Sensational-Adelaide.com

Hello there! I'm Richard. Long time reader first time poster.

Just wanted to share some interesting information... I was just scrolling through the DPTI website and had come across traffic volumes 24 hour 2 way flows. I'll link it at the bottom.

The numbers adjacent to the roads I assume is the volume of cars, and I find it very interesting. For example, the city end of port road volume reads at over 60,000 over a 24 hour period.
With the state government today saying they expect CBD population to double over the next decade.. I wonder how our roads are going to cope?

I would like to see signals removed port road, west terrace and Anzac highway.. Thoughts anybody?

http://www.dptiapps.com.au/traffic-maps ... colour.pdf

Relead wrote:Hello there! I'm Richard. Long time reader first time poster.

Just wanted to share some interesting information... I was just scrolling through the DPTI website and had come across traffic volumes 24 hour 2 way flows. I'll link it at the bottom.

The numbers adjacent to the roads I assume is the volume of cars, and I find it very interesting. For example, the city end of port road volume reads at over 60,000 over a 24 hour period.
With the state government today saying they expect CBD population to double over the next decade.. I wonder how our roads are going to cope?

I would like to see signals removed port road, west terrace and Anzac highway.. Thoughts anybody?

http://www.dptiapps.com.au/traffic-maps ... colour.pdf

I doubt increasing CBD population would have that much effect. Many of those would be working/using the CBD so less likely to be driving on the arterial roads than those living outside the CBD. For those that do continue to drive for whatever reason, then they'll be driving against the peak traffic flow.

And welcome!

I see what you are saying.. However I imagine that there would be a large increase in foot traffic in and around the city, pushing vehicles to the ring roads

Relead wrote:Hello there! I'm Richard. Long time reader first time poster.

Just wanted to share some interesting information... I was just scrolling through the DPTI website and had come across traffic volumes 24 hour 2 way flows. I'll link it at the bottom.

The numbers adjacent to the roads I assume is the volume of cars, and I find it very interesting. For example, the city end of port road volume reads at over 60,000 over a 24 hour period.
With the state government today saying they expect CBD population to double over the next decade.. I wonder how our roads are going to cope?

I would like to see signals removed port road, west terrace and Anzac highway.. Thoughts anybody?

http://www.dptiapps.com.au/traffic-maps ... colour.pdf

Removing signals on those roads would do far more harm than good, as it would create problems for turning traffic and pedestrians.

What we really need are much more frequent bus and tram services, and a railway under our CBD.

The maths used for traffic projections (from the traffic engineers I've met in real life) is very basic - you may loose your faith in professional traffic engineers if you actually saw it and thought about it.

I love this one example from the U.S. of traffic projection by the Washington state Department of Transportation:


In many cases, traffic projections become a self-fulfilling prophecy, because they can convince governments to heavily invest in wider roads and freeways, which in turn makes driving easier and leads to induced demand - and that encourages more driving.

But population isn't directly linked to traffic. There are various trends at work, such as rising fuel costs, the younger urban professionals that are attracted to inner-city life typically are more environmentally conscious and are into more active transportation such as walking and cycling, also the CBD and inner suburbs are much denser (in walkability, public transport service, population, etc) that the percentage of commuters that live in those areas that travel via single-occupancy vehicles tend to be lower than someone living in a middle or outer ring suburb.

Also, our CBD is only about a 15 minute walk side-to-side. Even if public transportation in the CBD reached capacity, CBD residents that work and play in the CBD still have attractive alternatives such as walking or cycling that they don't have in the suburbs.

Sure, traffic is likely to grow a little, but I highly doubt it will grow linearly with population.

If the CBD becomes unnavigable by car and yet it continues to grow - then people are going to move to the next most convenient option (walking, cycling, public transport). By then, we may get a CBD tram loop out of it.

Welcome to the forum.

Here, I am NOT being pessimistic or cynical, or anything like that; but the State Government's population growth forecast (especially the figures used, rather dangerously, in the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide) of 1.2% per annum is outlandish and incredibly optimistic. It would be closer to 0.5% p.a. or thereabouts. This alone should influence reconsiderations of transport needs, i.e., traffic will not grow as much as may be predicted.

Pretty sure population growth has been at 0.9-1.2% p.a. the last few years.

Relead wrote:I see what you are saying.. However I imagine that there would be a large increase in foot traffic in and around the city, pushing vehicles to the ring roads

Not sure why people wouldnt be using the city bypass if they werent travelling to the CBD anyway?

I would suggest that most of the traffic is generated by people commuting to the CBD for work. There's what, 150000 people who work in the city every day and about 1/10 of that number who live in the city (many of whom are retirees or students).

If urban sprawl is a key cause of traffic congestion then it must stand that centralising the population has the opposite effect... and eases the burden on public transport... and any other form of infrastructure you care to consider. Just watch out for the traffic jams heading out of the city on a saturday morning

[Shuz] wrote:Pretty sure population growth has been at 0.9-1.2% p.a. the last few years.

This is correct. Our population growth has not been at the 0.5% mark since the early 00's.