The clues all add up:

• Australia Post mail box, and post office;
• Herald Sun sign on shop;
• a leafy green road with two lane road, wide enough to overtake on;
• and green painted traffic signal masts, which Whitehorse City Council loves to do.

So somewhere in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne – but where?

Unfortunately this is the first time my “nothing good happens east of Punt Road” policy has failed me, so I had to phone a friend – who suggested the Mitcham Road shopping strip in Mitcham.

And boom – there it is.

Google Street View

But try as I may, I couldn’t find the same parked cars found in the Google reCAPTCHA scene in the images captured by Google Street View, no matter what date I picked, which leads to the question – where is Google getting their reCAPTCHA images from?

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The background

The story starts at Sunshine station, upgraded in 2014.

But for pedestrians crossing Hampshire Road they still needed to dodge four lanes of traffic at a roundabout.

Google Street View October 2018

So in 2015 Brimbank City Council proposed improvements to the area.

Sunshine Town Centre – Sunshine Station entry upgrades/integration

Improvements to Hampshire Road bridge and roundabouts to reflect new station entry arrangements at upgraded Station. Initiatives to prioritise safe pedestrian access to the station and safe cycle access over Hampshire Road. Design in first year with construction in following year.

A consultant was engaged to do a traffic study.

In 2016 SALT is conducting a study of proposed bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the Hampshire Road precinct in Sunshine, Victoria.

This involves preparing concept and functional designs for cycle paths over the Hampshire Road overpass and pedestrian crossings between Sunshine railway station and surrounding residential areas.

It was decided to add a set of pedestrian operated traffic signals , and remove one of the southbound lanes on Hampshire Road to make room for an on-road bicycle lane.

Brimbank City Council

With the design put to tender in late 2018.

Hampshire Road Overpass – Southern Pedestrian Crossing

Contract Number
19/2612

Released Date
1/12/2018

Closed Date
23/01/2019

Awarded to Harte Civil VIC Pty Ltd
$392,407.09 (ex. GST)

Construction time

Work started in July 2019.

With Hampshire Road dug up.

So that a raised hump could be created for the pedestrian crossing.

But traffic management left a lot to be designed – route 903 buses were detoured around the worksite, with zero information given by Public Transport Victoria.

By August 2019 things were starting to look real.

The traffic lights put into place at the pedestrian crossing.

Confusion reigns

Despite the traffic lights being switched off, the crossing was opened to pedestrians.

Signed as a zebra crossing, but no zebra stripes on the road.

There things stayed until January 2020, when fences appeared overnight at the crossing.

Blocking pedestrian access.

Featuring a ‘pedestrian crossing under maintenance’ sign from Brimbank City Council.

And a pedestrian detour to the next set of traffic lights – 150 metres away.

The next day the crossing had reopened.

But with traffic controllers stopping traffic every time a pedestrian wanted to cross.

And just as soon as they arrived, they were replaced by zebra stripes painted on the road surface.

Making it a ‘real’ zebra crossing.

And finally done

March 2020, and the traffic lights were finally switched on.

Allowing the zebra stripes to be painted out.

Only six months from ‘completion’ to actually functioning!

Footnote – zebra crossings

Road Safety Road Rules 2017 states:

(1) A driver approaching a pedestrian crossing must drive at a speed at which the driver can, if necessary, stop safely before the crossing.

(2) A driver must give way to any pedestrian on or entering a pedestrian crossing.

(3) A pedestrian crossing is an area of a road—

(a) at a place with white stripes on the road surface that—

(i) run lengthwise along the road; and
(ii) are of approximately the same length; and
(iii) are approximately parallel to each other; and
(iv) are in a row that extends completely, or partly, across the road; and

(b) with or without either or both of the following—

(i) a pedestrian crossing sign ;
(ii) alternating flashing twin yellow lights.

So technically a zebra crossing sign but no stripes on the road isn’t a pedestrian crossing, but a set of zebra stripes without a sign is.

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Pedestrian crossings at major intersections have been widened.

But a few days later, half of the new crossing at the corner of William and Little Lonsdale Steet was fenced off.

As was half of the pedestrian crossing at the corner of William and Little Bourke Street.

So what gives?

Meanwhile on the other side of Melbourne

Back in September 2018 a new platform stop was installed on route 96 at Nicholson and Gertrude Street.

But soon after, the pedestrian crossing was fenced off.

Hey @yarratrams, what’s the deal with the blocked off pedestrian crossing across half of Nicholson Street. It’s at Stop 11 Gertrude/Nicholson Street. It’s been closed for months now, prevents access to @StVincentsMelb. @rwynnemp pic.twitter.com/Ix7RHYm3kr

— BT (@Br_Tr) November 9, 2019

With Yarra Trams providing the response when the problem was raised in November 2019.

Good afternoon, this pedestrian crossing has been closed due to issues with the gradient of the slope posing a safety hazard for pedestrians. We are working with the local council to implement a solution. Thank you for your patience and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

— Yarra Trams (@yarratrams) November 9, 2019

With rectification work completed between November 25 and December 13.

Last year Public Transport Victoria (PTV) and Yarra Trams installed new platform stops along Route 96 on Nicholson Street between Victoria Parade, Carlton and Rose Street, Fitzroy.

To finish our upgrades, we need to improve the accessibility of south east pedestrian ramp at Stop 11, by modifying the levels of the road as well as the footpath, kerb and ramp.

