Sensational-Adelaide.com

Those whatevers on North Tce seems obsessed with the belief that intersections provide better efficiency than overpasses/grade separation. Why spend millions fitting new traffic signals, with a lane or two with enormous delays in the interim, when an overpass could be built?

This state is still stuck in the 1950s, in this regard.

The cost seems very high for what’s proposed, and acquiring fourteen properties sounds a bit excessive.

Two questions spring to mind:
Is this being done to create diversionary capacity for when South Road is being upgraded?
What can be done to make provision for a City-Airport tramway via SDBD?

Aidan wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 19, 2023 5:26 pm

The cost seems very high for what’s proposed, and acquiring fourteen properties sounds a bit excessive.

Two questions spring to mind:
Is this being done to create diversionary capacity for when South Road is being upgraded?
What can be done to make provision for a City-Airport tramway via SDBD?

I think the preferred tramway route is via Henley Beach Rd and Airport Rd.

A-Town wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 19, 2023 7:22 pm

I think the preferred tramway route is via Henley Beach Rd and Airport Rd.

It is… and it shouldn’t be! That route’s much better suited to buses as many different bus routes use HBR. Converting them all to tramways would be expensive, and having a mixture of modes in the same corridor would be less convenient for passengers.

Aidan wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 19, 2023 8:39 pm

A-Town wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 19, 2023 7:22 pm

I think the preferred tramway route is via Henley Beach Rd and Airport Rd.

It is… and it shouldn’t be! That route’s much better suited to buses as many different bus routes use HBR. Converting them all to tramways would be expensive, and having a mixture of modes in the same corridor would be less convenient for passengers.

A tram down HBR would do well in supporting the current and future mobility of the ageing demographic there, and then also encouraging future redevelopment of the corridor as a high street between Holbrooks Road and South Road. Just think of the cluster of commercial activity focused around Drakes. That said, I wouldn't be opposed to light rail down SDBD - or why not both?

The median of Airport Road is a reserve for a light rail corridor.

Nimbys would kick up a stink if they lost parking spots or a lane to a tram

ChillyPhilly wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 20, 2023 12:06 pm

A tram down HBR would do well in supporting the current and future mobility of the ageing demographic there, and then also encouraging future redevelopment of the corridor as a high street between Holbrooks Road and South Road. Just think of the cluster of commercial activity focused around Drakes. That said, I wouldn't be opposed to light rail down SDBD - or why not both?

The median of Airport Road is a reserve for a light rail corridor.

Is the demographic around HBR really that different from around SDBD?
Would frequent bus services really not meet their mobility needs?
Isn’t SDBD also suited to redevelopment?

Airport Road is uncongested, so running light rail through its median wouldn’t save any time.

SDB on the whole needs a refresh, it's embarrassing as Adelaide's main gateway from the city to the CBD when it's home to auto wreckers, car parks, run down blocks of flats, and run down houses with unkept gardens and vehicles out the front (I live in the area and see it every day). Reimagine it as a tree lined boulevard flanked by medium density housing and with trams running along it.

Saltwater wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 20, 2023 7:49 pm

SDB on the whole needs a refresh, it's embarrassing as Adelaide's main gateway from the city to the CBD when it's home to auto wreckers, car parks, run down blocks of flats, and run down houses with unkept gardens and vehicles out the front (I live in the area and see it every day). Reimagine it as a tree lined boulevard flanked by medium density housing and with trams running along it.

The area has a high level of noise pollution and short height limits because it is in a flight path. The government can't do much to spruce up private property.

It's not a bad looking road for what it is, an arterial road in inner Adelaide. It already has plenty of trees lining the road, similar to Cross Road. It's a fair representation of what Adelaide housing looks like.

Most areas near airports don't look fancy, just look at Brisbane (full of freeways and tunnels), Melbourne (freeway and factories) and Perth (freeway). Sydney isn't too nice either if you're travelling by car, but it probably looks a bit more interesting.

