. View all of Streets Alive Yarra’s champions on our supporters page.

I love riding my bike to get to places. It is great because it makes me independent and able to get anywhere. When I’m riding I’m often thinking of how we could make routes better and safer for people riding and walking. I am concerned about narrow and unsafe bike lanes in between moving and parked cars, because people drive past you very fast and close, and there is also the issue of people opening their doors into the bike lane. I believe we need to put in many more separated bike lanes so that everyone can get around on a bike safely.

Cameron
Next → Cremorne (LAPM 20 Balmain)