PortBUG: The Port Adelaide Bicycle User Group.

Over the last 3 months, your PortBUG coordination group has been actively liaising with Council staff on important developments to be considered by Council in September. Discussions have included:

• nominated Council bicycle-related funding projects, 2021-22
• initial feedback on a draft of the Council’s new Walking & Cycling Plan (WCP)
• responding to a proposal from Semaphore Road traders to permanently close the Mainstreet Bike Paths (including attending an informal meeting with the Mayor & snr staff)!
• provision of input to proposals for further development of a ‘Rosewater Loop’ Bike Path
• provision of specific advice regarding a Port CBD Active Transport Network.

We have also had an opportunity to discuss with staff the Council’s new Integrated Transport Plan (ITP). Readers may recall an online public consultation process Council held in 2020 for nomination of problems encountered across the PA/E Council’s transport system – we are pleased to report that the majority of issues reported concerned specific issues encountered by bicycle users, now incorporated into the ITP. Congratulations to everyone who responded!

We understand that at their September meeting, Council will consider both the draft Integrated Transport Plan & the Walking & Cycling Plan as well as a report prepared by staff on the proposed Semaphore Road Bike Path closure. We understand that both the ITP & W&CP will then proceed to public consultation! We’ll keep you informed on all developments.

Other News:

• The ‘grapevine’ suggests that State Government bike funding for Councils seems to have improved markedly for 2021-22. Hopefully this means that the new PA/E W&CPlan will get off to a good start! We’ll report further details as they become available.
• PortBUG has recently called for interest from members living (and cycling) beyond the immediate Port Adelaide area to act as ‘Field Agents’ to assist in representing cycling issues. Several members have expressed interest for the suburbs of Oakden, Ottoway, Largs North, Valley View & Sefton Park. If you are interested in acting in this role in your local area (to monitor & report on local bike-related issues) please let us know! We are particularly interested in hearing from our female members!

Readers will recall a recent petition to Council from the Semaphore Mainstreet Association (on behalf of 37 traders) to permanently close the Semaphore Road Bike Paths. The PortBUG has now provided Council with a detailed response which you can read here.

These pathways are more-or-less unique in Australia & were installed as part of the complete redevelopment of Semaphore Road-East around a decade ago. They complement widened ‘boulevard’ footpaths as well as a narrowed & speed-limited roadway which was provided with both on-road bike-lanes & many additional angled parking spaces.

We anticipate attending an informal meeting shortly to discuss the SMA’s request with The Mayor & key Council Staff. It seems likely that Council staff will present a report to Elected Members sometime in August or September.

UPDATE: THE BUG NOW UNDERSTANDS THAT THE COUNCIL REPORT (ALONG WITH PORTBUG’S SUBMISSION) WILL BE CONSIDERED BY COUNCILLORS AT THE SEPT. 11TH MEETING!

We’ll keep you posted!

For those who visit or ride on Semaphore Road, it’s with considerable disappointment we must let you know of a petition from the Semaphore Main Street Association, aimed at the permanent closure of Semaphore Road’s unique off-road bikeways. These bikeways – constructed over a decade ago – did not intrude onto or otherwise take over existing footpath space & were created by narrowing the roadway from 4 lanes to 2 and lowering the speed limit to create a safer traffic environment!

The 38 petitioners include a prominent land agent, hair dresser, funeral director & several restaurants, cafes & gift shops. The petition – which will go to tomorrow’s Council meeting – appears to be based on the usual litany of misinformed opinions about ‘bicycle safety’, but its hidden agenda is clearly aimed at obtaining access to a much wider footpath space for out door dining, shop displays, advertising boards etc! 

The petition’s covering letter offers no acknowledgement at all of the tremendous, proven economic potential & benefits that stem from encouraging people to shop or visit by bike, nor do the petitioners appear to understand the Council’s long-term aim to provide an ‘8-80’ bicycle network that serves a wide range of transport needs! The petition assumes that all bicycle users can safely ride on the road, and that none will simply ride on the footpath anyway – as they are allowed to do!

The PortBUG has long sought better promotion by Council of Semaphore Road’s bikeways, as well as installation of much better signage advertising their presence & distinguishing them from the footpaths – and we will continue to do so. Perhaps this petition will highlight for Council how important these issues really are!

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/

The City of Charles Sturt have called for community feedback on the proposed closure & detour of the Outer Harbor Greenway at Bowden for approx. 12 months.

An application has been received from developers for this closure to facilitate new housing construction at the ‘Nightingale Bowden’ site for one year from July 2021 to July 2022. The Greenway would be closed between Drayton Street and the Station Place Footbridge (see map below).

Further details on this matter can be found on Council’s Have Your Say consultation website with written public comments invited. You can also email comments to Catherine Blackmore (Admin & Consultation Officer) at: cblackmore@charlessturt.sa.gov.au

Comments must be received by 5.00pm on 26 July 2021.

Over the course of construction and the proposed 12-month pathway closure Greenway users would be detoured approx 300 metres as per the route shown below.