Saltwater wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 20, 2023 7:49 pm

SDB on the whole needs a refresh, it's embarrassing as Adelaide's main gateway from the city to the CBD when it's home to auto wreckers, car parks, run down blocks of flats, and run down houses with unkept gardens and vehicles out the front (I live in the area and see it every day). Reimagine it as a tree lined boulevard flanked by medium density housing and with trams running along it.

I've never seen an auto-wreckers on SBD.
It already is tree lined.

Maybe some big noise barrier type walls like there is along the T2T motorway. But then who wants that in their front yard? And how do they get out of their driveways?
Maybe compulsory acquisition of properties fronting SBD. That's expensive. And to what end, just to make it look better for out of town arrivals travelling between the airport and city? May as well turn it into a motorway. A 15 minute drive into the city would be cut to what, 5-10 minutes?

No offence, but sounds like first world problems to me.

My point is there are sections of SBD that are very run down and could be better presented given it's the main gateway in and out of the city. Some sections including Hilton Plaza are fine. I'm referring more to some of the houses through Cowandilla and Brooklyn Park, not maintained, rundown vehicles parked on the lawn, etc. Remember this is many visitor's first, and in some cases where they are in and out in a day, only impression of Adelaide, so perhaps we should be putting our best foot forward.

The residential land along SDB is zoned as general neighbourhood so there's not much any incentive for developers to purchase and rebuild. HBR through that area is zoned urban corridor so more incentive to redevelop (as has already been happening) and stimulate demand for a future tram route.

The obvious solution to that is to change the zoning!
SDBD is a more direct route from the airport to the City, and not having buses along the same route would make it easier to fill trams.

Taking light rail down Henley Beach road takes advantage of the existing retail and hospitality that is well established there. HBR is already The Parade of the inner west, so let's build on that. People want to live close to areas with restaurants, pubs and shops not just a bunch of apartments on a tram route. SDBD has none of these (apart from the tiny Hilton Plaza and Hilton Hotel). Yes, we need to continue urban infill along the route and promote apartments up to 4-6 stories with grounfld floor retail and hospitality to take advantage and promote this urban core.

Using HBR would allow a seamless connection to the existing network at city west for better connection to the hospital, railway station and uni and will allow for a future east-west line along The Parade and HBR.

The existing H bus routes can be redirected to SDB, Grange Rds or Ashley St to provide much needed capacity and frequency on these trunk routes.

Aidan wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 20, 2023 5:45 pm

ChillyPhilly wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 20, 2023 12:06 pm

A tram down HBR would do well in supporting the current and future mobility of the ageing demographic there, and then also encouraging future redevelopment of the corridor as a high street between Holbrooks Road and South Road. Just think of the cluster of commercial activity focused around Drakes. That said, I wouldn't be opposed to light rail down SDBD - or why not both?

The median of Airport Road is a reserve for a light rail corridor.

Is the demographic around HBR really that different from around SDBD?
Would frequent bus services really not meet their mobility needs?
Isn’t SDBD also suited to redevelopment?

Airport Road is uncongested, so running light rail through its median wouldn’t save any time.

The western suburbs had an older, predominantly immigrant population some 20 or more years ago, but today it is one of the younger areas in Adelaide. Lots of new schools and child care centers opening in the area, and the latest ABS statistics show that the inner west along HBR has a much higher proportion of young adults (20-30's) than SA as a whole, and the outer west (Lockleys, HB / West Beach etc) is now dominated by working families.
FWIW, unless you live on right HBR the buses in the area are terrible to non-existent. Try taking a bus to/from the city & west beach on a weekend and it can involve multiple changes and take 2 or more hours.

Listy wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:14 am

FWIW, unless you live on right HBR the buses in the area are terrible to non-existent. Try taking a bus to/from the city & west beach on a weekend and it can involve multiple changes and take 2 or more hours.

What? The J2 and J1 both run through West Beach (albeit hourly on yhe weekends) and take 37 mins to get into the city. When did you last catch a bus?