Sister Suzanne Fairbairn is campaigning for change.
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The former Franciscan nun and maternity nurse wants to see a crossing, or some sort of traffic slowing infrastructure, installed on Specimen Hill Road outside the Mercy Health Bethlehem aged care home, which she lives next to.
There are bus stops on both sides of the road opposite the home and its adjoining independent living units, but pedestrians must contend with trucks and large volumes of traffic whizzing past.
"It's a constant worry for old people to get across," said Sister Suzanne, who dons a fluorescent vest and holds her walking stick aloft when crossing with her walker.
While going to Lansell Plaza by public transport involved catching the bus on the east side of the road, without needing to cross the road, arriving home with shopping or trying to get to St John of God Hospital for an appointment could pose a serious problem, she said.
"At this time of the day, in the afternoon, I couldn't cross at all," she said.
And although Sister Suzanne has a car, and doesn't need to always travel by public transport, many elderly residents of the complex are reliant on the bus.
The problem is not unique to Specimen Hill Road, Sister Suzanne says, but is extreme there.
"It's the same with all the bus stops, but this is the worst one because you've got an aged care centre and 77 new independent living units going in at the end of the year," she said.
The busy arterial road was also a problem for children and their parents going to nearby Specimen Hill Primary School on Inglewood St, she said.
There is a lollypop crossing but no permanent safe crossing along the stretch between Symonds St and Marong Rd.
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Friend and supporter Vyonne McLelland-Howe, who has become involved in the issue, also feels strongly about it, describing busy Specimen Hill Road as "a major danger".
"People aren't catching the bus because they can't get across," she said.
The former lawyer has been in contact with the Department of Transport, which is responsible for the road, but hasn't been satisfied with the response.
"The Department of Transport said they had hundreds of applications for pedestrian crossings at dangerous locations across Greater Bendigo," Ms McLelland-Howe said.
"They said upgrades to the location 'would be considered in the future' - they basically told me they don't have the funding."
Together the two women have created a petition and gathered over 100 signatures, which member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan has promised to table in parliament.
With the population of the Mercy Health complex only set to increase with the new independent living units, they are convinced something needs to be done about the problem.
"They want us to remain at home and ambulant and encourage us to use public transport," Sister Suzanne said.
"We're not looking for anything elaborate, just something to slow the traffic down."
A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson indicated no priority had been attached to the issue.
"We'll continue to monitor safety in this area and look to see if there are any future improvements needed," they said.
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