Labour MP Joe Szakacs is convening a Community Forum to discuss & lobby for development of the now-disused Rosewater rail line as a community asset. The PortBUG has long supported the concept of a ‘Rosewater Loop’ – a high quality shared-use pathway utilising the full width of the corridor as a active transport route, a biodiversity park and for various other recreational activities.

A pathway and ‘linear park’ along the Rosewater rail corridor would link up – when it reaches Railway Trc, Ottoway – with the existing community-made route that runs up the Gilman Rail Reserve to Eastern Parade. This link would create a full loop – the Rosewater Loop – providing all surrounding suburbs with secure & direct walking & cycling access to both the Outer Harbor Greenway and the Port’s CBD, as well as a valuable & versatile public space!

From Joe’s facebook page: “How would you like to see the unused rail corridor in Rosewater repurposed?  As the rail line is in the process of being officially decommissioned, now is a great time to start discussing ideas for its future. And who better to ask for suggestions than you, the local community. To share your views and ideas, I invite Rosewater residents to come along to my Rosewater Loop Community Forum 

When: Monday 28th June, 6-7pm Where: Rosewater Football Club – 47 Newcastle St, Rosewater.

I’ll also be joined by City of Port Adelaide Enfield representatives including Claire Boan – Mayor of the City of PAE.

RSVP your attendance to my office by email at cheltenham@parliament.sa.gov.au, call 8243 0062 or send a direct message to my page.“

You can find further the PortBUG’s discussion of the Rosewater Loop proposal here.

1. Workshop – Draft Walking & Cycling Plan:   In early June council officers provided PortBUG with a brief opportunity to review the new draft Walking & Cycling Plan. This draft will be discussed at a short Councillor Workshop, Tuesday 22^nd, 8-8.30pm (in the PA/E Town Hall, Nile Street, Port Adelaide). Interested residents can attend but not comment or participate in this workshop – details here.

PortBUG has many concerns regarding the current draft of the new Walking & Cycling Plan – concerns we have not encountered when reviewing previous bike plans. These concerns go to the heart of what we consider to be ‘good planning’ in meeting the needs of ‘vulnerable road users’ & addressing the future of Active Transport for both residents & visitors.

We have put together a pdf for Councillors outlining some of these concerns & some key questions for Council staff – you can read this pdf here. We encourage your interest in the issues we raise & your attendance in this short workshop if you can make it. 

2. Proposed e-Scooter Zone Expansion: PA/E Council is currently asking for resident’s opinions on a proposed expansion of the zone for its current E-Scooters trial (recently extended for another 12 months). 

Council are seeking the feedback of residents on this proposal. You can comment here. Consultation closes 28th June.

3. Council Engagement Survey: Residents of PA/E will know that our Council has recently sought to ‘engage’ with residents, both in providing information & in seeking feedback through consultation processes.

Council have now appointed a number of Engagement Officers to facilitate & improve these processes, & have initiated an Engagement Survey, seeking your feedback. It’s important that the voices of residents are heard, particularly with regard to walking & cycling issues – please consider responding to this brief questionnaire. Consultation closes 7^th July.

In early 2018 PA/E’s neighbouring council, the City of Charles Sturt obtained 2 traffic counters for location on the Outer Harbour Greenway (OHG-Belmore Trc) & the River Torrens Linear Path.

Charles Sturt have now released up-to-date information on the annual, month-on-month & average daily use of these routes. The OHG data is particularly interesting because it’s a route used by many PA/E (and nearby) residents and by those visiting our Council area. Let’s have a look at the data…

Annual Use – Outer Harbor Greenway: 2018-19-20.

We can see a steady increase here since 2018 when the Woodville counter was installed (the Greenway wasn’t ‘fully open’ until October 2019). Note that the 2020 total has four zeros behind it – well over 90,000 bike trips recorded that year!

Outer Harbor Greenway – Monthly & Daily Use (Feb 2018 – Jan 2021).

Note that Jan 2021 registered the highest monthly traffic since Feb 2018 with 10,326 bikes countered. That’s about 333 bikes per day!

Rob Kretschmer from the facebook forum also shared a nice graph of selected daily-use data:

This is all important information! It provides a number of key insights – notably:

• there is steadily increasing awareness & use of the Greenway (and this is likely to continue)
• the Greenway is valued by both commuters and recreational (‘weekend’) users.

The Outer Harbor Greenway was conceived by PortBUG back in 2005 as a ‘trunk’ or inter-suburban route – that is, to provide a safe, direct & convenient bicycle (and pedestrian) route between suburban destinations and across a major section of NW Adelaide. It (and other similar-scale routes such as the Gawler & Grange Greenways) can be thought of as the ‘spine’ or framework of our Active Transport Network.

Having established (most of) these ‘trunk’ routes, the PA/E Council must now address completion of the finer & more ‘granular’ levels of the Network – what are referred to as ‘Neighbourhood Connector’ & ‘Local Access’ routes (and all the way down to your local footpaths!)