The design standards for pedestrian crossings are well documented – so how did Yarra Trams manage to make the same mistake again on William Street?

And another flaw

There is also another flaw in the widened pedestrian crossings – there is no kerb cut in the middle of the crossing.

This caught out someone at William and Little Bourke Street the other day – crossing the road in the middle of a pack of pedestrians, they missed the trip hazard, and faceplanted into the bluestone paving.

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But if you take a closer look, you’ll realise that the crossing doesn’t lead anywhere.

And the push buttons are located at head hight.

And there is an extra ‘don’t walk’ light mounted above it.

But the reason for the crossing and extra equipment is visible if you look over the fence on the other side – Geelong Racecourse is next door.

The traffic lights were provided in the 1990s to allow strappers to bring horses to and from the off-track stables complex located at Haworth Court.

A safety audit in 2007 saw the Geelong Racing Club discontinue use of the traffic lights, with horses being moved by horse float instead. The pedestrian lights are still in place, but the special push buttons for horses have been decommissioned.

History of the Haworth Court stables

The Haworth Court stable complex was completed in 1984 by the Geelong Regional Commission with four tenants occupying 40 horse boxes, the site was taken over by the Geelong Racing Club in 1985, and later expanded to 90 boxes across five stables.

The lack of easy access to the racecourse combined with the aging facilities led to a 2012 proposal for a new on-track training complex. The stables were sold in 2014, with funds from the sale to be used to build new on-course stables.

A sewer related footnote

The path between the stables and the racetrack is located atop Geelong’s main outfall sewer.

And a note of traffic lights

The Data.Vic directory has an item titled ‘Traffic Signal Configuration Data Sheets for Victoria‘.

“In VicRoads these are known as OP SHEETS. The op sheets are the operational design criteria for the traffic signals across Victoria, Each traffic signal requires this information for signal phasing. These can be used with the Traffic Signal Volume Data and the Turning Movement Volume Surveys for site performance reports or intersection redesign.”

Here is the relevant ‘Op Sheet’ for the pedestrian crossing on Fellmongers Road:

And a NSW example

I’ve had a NSW example sent with me – an extra set of push buttons for the use of strappers taking horses across the traffic lights at the corner of Prospect Street and James Ruse Drive, outside Sydney’s Rosehill Racecourse.

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We started out at Southern Cross Station, where “that escalator is broken!” was his first observation.

Perhaps he’s ready to join the family business of tracking how many times they’ve broken down?

We then climbed onboard a route 96 tram, where he pointed out “The tram is on a railway line. And it’s in the country!” as we left Clarendon Street behind and sped along the light rail line.

Nothing sneaks past him – the route 96 tram to St Kilda was once a railway line, being converted to a light rail line in 1987.

Headed back through the city down Bourke Street, as we passed the courtyard of the RACV Club, he called out “there’s a clock“.

It was actually a Marshalite traffic signal dating back to the 1940s, but I’ll pay that one – the average Melbournian wouldn’t have guessed it either.

And finally, at the corner of Bourke and Swanston Street my little guy pointed out “those traffic lights are weird“.

“How are they weird” I asked. His response – “they have white edges around them“.

Nothing slips past this little guy – this set of Swarco ‘ALUSTAR’ traffic lights is the only example found in Victoria, which I also noticed back when they were installed in 2014.

Like father, like son?

And a footnote on buses

Over on Lonsdale Street one of the handful of articulated buses operated by Transdev Melbourne was passing by, so I pointed it out to him.

His description: “The bus has a carriage behind, and is joined on like a tram!”

Nailed it!

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We start at 2:21:06 PM – a St Kilda bound route 96 tram has disgorged a full load of passengers, who have filled the narrow walkway leading towards Southern Cross Station.

There are no cars driving down Spencer Street, yet both the tram and departing passengers still have to wait.

40 seconds later, and the tram finally gets a green light to turn from Bourke into Spencer Street.

It takes the tail end of the tram 10 seconds to clear the intersection, but the passengers are still waiting.

Now over a minute has passed since the passengers left them tram, and the pedestrian lights finally turn green, allowing passengers to leave the tram stop.

Note that for anyone bound for Southern Cross Station, after crossing Bourke Street, there will be a second wait for the pedestrian lights to cross Spencer Street!

If there is a location in Melbourne that needs a scramble crossing, then the corner of Bourke and Spencer Street is it.

Don’t believe me?

Just to prove how pedestrian-hostile the corner of Bourke and Spencer Streets is, here are a few more photos.

Note that once the narrow walkway gets filled with departing tram passengers, it is impossible for any intending passengers to reach the tram stop.

In addition, waiting pedestrians overflow the west end of the path, and have to squeeze out of the way of turning route 96 trams.

Woefully inadequate for a main entrance to the Melbourne CBD, isn’t it?

2018 update

In 2018 VicRoads announced that a raised pedestrian crossing would be added halfway along the westbound tram stop. Works began in February 2018 and was expected to be completed by July 2018.

However the crossing sat unused for months, a fence blocking access.

Eventually opening for use in March 2019.

Further reading

In January 2012 the City of Melbourne commissioned a report titled ‘CBD Pedestrian Congestion and Public Transport Access‘ – inside it details the growing congestion that faces pedestrians accessing public transport in the Melbourne CBD, and how it can be addressed.

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