Port Adelaide/Enfield Council are proposing an extension of the current 40km/h speed limit precinct on Semaphore Road & are seeking public consultation & your feedback on the matter.

At the moment the 40km/h precinct extends from the Esplanade T-junction as far as the Military Road intersection – historically the location of Semaphore’s major shopping strip. The Council is proposing to extend the speed limit zone as far as the T-junction with Swan Terrace (adjacent to the service station), where an increasing number of shops & services have been opened in recent years (see green zone below).

PortBUG has long supported extension of the 40km/h speed limit precinct. However we would prefer that it extend the full length of the ‘single-lane’ section of the road – that is, as far as the junction with Causeway Road further to the east (including the red zone above). After Causeway Rd (& the railway crossing) Semaphore Road becomes a dual carriageway with 2 traffic lanes on each side of the road, & higher numbers of trucks & commercial vehicles, Causeway Road being a designated heavy-vehicle ‘by pass’! All sections of the road shown above are single lane!

Those familiar with Semaphore Road will know that the complexity of the junction of Semaphore Rd with Swan Trc & Woolnough Rd – at the left hand end of the red section above – while much improved in recent years, still presents all road users with a challenging situation. Many will also know it as the location of a fatal collision involving a very well known local a few years ago. 

It’s also quite obvious that the entire single-lane section of the road (Esplanade to Causeway Road) is now quite intensively populated with many small business & service premises, quite a few residential frontages & many driveways & side road junctions. Several new & quite large business & service premises (including vet & health centres) have recently opened along this eastern section of the road & more are anticipated given the proximity of the new housing redevelopment around the Inner Harbor. 

Given the presence of these new businesses & increased parking & pedestrian activity, as well as the on-road bike lanes & increasing bicycle use, PortBUG believes a 40km/h limit is more appropriate than the current 50km/h. It is certainly an adequate traffic speed for such an environment & when traffic is heavy it’s often not possible to go faster. A comprehensive 40km/h limit as far as Causeway Rd would more clearly differentiate the heavy vehicle, dual carriage way from what has now become a much more uniform & single-lane shopping, service & ‘pedestrian-intensive’ strip!

PortBUG strongly encourages your participation in the Council’s ‘Have Your Say’ consultation process which you’ll find here.

https://participate.cityofpae.sa.gov.au/safer-semaphore-road