This is the challenge now facing PA/E’s new Walking & Cycling Plan. The PortBUG recently had an opportunity to comment on a draft of the Plan. As we said at our facebook forum at the time:

“There is a great deal in the new Plan that is positive and indeed, that incorporates recommendations we’ve made previously. However we felt compelled to express a number of concerns, focussed principally on:

• methodological weaknesses & an insufficient data base
• significant omissions from the recommended priorities
• an excessive focus on main-road bike lanes with insufficient consideration of alternatives 
• insufficient focus on functional network connectivity
• lack of focus on effective community engagement & participation.”

We also felt that the new Plan pays insufficient attention to the needs of pedestrians and does not actually provide a clear explanation & illustration as to how the Network should ‘work’ for those using it!

We are now told that Council will hold a workshop on the draft Plan for Councillors in June and a revised draft will probably go to Council in July, and then be made available for community consultation & comment! We look forward to providing further updates on this important new phase of Active Transport development across Port Adelaide/Enfield!

**Thanks to the City of Charles Sturt, Bike Adelaide & Rob Kretschmer for data & graphics.

Hi Folks,

About 2 weeks ago PA/E Council officers provided the PortBUG Committee with an opportunity to review and comment (on a confidential basis) on Council’s new draft 5-year Walking & Cycling Plan. We only had a few days to read the draft and comment, but we managed to provide Council with a reasonably comprehensive 14-page response!

There is a great deal in the new Plan that is positive and indeed, that incorporates recommendations we’ve made previously. However we felt compelled to strongly express a number of concerns, focussed principally on:

• some methodological weaknesses & an insufficient data provision
• significant omissions from the recommended priorities
• an excessive focus on main-road bike lanes with insufficient consideration of alternatives
• insufficient focus on functional network connectivity
• lack of focus on effective community engagement & participation.

We understand that a revised draft will go to Councillors at their May or June meeting for ratification and will then be made available for community consultation & comment!

The PortBUG looks forward to participating further in this important process & we’ll do everything we can to ensure forum members have the opportunity to do so as well!

Your PortBUG Committee.

1. AdaptWest Community Climate Change Survey: Jeremy Miller, AdaptWest Climate Change Coordinator (Councils of Charles Sturt, Port Adelaide/Enfield & West Torrens) is undertaking a Community Climate Change Survey.

The survey runs for three weeks and is open to anyone who lives and/or works in Western Adelaide. Please consider responding ASAP!

2. R2P Bike Overpass Opens: A new pedestrian and cyclist overpass – part of the Regency Road to Pym Street (R2P) Project – has officially opened to the public!

The overpass provides important east-west connectivity for the PA/E Council’s East-West & Parks Connector commuter & local bike routes. It connects these routes to the Gawler Greenway route into the Adelaide CBD and spans 57m over the North-South Motorway. Minor finishing works will continue on the overpass for the coming months with the overpass remaining open during these works.

The Project will be conducting bus & walking tours of the new overpass & project this coming Sunday 21st March between 10am & 12. Details & bookings here – registration & bookings are essential.

3. Guide to the Port River Bikeway: The PortBUG’s website now has a page providing information about the Port River Bikeway (see red & green labels below). Check it out here.

4. Devonport Upgrades: Prospect Council is proposing streetscape & traffic management upgrades to this key section of the Gawler Greenway. Read about the plans here.

5. Meetings with Council: PortBUG is currently meeting with PA/E Council to discuss several key sets of issues, notably:

• the development of the Council’s new Walking & Cycling Plan
• the Council’s Post-COVID Recovery Project.

We’ll keep readers informed of the outcomes of these discussions via the BugBlog and at our facebook group, the Port Adelaide Bicycle Forum.

6.  Bicycle Network Analysis for Port Adelaide! The US-based Bicycle Network Analysis has recently been launched in Australia with trial assessments of the CBD Council areas in state capitols (the Adelaide CBD achieving the 3rd lowest score!)

Four further local area assessments will be conducted in South Australia over 2021, including the Port Adelaide/Enfield Council. The BNA generates a number of useful reports including:

• a Network Cycling Stress Map – a graded continuum of route stress ratings
• a Connectivity Map, identifying access to local destinations across the chosen area
• an Infrastructure Map, identifying cycle routes
• a Numerical Score based on cycling access to a range of key destinations and services.

You can now listen to an audio recording about the BNA at www.weride.org.au/BTA  We’ll keep readers updated on outcomes of Port Adelaide/Enfield’s BNA survey when it becomes available.

Adelaide CBD’s BNA Map  & Bikeability report

From Katie – Chair of Bike Adelaide (formerly BISA)…

Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and have enjoyed some recent jaunts on your beloved bicycle.

I am writing to you as an active bike advocate involved with local Bicycle User Groups and asking for you to please give up 10 minutes of your time to provide feedback/support for the East-West Bikeway proposal currently out for consultation (closing this Friday).

