[U/C] Adelaide Botanic High School | Frome Road

[[Shuz]]

It looks like a render... But it's real?

[crawf]

Easily one of the best looking schools in the country.

[how good is he]

Yes looks great. Btw, anyone know if there is/where there is parking for teachers, staff etc?

[Nathan]

Yes looks great. Btw, anyone know if there is/where there is parking for teachers, staff etc?

No. There's just 3 car parks in the basement for disabled parking and a pool car. 170 or so bike parks though.

[Algernon]

Yes looks great. Btw, anyone know if there is/where there is parking for teachers, staff etc?

Can't they use the high rise car park that was built about 10-15 years ago on the RAH site, or is that coming down as well?

[how good is he]

All the future plans I have seen it is to be demolished.

[Listy]

Yes looks great. Btw, anyone know if there is/where there is parking for teachers, staff etc?

Parking will be the biggest issue the school faces I think, as there is no nearby public transport (1 bus route, whereas Adelaide High is serviced by multiple routes originating from all over Adelaide, with bus stops right near the front entrance). Cycling will probably be unpopular, as I just can't imagine parents will be letting their kids ride a bike through the parklands to school (I've been cycling to work via the parklands for 15 years and cannot recall ever seeing school kids riding along that stretch of linear path, aside from the rowing coaches who wobble about crashing into pedestrians all the time). Its likely Frome Road will become the school dropoff road from hell.

BTW enrollments were finalised a couple of weeks ago, and the school is going to be very popular. Even though it's zoned, applications were in excess of places for primary students starting there next year- some of the applying students at a work colleagues' children's school missed out on a place.

[Nathan]

Yes looks great. Btw, anyone know if there is/where there is parking for teachers, staff etc?

Parking will be the biggest issue the school faces I think, as there is no nearby public transport (1 bus route, whereas Adelaide High is serviced by multiple routes originating from all over Adelaide, with bus stops right near the front entrance). Cycling will probably be unpopular, as I just can't imagine parents will be letting their kids ride a bike through the parklands to school (I've been cycling to work via the parklands for 15 years and cannot recall ever seeing school kids riding along that stretch of linear path, aside from the rowing coaches who wobble about crashing into pedestrians all the time). Its likely Frome Road will become the school dropoff road from hell.

BTW enrollments were finalised a couple of weeks ago, and the school is going to be very popular. Even though it's zoned, applications were in excess of places for primary students starting there next year- some of the applying students at a work colleagues' children's school missed out on a place.

It's not exactly a long walk to North Tce, where you've got plenty of bus routes and the new tram line.

To help with cycling though, they need to improve the connections to the linear path around the Frome Rd / Victoria Dr intersection (for those heading to/from the west) — at the moment all there is is a tight set of stairs leading to a path that goes away from the intersection. The intersection has lights for bikes, but a dangerous slip lane that breaks convention and actually gives right of way to traffic turning into the slip lane rather than the bike lane it crosses.

[Listy]

Yes looks great. Btw, anyone know if there is/where there is parking for teachers, staff etc?

Parking will be the biggest issue the school faces I think, as there is no nearby public transport (1 bus route, whereas Adelaide High is serviced by multiple routes originating from all over Adelaide, with bus stops right near the front entrance). Cycling will probably be unpopular, as I just can't imagine parents will be letting their kids ride a bike through the parklands to school (I've been cycling to work via the parklands for 15 years and cannot recall ever seeing school kids riding along that stretch of linear path, aside from the rowing coaches who wobble about crashing into pedestrians all the time). Its likely Frome Road will become the school dropoff road from hell.

BTW enrollments were finalised a couple of weeks ago, and the school is going to be very popular. Even though it's zoned, applications were in excess of places for primary students starting there next year- some of the applying students at a work colleagues' children's school missed out on a place.

It's not exactly a long walk to North Tce, where you've got plenty of bus routes and the new tram line.

To help with cycling though, they need to improve the connections to the linear path around the Frome Rd / Victoria Dr intersection (for those heading to/from the west) — at the moment all there is is a tight set of stairs leading to a path that goes away from the intersection. The intersection has lights for bikes, but a dangerous slip lane that breaks convention and actually gives right of way to traffic turning into the slip lane rather than the bike lane it crosses.

I negotiated (perhaps survived?) that intersection from all directions over the years while working on Frome Rd. The number of cars that ran red lights at the intersection and the pedestrian crossings nearby was staggering, although maybe it's lessened with the hospital & dental school closing.
There's more than enough room for a fully separated bike path all the way along the north side of Victoria Drive, and probably also Frome Rd (except at the bridge - that will be tricky), so access to linear path could be made way easier with a little bit of effort. Annoyingly, when the Adelaide Zoo redesigned their entrance a few years ago a path from Frome Rd down to linear path was somewhat closed off by ACC (the kerb ramp was removed, & replaced with a gutter). ACC also needs to significantly improve lighting on their bit of linear path, its badly or completely unlit for long distances in both directions, especially Bonython Park. This will deter cycling home after sport/music etc practice in winter.

As far as students actually getting on a bike & cycling to the school goes, I think it hits up against two big (& understandable) parental fears for their children - road/cycling safety and also the general perception of the parklands (ie stranger danger), and no amount of lighting or pathway improvements will change those ingrained fears much.

[Nathan]

Don't get me started about the lack of lighting in Bonython Park. I end up having to take War Memorial Dr home during the darker months (which is very poorly lit, but poorly lit is better than not lit at all).

Are parental fears that big of a thing with a high school? I can understand parents of a primary aged kids (although don't necessarily agree with it), but surely high school age kids can handle riding along the Torrens or the Frome St bikeway on their own.

[noted]

Are parental fears that big of a thing with a high school? I can understand parents of a primary aged kids (although don't necessarily agree with it), but surely high school age kids can handle riding along the Torrens or the Frome St bikeway on their own.

You'd be surprised. My sons are 14 years apart in age, and I am stunned how much more risk averse parents are now that my younger one is going through high school.

[rev]

Don't get me started about the lack of lighting in Bonython Park. I end up having to take War Memorial Dr home during the darker months (which is very poorly lit, but poorly lit is better than not lit at all).

Are parental fears that big of a thing with a high school? I can understand parents of a primary aged kids (although don't necessarily agree with it), but surely high school age kids can handle riding along the Torrens or the Frome St bikeway on their own.

So you think primary school children should be riding through poorly lit parks? Interesting...

The parklands should be well lit at night, not as a matter of safety for school children, but as a matter of public safety in general.
Well lit parklands would also encourage more people to use the parks as they will be more inviting by the fact they are safer due to the better lighting, as opposed to the perverts and homeless people who frequent most of the parklands at present.

[Uncle Monty]

Pic of entry from Frome St. Looks fabulous.

[rev]

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sou ... a87e4f3057

Some photos from the advertiser article..

[ChillyPhilly]

It has a very SA flavour to it, which I love. Reminds me of the entrances to Adelaide Oval, but the interior also reminds me of the library at the Mawson Lakes UniSA campus.