The Port Adelaide/Enfield Council has been developing a new ‘Walking & Cycling Plan – 2020-25’ (WCP), replacing our ‘Local Area Bicycle Plan 2015-20’ which the Council has working with over the last 5 years.

Back in April PortBUG’s coordinating group had an opportunity to briefly review the draft plan (although we were unable to share details with readers). If you’ve followed our forum or blog posts recently it’ll be no surprise that we had some problems with the new plan – both the way it was developed & presented, as well as its road-focussed recommendations and content.

Broadly speaking we’ve felt that it was neither ‘reader-friendly’ nor sufficiently focussed on the key issues that we know that ‘interested but concerned’ residents (those who would ride or walk if they felt safe) consider most important – safety, connectivity & convenience! Nor did we feel that the draft sufficiently dealt with the challenge of creating an ‘8-to-80 Network’.

We provided a detailed & comprehensive response (see link below) & yesterday we met with staff to discuss this feedback. We’re pleased to report that they will be conveying our thoughts to the consultants preparing the draft plan, suggesting that it be updated to address our concerns. Staff explained some of the context of the Plan’s development and the likelihood of increased funding over the next year! PortBUG will have another opportunity to briefly review the draft Plan before it goes to Council and then out for public consultation (probably in August or September).

This new Walking & Cycling Plan represents an important ‘Next Step’ in the ongoing development of our Active Transport Network. It will need to address:

• key ‘missing links’ in the Network such as east-west alternatives to Grand Junction Road, an off-road link on Sudholz Rd (connecting to the Paradise bus interchange) & important tourism routes

• improved access into & through key centres such as the Port CBD & Waterfront

• the many opportunities for improved local links & local area networks and…

• The Port’s substandard pedestrian infrastructure!

With the launch of this new Walking & Cycling Plan, one challenge we’d really like readers to think about is how we might develop a stronger voice for those of you who live in the eastern parts of the PA/E Council area – perhaps through the The Parks & east of South Road? The BUG coordinating group spend most of their riding time in and around The Port, Semaphore & the Lefevre Peninsula and are much less familiar with problems that bicycle users to the east face. This is where local knowledge is fundamentally important!

One option we have considered is to try to convene a small group (maybe 3-4 people) who live & ride further to the east who might want to collaborate in reviewing the new Plan, identifying barriers to safe cycling & walking & suggesting solutions. The tasks are not too demanding – they just require some local knowledge & experience that the current BUG coordinating group just doesn’t have. If you are at all interested in this, please let Sam, BUG Secretary know via our website contact form or email address.

Walking & Cycling Plan, 2021-21: https://portadbug.org/2021-25-the-pa-e-walking-cycling-plan/