I know for many the city is not the priority however this project has been high profile in the media and has received the most funding for any single cycling infrastructure project in SA. It is a struggle to reclaim road space as the history of this project shows. As Peter S commented on FB:

“This isn’t just a City issue. There is an important principle at risk in this instance and that is the ability of a few unelected interests holding sway over our Councillors and sabotaging good public policy. Make your voice heard and help us create a safer cycling culture for us all, no matter where we live or work.”

Details on the proposal are here: City Bikeways | Your Say Adelaide (cityofadelaide.com.au)

How can you have your say?

• Via the online form (bottom of the page!): City Bikeways | Your Say Adelaide (cityofadelaide.com.au)
• Talk with a team member: 0407 773 198
• Email your comments to citybikeways@cityofadelaide.com.au

Bike Adelaide’s thoughts on the proposal (in brief):

• the design is safe and comfortable including for families/teens (ensuring a 2.5 metre width is important and expected except at pinch points).
• the route will give low-stress cycling access to the city (a direct route along Flinders is preferable but deemed nearly impossible.)
• Bikeways are awesome in so many ways – just like people who cycle
• we can not delay any further – we need to get on with it!

Note: The proposed ‘centre-of-the-road’ option in the info pack is untested, unsafe, and unfeasible. We believe it’s inserted as a distraction, aimed at derailing the project by those councillors opposing it – it’s not an option recommended by the professional staff.

The results of this consultation will determine if this project succeeds or is abandoned. Please have your say.

Our name change: It’s official – we are now Bike Adelaide. We have new web & email addresses, but our BISA address redirects to BikeAdelaide & our BISA emails are still working at this stage.

Thanks, Katie Gilfillan, Chair, Bike Adelaide

0416 294 134 chair@bikeadelaide.org.au

In October the PortBUG wrote to the new Minister of Transport, Corey Wingard, seeking restoration of the much reduced State Bicycle Fund to ensure that in 2021 (and beyond), Councils can get on with implementing their bike plans & agendas. Here’s a little of what we had to say…

“…the development of Adelaide’s ‘cycling city’ status has effectively come to a standstill… there is now urgent need to support provision of more localized walking and cycling facilities… Virtually all of these smaller-scale projects are the responsibility of Local Government, who in turn depend on matched funding from the State Bicycle Fund (SBF) for completion of their annual works programs…”

“…at perhaps only 10% of its 1990s value, the SBF is rapidly becoming a rather pointless gesture of limited value to both Councils and the community. The current $300K available [as reported in the 1990-20 State Budget] would barely pay for a few hundred metres of paved pathway or a couple of secure road crossings, let alone the many more demanding projects that councils need to undertake…”

“PortBUG understands that the [2020-21] State Budget is due in early November. We ask that your Government allocate much more adequate funding to the SBF to ensure that it is able to support demands to further develop Adelaide’s Active Transport Network. The funding required is modest – we suggest in the order of $3 to 6M – and we’d argue that your Government consider such increased funding as an essential complement to the massive investment in roads and rail infrastructure you have planned.” 

We have now received a response from Minister Wingard. Here’re some extracts from his letter:

The Minister then refers to a series of planning studies, including some focussed on cycling and Active Transport.  It seems that the recent & rather ‘rushed’ consultation exercise we participated in may have been part of this…

The Minister refers to improving ‘connections to the CBD cycling network’ which – from PortBUG’s p.o.v – can only be a good thing given the confusion & lack of easy connectivity encountered by cyclists using the Outer Harbour Greenway when they enter the Adelaide Parklands! 

Unfortunately the Minister then makes it clear that Government’s planning focus remains on larger-scale investments as outlined in the ’Twenty Year State Infrastructure Strategy’…

This apparent focus on larger-scale & longer-term investments – while accruing brownie-points for the Government of the day – ignores Council need for a reliable & adequate source of funding to support their bike plans and Active Transport agendas! 

The Minister does not tell us what the State Bike Fund for 2021 will be so it’s not possible to really get a handle on what might be possible at a Council level (Councils rely on the SBF for funding support). So it looks as though we – local communities, BUGs and Councils – are still on our own!

Latest State Budget News from Katie Gilfillan at the Bicycle Institute…

Hello,

1. BUG Network Update:

• Firstly – a big welcome to Daniel who has recently created a Barossa Valley BUG and joined our SA BUG network. If you know anyone who lives in the Barossa and cycles share the news.  Yesterday I met with Daniel and the Barossa Mayor Bim Lange to talk all things cycling. Bim was very receptive as a rider himself. It was exciting to hear about his plans for the area.

• Secondly – welcome to Manfred our KI BUG rep 🙂 It’s great to have you on board.

2. Funding Available for Cycling Projects – ‘spread the word‘:

I know lots of us have cycling projects in our local area that we would love to see funded. Now is a great chance to approach your elected members/council staff to encourage them to put in an application for funds from a ‘local stimulus’ funding bucket recently announced by the State Government. The funding is for community projects and the Premier has specifically announced this includes cycling trails. I don’t see why this couldn’t include paths such as an Aldinga/Willunga connection but don’t know the exact criteria.

