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It was in the middle of the day when Joseph Haweil was pushed up against the side of a wall by a man at Broadmeadows train station and had his phone knocked out of his hand.
Luckily, the Hume City Council mayor wasn’t hurt during the assault, as his assailant continued walking through the station’s notorious underpass in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
Hume Mayor Joseph Haweil at Broadmeadows station underpass, which he says is one of Melbourne’s worst.Credit: Joe Armao
Haweil said assaults were a frequent occurrence in the dimly lit underpass, which he labelled one of Melbourne’s worst.
“This station is a dive and so is the underpass,” Haweil said.
The state government previously upgraded the underpass by installing cladding along the walls and improving the gutters running along the sides to prevent flooding.
“It’s not much of a fix,” Haweil said.
Mohamed Jama (left) and Ahmed Isaack dislike using the “disgusting” underpass at Broadmeadows station.Credit: Joe Armao
When The Age visited last Thursday afternoon, there were schoolchildren, mothers with prams and tradies all rushing through the underpass, which connects platforms and is also an access route to bus stops and roads on the other side of the station.
Students Ahmed Isaack, 15, and Mohamed Jama, 16, said they disliked using the underpass to get to school but had no other option.
“It stinks and it’s disgusting,” Ahmed said. Mohamed added: “When there’s dodgy people around I don’t feel safe.”
Across Melbourne, there are similar stories of lament at the poor state of some of the city’s busiest underpasses.
Victoria Walks executive officer Ben Rossiter at the Clifton Hill station underpass.Credit: Justin McManus
Victoria Walks executive officer Ben Rossiter said Melbourne’s underpasses are “a legacy of poor planning and design from the last century”. His organisation promotes walking and advocates for the community on issues around safety and infrastructure for walkers.
“These underpasses have common issues: they are often filthy, poorly lit, prone to flooding, and a [site of] fear for some of Melbourne’s most vulnerable people,” Rossiter said.
“And they are often an unavoidable access route for both commuters and walkers.”
Rossiter said that Victoria was falling behind other states such as NSW, which has specific guidelines aimed at improving the safety and appearance of underpasses.
Kristy Colley fears for her safety when walking through the St Kilda Junction underpass and avoids it at night.Credit: Simon Schluter
“NSW is way ahead of Victoria when it comes to planning for walking and underpasses,” he said.
“The Victorian government has mentioned underpasses in the Big Build project and other planning documents, but nothing as comprehensive as NSW.”
St Kilda Junction is one of Melbourne’s busiest intersections and has an underpass that traverses St Kilda Road, Punt Road and Queens Way.
But Kristy Colley, 28, who lives nearby, said she felt terrified using the “awful” passage and no longer walks there at night.
“There’s no security cameras in here so if you do get attacked, there’d be no evidence,” she said.
“Even my dogs feel anxious walking through it.”
The City of Port Philip acknowledged the need for necessary lighting upgrades for the underpass and has allocated $300,000 to install more lighting.
The council also commissioned graffiti artists to paint a mural throughout the underpass and surrounding areas to create a “safer and more inviting” atmosphere for users.
Colley described the artwork as “nice” but said it didn’t make the area any safer.
Another St Kilda resident, Pam Barton, never uses the passage after dark either.
“It feels dodgy and unsafe at night,” she said.
In Melbourne’s west, a narrow pedestrian underpass in Tottenham runs next to Sunshine Road, a busy arterial road used by trucks and cars.
Mateo Flores on narrow pathway at the Tottenham underpass.Credit: Jason South
Gymnastics teacher Mateo Flores, 23, said he manages to get through the “crazy congested” path by shimmying his way along the wall during his daily commute.
“I’ve seen so many people bump into each other: all cyclists, mums with prams and people using electric scooters just trying to pass through,” he said.
Flores said he was almost taken out by a cyclist at a blind spot at the end of the tunnel.
“It’s so dangerous,” he said.
The underpass at Tottenham Station runs next to a busy road in Melbourne’s inner west.Credit: Jason South
Maribyrnong City Council owns and maintains the footpath and fencing in the underpass, but a grated drain along the footpath is the responsibility of rail authorities.
Maribyrnong chief executive Celia Haddock said the council welcomed improvements to the underpass through state government funding.
Rossiter said generous-sized footpaths, regular maintenance and cleaning, cameras for safety, and better design to prevent blind spots were all critical to making a good underpass.
“We need to make existing underpasses safer and more appealing,” Rossiter said.
“Underpasses negatively impact those who are most vulnerable, like women who are concerned about safety, those with disabilities and the elderly – and that is who we need to design for the most.”
A Victorian government spokesperson said: “The safety of our network and everyone who uses public transport is always a priority.
“We have more than 12,500 CCTV cameras across the metropolitan train network to support the Authorised Officers, Protective Service Officers and station staff all working to keep passengers safe.”
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