Editing Ballarat (section)

==Transportation==
[[File:Ballarat Arch.jpg|thumb|left|Arch of Victory over the [[Avenue of honour|Avenue of Honour]]]]
The motor vehicle is the main form of transport in Ballarat. A network of state highways radiate from Ballarat and the [[Western Freeway (Victoria)|Western Freeway]] (A8) [[dual carriageway]] bypasses the central city to the north of the urban area, providing a direct road connection to Melbourne (approximately 90&nbsp;minutes), westward to [[Ararat, Victoria|Ararat]] (approximately 75&nbsp;minutes) and [[Horsham, Victoria|Horsham]]. Five freeway interchanges service the urban area, East Ballarat (half diamond) interchange at Victoria Street (C805); Brown Hill interchange (full diamond) at Daylesford-Ballarat Road (C292), Creswick Road interchange (full diamond) at Wendouree (A300); the Mount Rowan interchange (half diamond) at Gillies Road, Wendouree (C307) and the Mitchell Park interchange (full diamond) at Howe Street (C287). The [[Midland Highway (Victoria)|Midland Highway]] is a dual carriageway which runs north along Creswick Road to the Western Freeway interchange but becomes a single carriageway north of Ballarat to [[Creswick]] (approximately 25&nbsp;minutes) and runs south as the dual carriageway of Skipton Road to Magpie before becoming a single carriageway to [[Geelong]] (approximately 87&nbsp;minutes). The [[Glenelg Highway]] connects directly to [[Mount Gambier]] and the [[Sunraysia Highway]] west of Ballarat which connects directly to [[Mildura]]. Sturt Street and Victoria Street, both dual carriageways carry the bulk of the east-west CBD traffic, while Mair Street is planned to become a four lane dual carriageway to relieve pressure on these main streets.<ref name="CBD Strategy">{{cite web|url=http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/528422/finalstrategypostadoption110906.pdf|title=Ballarat CBD Strategy|access-date=26 June 2012|date=26 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422102705/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/528422/finalstrategypostadoption110906.pdf|archive-date=22 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other dual carriageway main roads in the west include Howitt Street and Gillies Street.<ref name="Road Strategy">{{cite web|url=http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/220557/ballarat%20road%20transport%20strategy.pdf|title=Ballarat Road Transport Strategy|access-date=26 June 2012|date=March 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421163138/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/220557/ballarat%20road%20transport%20strategy.pdf|archive-date=21 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The busiest roads by far are located in the west and south at Albert Street in Redan, Sturt Street in Newington and Gillies Street in Lake Gardens which carry 22,400, 22,000 and 21,500 vehicles per day respectively and all have 4 traffic lanes.<ref name="Road Strategy"/>

===Rail===
[[File:Ballarat station.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ballarat railway station]]]]
[[File:Train at ballarat station.jpg|thumb|A [[V/Line]] train arriving at Ballarat station ]]
Ballarat is a major [[rail transport]] hub in Victoria. Situated at the junction of the [[Serviceton railway line|Ballarat line]], [[Serviceton railway line|Ararat line]] and [[Mildura railway line|Mildura lines]], it currently has several connections for both [[passenger rail]] services and [[Freight rail transport|freight rail]]. The city has two passenger railway stations, the hub of [[Ballarat railway station]] and suburban [[Wendouree railway station]].<ref>Victorian Transport Plan – Ballarat:Wendouree Station http://www4.transport.vic.gov.au/vtp/projects/wendouree.html {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091025160557/http://www4.transport.vic.gov.au/vtp/projects/wendouree.html |date=25 October 2009 }}</ref> From Ballarat station, [[V/Line]] operates [[V/Line VLocity|VLocity]] trains to Melbourne, west to [[Ararat railway station|Ararat]] and north to [[Maryborough railway station, Victoria|Maryborough]]. Since the controversial removal of "flagship" express services in 2011, successive timetable changes have slowed peak hour services to [[Southern Cross railway station|Southern Cross]], with the current journey taking a minimum of 73 minutes.<ref>Mcilroy, Tom. [http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/ballarat-commuter-anger-vline-drops-express/2143065.aspx Ballarat commuter anger: V/Line drops express] ''The Courier''. 25 April 2011.</ref><ref>Nolan, Pat. [New V/Line timetable sends some commuters' days off track] ''The Courier''. 20 November 2012.</ref> Patronage however has continued to grow.<ref>Mcilroy, Tom [http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/ballarat-train-line-records-most-growth-for-vline/2293576.aspx Ballarat train line records most growth for V/Line] The Courier 15 September 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/national/regional-rail-travel-booming-despite-delays-20090605-byld.html Regional rail travel booming, despite delays] from The Age</ref> The [[Regional Rail Link]] project was built in 2015 to separate Ballarat trains from Melbourne's suburban rail network.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120721143509/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/06/3183515.htm Regional rail link seen as Ballarat work boost] from the Australian Broadcasting Commission. 6 April 2011.</ref> Interurban services (Ballarat-Melbourne) now run half-hourly during weekday peak and hourly during weekday non-peak and on weekends from Ballarat station. A twice daily (thrice daily on weekdays) (57&nbsp;minute) service connects Ballarat to Ararat (stopping at [[Beaufort railway station, Victoria|Beaufort]]) while there is a (53&nbsp;minute) service to and from Maryborough (stopping at [[Creswick railway station|Creswick]], [[Clunes railway station, Victoria|Clunes]], and [[Talbot railway station|Talbot]]) once a day (twice a day on weekdays) each way.<ref>[https://www.vline.com.au/Timetables/Additional-pages/Timetable-list Timetable list], V/Line. 29 January 2017.</ref> Victoria's electronic ticketing system, [[Myki]], was implemented on rail services between Wendouree and Melbourne on 24 July 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Myki to start on VLine Commuter Services|url=http://www.vline.com.au/about/news/mediareleases/96766932/Article.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827131931/http://www.vline.com.au/about/news/mediareleases/96766932/Article.aspx|archive-date=27 August 2013|publisher=VLine Pty Ltd|access-date=7 August 2013}}</ref> Ballarat is connected to Geelong by rail via the [[Geelong-Ballarat railway line]], which currently operates only for freight.