If anyone wants to talk about who to approach or how please let me know – I’m happy to help. It would be great to get plenty of applications in to show there is great interest in local councils for more funding for cycle trails.
Even just making sure your council knows about the opportunity would be a real win.

Thanks, Katie Gilfillan
Chair, The Bicycle Institute of SA (BISA)
0416 294 134
katie.gilfillan@bisa.asn.au

Bicycles are future mobility
Join our community and view our campaigns at bicycleinstitutesa.com
To engage visit us on facebook

Towards the end of October the Bicycle Institute (‘BISA’) was approached by the Dep’t for Infrastructure & Transport (DIT) who were seeking recommendations for projects and planning goals to improve cycling conditions:

• along the Torrens Linear Park and…
• across the ‘inner-middle’ metro area.

At very short notice multiple BUG members across the city provided input which the Institute has collated and submitted to DIT. Here’s what Katie Gilfillan – the Institute’s Chairperson – has to say (Note: the highlights are ours);

“Hi, Firstly a big thank you to the great team that put forward ideas. Hopefully Fay and I have been able to capture all of these, as well as BISA priorities, in the attached spreadsheet and overview paper submitted to DIT. Fay and I spent days pulling ideas from everyone and our previous mapping exercises into a central document that hopefully conveys everyone’s priorities. Fay also collated an overview document to provide a strategic framework.

We could not have collated the volume of ideas with such detail without the significant time put in by Sam Powrie and members Taren, Kate and Nick who presented their ideas in an easy to read format (see attachments links in spreadsheet).

From here we plan to keep building on this list of ideas to use for election 2022. We will break them down by electorate and look to keep building a list of projects for future funding for each area across Greater Adelaide (LGA and State Gov).

Our ultimate aim is to pull these together onto a single map for easy viewing. Our hope has been that DIT would prioritise a state bicycle strategy and map a network however in the absence of this we will slowly do our best.

If you have a suggestion for the best mapping software to use please let me know.If your BUG area is underrepresented in the spreadsheet please feel free to forward your priorities and I can add these (preferably as an additional row in the spreadsheet to make it easier for me – feel free to add images etc in an attachment I can also include).

Thank you again to everyone for your great ideas and for your time. Together we are on our way to creating a grassroots army of bike advocates across Greater Adelaide. Together governments and communities can do great things.

Happy riding 🙂 Katie”

Links to the attachments & documents Katie refers to below. Katie can be contacted at: katie.gilfillan@bisa.asn.au

• DIT Planning Studies – Community/BISA Recommendations, Nov. 2020.

• BISA Overview – DIT Planning Studies, Nov. 2020.

CEDAMIA (Climate Emergency Declaration and Mobilisation In Action) are gathering signatures for their NO MORE BAD INVESTMENTS petition. They are seeking action by South Australian’s Lower House, asking them to declare that we are facing a climate emergency and to take immediate steps to reduce carbon emissions.

The goal is to collect 10,000 signatures so it can be presented to the Lower House and attract their considered response.

Currently CEDAMIA have nearly 8,000 signatures. The first 6,000 were collected quickly, but things have slowed somewhat since March for obvious reasons.

Another 2000 signatures are now required before the petition can be submitted – please consider adding yours. 

You can find the link to the on-line petition at PortBUG’s front page & here or just click on the image below.

Kath Mardon from the City of Charles Sturt writes…

“Hello Port Adelaide Bicycle Users Group,

We are developing options to complete the Grange Greenway cycling and walking route between Meakin Terrace and the Grange Railway Station.

The Grange Greenway is a walking and cycling route that generally follows the Grange Railway Line. It currently runs from Woodville Road at Woodville Railway Station (connecting to the Outer Harbor Greenway) through to Frederick Road at Seaton. Most of the route is off-road shared use paths with some short sections on roads/ footpaths.

We have prepared draft options to complete the Grange Greenway route from its current ending on Meakin Terrace at Frederick Road, Seaton through to the Grange Railway Station. These options consider safe crossing of Frederick Road, and routes that could use local streets (e.g. Willochra Avenue, Jetty Street and Terminus Street).

We are also seeking community feedback on an additional connection from Meakin Terrace to the Grange Lakes Corridor via Westmoreland Road. Opportunities to make local streets safer for bike riders include new paths, crossing points and traffic calming.

To have your say you can:

• View draft options and complete the online survey available at: www.yoursaycharlessturt.com.au/grangegreenway

• Attend the Community Drop in Session, Saturday 14 November, 10am to 12.30pm, Grange Lakes Reserve, Kentdale Street.

Should you have any queries at all, please feel free to contact Sara Morrison, Transport Engineer on 8408 1271.

We would love to hear your views!

Many thanks, Kath Mardon 

Community Engagement Officer.”

PortBUG understands that the Department for Infrastructure & Transport (DIT) has asked BISA to come up with a list of suggested bicycle infrastructure projects in a hurry for:

• improving access to & use of the Torrens Linear Park Trail (the ‘Linear Path’) and…
• improving bike commuting across ‘Inner & Middle Adelaide’ (from Salisbury to around Moana/Brighton).

