Safety upgrades for Fischer Street

Work will soon begin along Torquay’s Fischer Street to make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Raised priority crossings and dedicated cycling lanes will be installed at key intersections between Darian Road and Merrijig Drive, with project works expected to start this month and be completed by May next year.

Councillor Adrian Schonfelder said the project was part of a continuation of efforts to improve safety on Fischer Street as a direct connection between central and north Torquay.

“Fischer Street is a very busy road and there are people who are pedestrians and cyclists who use the road, and it’s a bit of a cocktail, you could say, of multiple users,” he said.

“Safety is very important, and I do know that, in Torquay, many residents tell me about the new normal regarding the fact that the town is busier than it has been in the past.”

Raised priority crossings for pedestrians and cyclists will be installed on all four sides of the Darian Road and Centreside Drive roundabouts, along with the east and west approaches to the Merrijig Drive roundabout.

An off-road bike lane will be built on both sides of Merrijig Drive to Centreside Drive and the south-bound side of Parkside Crescent to Highlander Street, which will also feature a 1.5 metre on-road cycle lane marked along the north-bound side of the road.

The road safety improvements were selected through a Transport Accident Commission funded analysis in 2023.