===Bus===
[[CDC Ballarat]] operates the bus network covering the city centre, Ballarat and Wendouree stations, and most surrounding suburbs, contracted by [[Public Transport Victoria]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cdcvictoria.com.au/travel-information/timetables-and-maps/ballarat/|title=Ballarat|website=CDC Ballarat|access-date=16 February 2022}}</ref>

===Tram===
[[File:Ballarat Tram.jpg|thumb|left|A tourist tram on Wendouree Parade]]
The once extensive [[Trams in Ballarat|Ballarat tramway network]] operated between 1887 and 1971 with a small section of remaining track being utilised as a tourist and museum tramway.<ref>[http://www.btm.org.au/ Ballarat Tramway Museum]. Btm.org.au. Retrieved 18 August 2011.</ref> There have been proposals to extend the network, particularly as a major tourist facility but also to connect it to the railways and return it as a viable component of the Ballarat public transport system, including a strong lobby in 2001–2002,<ref>[http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/tram-plans-on-track/304990.aspx Tram plans on track] by Mariza Fiamengo for The Courier. 1 May 2001.</ref><ref>Chamber of Commerce backs tram plan. ''The Courier''. 2 May 2001.</ref><ref>Ballarat's hotels support push to bring back trams. ''The Courier''. 25 July 2002.</ref><ref>Support for Tram Plan. ''The Courier''. 30 July 2002.</ref> 2010–11 and 2014,<ref>{{cite news|last=Cunningham|first=Melissa|title=Call to bring trams back|work=The Courier|date=8 August 2014 <!--|access-date=4 October 2014-->}}</ref> however Ballarat City Council and federal member of parliament have dismissed recent proposals.<ref>No trams for at least a decade. ''The Courier''. 31 July 2002.</ref><ref>pg. 147. Ballarat CBD Strategy 2012 – Appendix A – Other Ideas Considered.</ref><ref name=Cowie2013>{{Citation|title=Ballarat tram return could cost $90 million|url=http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1647757/ballarat-tram-return-could-cost-90-million/|year=2013|author=Cowie, Tom|access-date=15 September 2013}}</ref>

===Airport===
[[Ballarat Airport]] located {{convert|8|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} north-west of the CBD consists of two sealed runways (each approximately {{convert|1400|m|ft|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide) as well as extensive sealed aprons, night lighting and [[Non-directional beacon|NDB]] navaid. Master Plans for the Airport were completed in 2005 and subsequently 2013.<ref>{{Citation|title=Ballarat Airport Master Plan 2013–2033|url=http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/1515572/final_ballarat_airport_master_plan_8_may_2013b.pdf|year=2013|access-date=28 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318002413/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/1515572/final_ballarat_airport_master_plan_8_may_2013b.pdf|archive-date=18 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The report made a series of recommendations and forecasts that included lengthening, widening and strengthening of the existing main runway, consideration for expansion of the passenger terminal, recommendations for future use of aprons, and development of future structures supporting larger aircraft that would result from the forecast increased frequent usage. In 2020, initial Federal funding was provided to enable the re-building and re-instatement of the main north–south runway to 1900m (6233 feet).

===Cycling and walking===
Ballarat has a long history of cycling as a form of transport and recreation. The current cycling network continues to grow and consists of several marked on-road routes and {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=off}} of [[segregated bicycle facilities]] including several main routes: the [[Ballarat–Skipton Rail Trail]] and the Yarrowee River Trail with connections to the Gong Gong Reservoir.<ref name="chw.net.au"/> Buningyong Trail, Sebastopol Trail, and the Lake Wendouree shared path.<ref>[http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/191988/ballarat%20bicycle%20strategy%202008.pdf Microsoft Word – 0002-1-Ballarat Bicycle Strategy.doc] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222112133/http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/191988/ballarat%20bicycle%20strategy%202008.pdf |date=22 February 2011 }}. (PDF). Retrieved 18 August 2011.</ref> The Ballarat Bicycle Users Group provides advocacy for the growing number of cyclists in the city.<ref>[http://www.balbug.net/ Ballarat Bicycle Users Group] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306132919/http://www.balbug.net/ |date=6 March 2012 }}. Balbug.net. Retrieved 18 August 2011.</ref> The popularity of cycling in Ballarat is also demonstrated by the large number of spectators and participants drawn to cycling sporting events held in the city.<ref>[http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/sport/general/cycling-boon-for-ballarat-region/1826064.aspx Cycling boon for Ballarat region] David Brehaut for The Courier. 10 May 2010.</ref>