PortBUG is seeking project suggestions and will forward them to BISA asap. BISA’s chairperson tells us that nominated projects will be prioritised by DIT and then “sit ready until funding becomes available at which time the process [for building] should be relatively quick. The focus is on infrastructure that will help reduce car reliance by encouraging people to switch to cycling.”

Project Focus:

• Projects along The Linear Park Trail: DIT are looking for local street connection upgrades, missing bridges, missing lighting, wayfinding suggestions etc. Arterial road crossings may be an important issue to highlight (eg; Ashbrook to River Torrens across Lower North East Rd) as well as missing lighting and other connections – such as the Port Council’s proposed shared-use path on Sudolz Rd between Grand Junction Road and the Torrens & Paradise Bus Interchange (a long-held ambition of the PA/E Bike Plan!)

• Projects Across Inner and Middle Adelaide: Apparently this refers to new bicycle infrastructure possibilities between Salisbury and around Seaford.  DIT are looking for possible initiatives for remedying missing connections, arterial road-crossing issues, opportunities to improve sections of existing bike-direct routes etc.

A Short Time Line! The time-line for providing these suggestions is short – BISA need suggestions by COB this coming Wednesday 28/10/2020. If you have any project ideas or suggestions at all please post below or email our secretary, Sam asap. We’ll forward your suggestions to BISA and provide a collated summary here for the record!

We look forward to hearing from Port Adelaide/Enfield bicycle users!

2020 has been a most unusual year for our Bicycle Network and Bike Plan. The State Bicycle Fund was drastically reduced in the previous year making it very difficult for Council to pursue further projects – and of course COVID has had a major impact on everything!

However the BUG has been pleased to hear that in the current 2020-21 financial year, PA/E Council has successfully sought funding for 3 significant projects that’ll improve our cycling environment – we’ll report on these in more detail in a future post.

For now, Council are about to start preparing submissions for the forthcoming 2021-22 financial year, starting next July – the first year of operation for the new ‘Walking & Cycling Plan’. The circumstances are a bit special as we are still ‘between plans’ and don’t have the usual list of projects to consider. However there are still quite a few targets, large and small, left over from the last Bike Plan, as well as a number of network issues that we have become aware of more recently.

Based on these, we have prepared our own ‘hit list’ of possible 2021-22 projects which you can read here. We are seeking your comments on these proposals, as well as your own ideas for Council to consider. Please let us know what you think, as well as your own ideas for 2020-21 and beyond before Sunday 1st November. Comment below or just email our Secretary.

At its meeting on the 13^th October Council resolved that they will not proceed with the proposal to install two new zebra crossings on Semaphore Road (nor will they remove the parking wheelstops – these will instead be replaced with brighter coloured, harder wearing plastic items).

The original proposal was to replace 3 of the current 4 existing crossing points with two much larger zebra crossings. Extensive community consultations resulted in 186 responses – see below

The majority of the feedback was concerned with the loss of on-street parking and a disruption in traffic flow (six of the 82 spaces available would be lost as part of the proposal). A number of respondents felt that one crossing would be adequate. Others suggested that humps are required in this section of road to keep traffic speeds down and also requested a lower speed limit.

At the October meeting staff proposed one centrally placed raised platform ‘wombat’ crossing as an alternative. Two of the four existing informal crossings could be removed and with a change in the angle of the parking on the northern side. this would provide a gain of seven car parking spaces! A single ‘wombat’ crossing will also address some of the speeding concerns raised during the consultation process and make it easier for the less able to cross the road. Current disabled parking spaces could be located adjacent to the crossing to make their use more convenient. This proposal is shown below.

The ‘wombat’ crossing option addresses the majority of issues raised in the consultation process (loss of parking and the vehicle speeds) and still allows a crossing point for the less able and others to cross Semaphore Road. Two of the informal crossing locations would be retained (where pedestrians would not have right of way).

It was pointed out that the project easily meets the ‘warrant requirements’ for the installation of a formalised pedestrian crossing. DIT guidelines and Australian Standards these indicate a warrant applies if a minimum of 160 pedestrians cross a particular point in any 8 hour period with a total of 1,600 or more vehicles in those same 8 hours. Semaphore Road (between Military Road and The Esplanade) has a minimum of 600-700 pedestrians in any one location and an average of 8500 vehicles/day!

Staff noted that this proposed ‘wombat’ crossing will improve pedestrian access across Semaphore Road (particularly for the less able and elderly who will have ‘right of way’ over motorists) and is likely to attract more pedestrians to the area. The aim is to create a low speed environment that is conducive to walking and making it safer where there is already considerable demand for a priority crossing.

The proposed ‘Rosewater Loop Shared-Use Pathway (marked in red).

Early this year the Port Adelaide/Enfield Council unsuccessfully sought support from the State Bicycle Fund to build the Rosewater Loop Bikeway, a proposal to connect residents of Rosewater, Ottoway and maybe Wingfield into the Outer Harbor Greenway & Port CBD by upgrading a disused rail line and an informal pathway in the Gillman reserve.

