A notorious Ballarat CBD bus interchange could be stripped of shelters as part of a crackdown on crime and antisocial behaviour.
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The City of Ballarat is working on a package of improvements for the Little Bridge Street bus stop, and has not ruled out removing sheltered seating to discourage people congregating in the area.
More than a dozen local bus routes make use of the interchange and it is large enough to accommodate four buses at a time.
Some traders have this week renewed calls to remove the eastern half of the existing shelters, where people appear to gather daily for reasons other than catching a bus, in contrast with the western end closer to the Senior Citizens Club which is more likely to be used for its intended purpose.
When asked if there were any plans to reduce the shelters, development director Natalie Robertson responded on Tuesday that the council had been "working closely with Victoria Police, the Bridge Mall Business Association, and the Department of Transport to determine the best possible solutions to improve the area".
Ms Robertson confirmed planned "immediate, medium and longer-term" improvements aimed to "help address concerns from traders, community members and public transport users".
"Any potential alterations will be communicated once they are finalised," Ms Robertson said.
Bridge Mall traders previously pointed to the bus stop as a contributor to crimes including shoplifting and assaults affecting staff.
Police have responded with increased patrols of the area and recently announced the introduction of 'Coffee With a Cop' events to the Mall to discuss the issues from July 20.
Traders association spokesperson Shane Donnithorne this week acknowledged a need to "remove congregational issues" and improve the "flow" of the bus stop area, but said solutions must consider people who legitimately use the bus service.
"I know there's other traders that want changes, and it has been a suggestion to not have as much seating, but it's not an easy fix," he said.
"If you remove seating, it does stop people congregating but you don't want to disadvantage customers who use the bus to actually come shopping and transit through the area.
"In certain weather conditions, you'd still want covering."
Ballarat Senior Citizens' Club president Geoff Pitt said the ability to safely catch the bus was vital to many of the club's members who had no other way to get into town.
He said he was "disgusted" by some of the behaviour he'd witnessed at the bus stop - from verbal abuse directed at elderly people to speeding drivers endangering pedestrians - and believed the presence of crowds was a leading cause.
"People seem to want to be an idiot when they get into a group," Mr Pitt said.
"Sometimes, it's like they're looking for a fight .... or they think it's a good joke to make a big noise in a car going 60 or 70ks [in a 40km/h zone] on a homemade motorcycle with no helmet.
"We've got ladies that when that's going on, they won't go down there and I don't blame them one bit - an elderly person is so easy to push over."
The Department of Transport was contacted.
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