Gawler Greenway users will have noticed (perhaps ‘run into’ is the better term) the closure & disruption of the pathway adjacent to Grand Junction Road between Narweena Drive & the nearby underpass.
Unfortunately PortBUG only became aware of this belatedly when Michael Palmer, BikeSA ride leader reported the situation to us in mid-January. By then it appears that the Greenway had already been blocked for several months by a new access road, created for the construction of an enormous MainFreight facility immediately to the south!
No onsite maps or signage were provided & pathway users were required to ‘wing it’ – figuring out an appropriate detour on their own & crossing Grand Junction Road with no guidance to the safest crossing point or how to reconnect with the Greenway route!
The BUG immediately reported the situation to PAE Council staff who contacted the Emmett Property project manager involved. Incredibly – remember this is 2023 in the self-titled ‘cycling capital’ of Australia – Emmett plead ignorance of any need to consult Council regarding the closure of the Greenway!
Even more difficult to understand was the lack of any obvious concern for the safety of pathway users or attempt to re-route Greenway users in a safe & organised fashion. This stands in great contrast to the efforts that developers of various construction sites at Bowden, where site managers have gone to considerable lengths to safely manage closures & impacts on the Outer Harbor Greenway!
Fortunately Council staff were able to get a commitment to reopen the path this week so no temporary detours on their part were required. Michael has reported today that “the surface has been reinstated with tarmac as per photos (see below). As you will see there is the ramp from the service road to be finished but otherwise all good”.
The lesson for us all from this incident is to report any problems on our cycleways to the local Council (or to your BUG) asap! Council is in the best position to negotiate appropriate detours, alternative routes, advisory signs or repairs required & will usually do so in consultation with the BUG & cycling community.
Council will monitor the final reinstatement of the pathway over the coming week. Obviously the new access road is likely to be in frequent use so we’d suggest all pathway users take extra care at this point. We may ask Council to ensure appropriate warning signs are installed for both pathway users & drivers! Thanks to both Michael & Council Staff for their persistence in following up this matter!
All photos: Michael Palmer.
PortBUG: The Port Adelaide Bicycle User Group. 
I got thwarted by this a few weeks back. A bit of moving barriers etc fixed it but too right, it shouldn’t be allowed. Sorry I didn’t report it but naturally thought that they would have got all the permits etc. A salutary lesson.
Andy Griffiths
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Yes indeed Andy – a good lesson for all of us! The BUG has the advantage of opportunities for face to face contact with staff, but that doesn’t help if we don’t know about issues of concern. Most of our coordinating group live in or close to the PAE CBD so we really depend on other cyclists across the council area to monitor network maintenance issues & need for further development. Our coordinating group is quite small & we’re all getting a bit long in the tooth, so our cycling tends to be quite local! We need you out there to be activists – even if just to the extent of sending us a single email to express concerns.
Incidentally, I know not everyone ‘does facebook’, but the service does have advantages for groups such as the BUG. We have an excellent Port Adelaide Forum on f/b (https://www.facebook.com/groups/portadbug/) where it is often easier for us to post information than this BUGBlog! If you haven’t joined the Forum I encourage you to consider it as it often provides more immediate access to information about our Port Adelaide Bike Network! Facebook posts are also a very easy way for you to notify the BUG and other cyclists of issues & problems…
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