The State Bicycle Fund is the key source of matched funding provided to Councils to support creation of new cycling (and walking) infrastructure. In 2018 the current government reduced the fund to approx. $300K. It has been upped a little to around $700K over 2019-20 but this is still woefully inadequate and far below the $1.5M it was just a few years ago.

Clearly $700K remains ridiculously inadequate for a city measuring around 90km x 30km with with 19 Metro council districts and sharing the fund with regional councils desperate to boost economic activity (and build rail-trails and similar tourism infrastructure). The PortBUG has written to Transport Minister Corey Wingard requesting that the forthcoming November budget increase the SBF to a much more reasonable $3-6M p.a!

We have also requested that he provide Adelaide’s councils and community with a new State Cycling (and Walking) Strategy to ensure councils aren’t ‘flying blind’ when it comes to planning projects and applying for funding. Restoring the SBF to a reasonable level makes a lot of sense for our Active Travel future and for any possibility of a realistic ‘post COVID’ recovery – which clearly cannot be a return to business-as-usual. You can read our letter to Minister Wingard here. Watch this space!

Editing Note: Following further information, the funding for the SBF as originally mentioned above for 2018/19 and 2019/20 has been updated. It still remains utterly inadequate! Ed.

Let’s get development of Adelaide’s Bike Network off & running again!

PortBUG was pleased to hear today that the Minister for Transport & DIT have announced the commencement of a ‘Stage 1’ project to complete the Coast Park between Semaphore and Grange. The full announcement is quoted below, (the italics/bold are ours and just to thoroughly confuse you, DIT are referring to this section of the Coast Park as ‘The Linear Park’! Remember, it’s the coastal pathway & not along the river… 😉

“Hello, The Linear Park (Grange to Semaphore Park – Stage One: ‘North’) project aims to provide a continuous public cycling and walking link along a section of the Adelaide metropolitan coastline to enhance public use and enjoyment of the coast. To achieve this, the path should be publicly accessible, suitable for a range of users such as families with prams, wheelchair users, cyclists, wheeled toys and allow shared use. The project proposes a shared use path of (at least) three metres width constructed with a suitable, smooth surface.

The consultation process was from 11 May to 9 June 2020 and is now closed. For further information refer to the What We Heard Report… The Minister for Planning and Local Government… also considered a Consultation Report to aid the consideration of all the submissions received…

As a result of the community feedback received and additional site investigation works, the Minister has now established a linear park, to be known as the Linear Park (Grange to Semaphore Park – Stage One: ‘North’).

The delivery of the path will be undertaken by the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, on behalf of the Minister.

As with the planning for the whole of the Coast Park, the alignment of the new path has been carefully considered to maximise community benefit. This location is within the area close to the fence line adjacent the dunes, as distant from adjacent houses as possible without intruding on the sensitive dune system.

Stage One: ‘North’ extends from Third Avenue, Semaphore Park to the edge of Wara Wayingga-Tennyson Dunes Conservation Reserve. A possible second stage, which would extend from the edge of Wara Wayingga-Tennyson Dunes Conservation Reserve to Terminus Street, Grange is still under consideration and, if it is considered a viable option, will be subject to further public consultation.

What’s next? Further detailed design work is currently being commissioned to explore final details of the specific path material and other associated works with the local council. We will share with you additional information in relation to the path design and program when it becomes available.

For any enquiries please contact: email: PlanSA@sa.gov.au or phone 1800 752 664

Kind regards, Linear Park Project Team”.

Proposed Network Improvements (thanks to Tony for the mapping)

The Port Adelaide/Enfield Council is developing a new ‘Walking & Cycling Plan’ as part of a larger Integrated Transport Strategy. The PortBUG – while primarily focussed on improved environment & outcomes for bicycle users, has also strongly supported better provisions for all forms of Active Mobility, including walking, mobility for people with disabilities & public transport access.

The new Walking & Cycling Plan will be a major ‘step up’ for the PA/E Council with implications that go well beyond the usual bounds of what most people understand as ‘transport planning’. The PortBUG has lent its support for the new Plan and is cautiously optimistic that it will bring about significant and positive outcomes for PA/E residents across all domains, including health, welfare, transport equity & access, the economy and the environment.

The PortBUG has provided some preliminary general recommendations to Council which address processes and goals we see as necessary to ensuring a good outcome – you can read what we’ve had to say here. We hope to have further opportunities for much more detailed input when the new Walking & Cycling Plan is released for public consultation – which we’re told will occur soon. If readers have suggestions for the PortBUG’s further submission to the new new Plan please let us know asap via comments below or to PortBUG’s secretary as portadbug@gmail.com!

In the meantime we’d encourage you to have a look at the map above which details some of the ‘larger scale’ Network Improvements we’ll be seeking – notably additional ‘east-west’ routes across the council area and better walking and cycling facilities within and around the Port CBD.

Aerial view of grassed public space for location of Stage 1, Semaphore Pk to Tennyson Dunes.

