We have installed a Melbourne-first red wombat crossing in Collingwood to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.

There previously was a speed hump on the corner of Wellington Street and Robert Street to slow down traffic after the installation of a separated bicycle lane on Wellington Street in recent years.

We received feedback from drivers that pedestrians were informally crossing at this speed hump and it was unclear whether it was a pedestrian crossing or speed hump.

We explored how we can innovatively manage this local safety issue and decided to convert the speed hump to a red wombat crossing.

A red wombat crossing is like a traditional pedestrian zebra crossing, but it is also elevated and brightly coloured.

We found local councils across Australia have been using red wombat crossings to increase road safety because drivers are made to slow down and they can visibly see from a distance a pedestrian crossing is approaching. This is particularly useful at night.

Since its completion we have had a positive response from drivers who have said it is a helpful visual cue. We will be closely monitoring feedback as a key indicator for whether we install more red wombat crossings in the future.