Located in the exact geographic centre of Victoria, the City of Greater Bendigo is preparing to introduce a new world class pedestrian signage system throughout the city centre. A series of maps and signs will help pedestrians navigate their way around the CBD. The signs are expected to be particularly useful for visitors arriving by train or coach.
City of Greater Bendigo Councillor, Wayne Gregson, said most people are familiar with maps that have north at the top, although to many people they never seem to be the right way up.
“Bendigo’s new wayfinding maps use a ‘heads up’ system that was developed in Bristol in the United Kingdom,” he said. “The maps reflect exactly what the pedestrian sees at that location. It does not matter whether you are facing north, south, east or west, because whichever map people look at, what they see ‘above’ their location on the map is in front of them and what is ‘below’ their location is behind them.
“This makes orientation and wayfinding easy, as the maps are always the right way up when you look at them.”
Councillor Gregson said the City of Greater Bendigo considered four key questions when designing the new signs: ‘Where am I now?’ ‘ How do I get to where I want to go?’ ‘How long will it take me?’ And, ‘is it safe?’
“International research shows that cities that are good for walking are also good for meeting, visiting, shopping, spending and watching the world go by,” he said. “In other words, cities that attract pedestrians are places where people want to be and this is what we hope to create in the Bendigo City Centre.”
The first sign was recently installed at the Bendigo Railway Station.
Councillor Gregson said the development of the wayfinding maps was made possible through a grant from Victoria’s Department of Sustainability and Environment’s Transit City Program.
For further information contact Philip DeAraugo, City of Greater Bendigo’s Strategic Planner, on (03) 5434 6287
