City gets cash for bus stop safety

THE City of Ballarat has received almost half-a-million dollars from the Federal government as part of the round five of the Safer Communities Fund.

A total of $450,000 will go towards the Little Bridge Street bus interchange and includes installing 10 closed circuit TV cameras, 25 security lights and 15 security bollards.

Senator for Victoria Sarah praised the City of Ballarat for successfully applying for the cash and what the upgrades would mean for the community.

“This grant is a credit to Ballarat City Council which is working hard to improve community safety,” she said.

“This grant will provide essential security upgrades which will make central Ballarat safer and more accessible to local residents including families.”

City of Ballarat mayor Cr Ben Taylor said the safety improvement works would form part of the overall Bridge Mall and Bakery Hill redevelopment project.

“The precinct is a central transport connection within the heart of Ballarat and is closely located to the CBD,” he said.

“The project will allow us to address one of the key aspects for improvement, identified during the community consultation process for the redevelopment of the Bakery Hill/Bridge Mall precinct.”

Federal Member for Ballarat Catherine King welcomed the money saying it would go toward keeping bus users, and people who move through the Little Bridge Street bus interchange, safer.

“I am very glad to see Ballarat City Council receive this well-deserved funding,” she said.

“While the vast majority of our community do the right thing, there will always be a small minority who don’t.”

“Unfortunately, the actions of this small minority mean that some in our community can be made to feel unsafe, particularly when using public transport alone or at night.”

“This grant will go a long way towards making Ballarat’s public transport safer for everyone in our community.”

“I am sure that Ballarat City Council will make the most of this funding to make improvements that deter any anti-social behaviour that does occur and enable more people to use our city’s public transport with greater confidence.”

The City of Ballarat’s $450,000 comes from an overall pool of $31 million in funding as part of Round 5 of the nationwide program.

The Safer Communities Fund Seeks to help organisations vulnerable to harassment or violence stemming from racial or religious intolerance including schools, places of religious worship and community gathering points.

“As the Morrison Liberal Government’s representative in the Ballarat electorate, I am delighted with this news,” Ms Henderson said. “Our government regards community safety as a key priority.”