DPTI have released a summary of responses to a recent community consultation (May & June, 2020). Results indicate overwhelming support for construction of Stage 1 of the Coast Park as proposed between Semaphore and Grange, specifically comprising the section between Semaphore Park & Tennyson Dunes conservation reserve (Stage 2 will connect from Tennyson Dunes reserve further south to Grange).

Construction of the combined 4.8km length of these 2 stages will see completion of key sections of the Coast Park providing ‘a continuous public cycling and walking link along the Adelaide metropolitan coastline to enhance public use and enjoyment of the coast.’

The consultation noted that the project’s objectives demand a publicly accessible, shared use path at least three metres wide and constructed of a smooth surface that supports prams, bicycle riders, wheeled toys and wheelchair users. 

The Proposal for Stage 1 is for a shared-use pathway within the cleared, grassed area next to the dunes and as far as possible from the adjacent houses, minimising impact on vegetation, habitat & the dunes, mitigating risk of coastal erosion & providing clear demarcation of public & private land.

A petition was also received (from the community groups involved in previous legal action against the City of Charles Sturt) with 1,773 signatures calling for a more ‘environmentally friendly’ material for the pathway. Analysis reveals that the majority of these petitioners were from outside South Australia and in all probability were not provided with the public notices the consultation was based on. It remains unclear if these respondents were fully aware of the proposal!

Support for the Coast Park incorporating a shared-use pathway.

Overall, the proposed design for the Coast Park shared-used pathway received strong community support. Approximately 28% of comments received about the Coast Park design related to its alignment with the majority supportive of what is proposed without change. Strong support for the pathway’s DDA compliance was also noted!

Grassed location for the proposed pathway.

It is interesting to note that the impact of the proposed Coast Park Pathway – Stage 1 on the dune system was not seen as a major concern by respondents, presumably because the proposed pathway is situated on already cleared & grassed areas on the other side of the existing dune fencing.

Let’s hope that with such positive community support, Corey Wingard – our newly-installed Minister for Transport – can now get on with completing the Coast Park ASAP for the benefit of all of Adelaide’s citizens!

DPTI and the Northern Connector Project announced this morning the opening of the final linkages on the Northern Connector Bikeway, otherwise named the TAPA MARTINTHI YALA Shared Use Path.

The key links now open are the Southern Interchange at the PREXY (connecting to the Port Expressway Bikeway) and the Dry Creek Trail.

The opening of these final sections also completes the connection to the Gawler Greenway. The name of the path – Tapa Martinthi Yala – means “pathway to embrace today” in the Aboriginal Kaurna language and has been delivered as part of the Northern Connector Project.

With the connection to the Port River Bikeway open at this Southern Interchange, there is now approximately 43km of continuous paths from Gawler to Port Adelaide (www.dpti.sa.gov.au/northernconnector).

The Port Expressway (‘PREXY’) Bikeway.

Here’s a great article from the BBC explaining why it’s essential – particularly in these ‘COVID-times’ – that we understand and frame cycling as a form of everyday transport, and not primarily as a ‘sport’ or recreational activity. It’s really worth reading!

And from elsewhere in the UK, a few pointers as to how South Australia might respond to our pandemic emergency…

From Wales: £38m in funding announced to improve cycling & walking in Wales.

“Bike sales surged in lockdown as people avoided public transport for fear of catching Covid-19. Economy and Transport Deputy Minister, Lee Waters, said he wanted people to leave the car in the garage following the pandemic. Last month ministers said roads, public transport, walking and cycling routes would get £15.4m worth of improvements …the Welsh Government said it would be the biggest ever investment in healthy travel in Wales.

“The coronavirus pandemic has completely changed our lives,” Mr Waters said. “Coronavirus has brought much hardship and tragedy.  It has also presented us with a golden opportunity for change. More people than ever before are walking and cycling to work, visit friends and pop to the shop.”

From Scotland:  Scotland sees huge rise in the number of people cycling. 

‘Pop-up’ bike lanes.

‘A study by Cycle Scotland found there was a fivefold increase in the number of journeys made on a bike, while there was also a big drop in the number of cars being used….  “It’s encouraging to see such a dramatic increase,” said Cycling Scotland’s monitoring and development officer, Natalie Cozzolino.  “Supporting access to bikes and places to store them is also key to enabling more people to choose travel by bike, helping us address the climate emergency we face and creating a healthier, sustainable future for everyone.”

Last week the government in Scotland announced they had allocated £30m for pop-up bike lanes to help make more space for walking and cycling.  “Walking, wheeling and cycling protects our climate, improves our air quality and brings profound benefits to our physical and mental health,” said Scotland’s Transport Secretary Michael Matheson.

Fix Your Bike & Cycling Prescriptions: ‘Fix your bike’ vouchers & cycling prescriptions for NHS… 

“A government scheme offering £50 bike repair vouchers will launch in England on Tuesday as part of plans to boost cycling and walking. An initial 50,000 vouchers will be made available online… on a first-come, first-served basis. The prime minister also announced that access to bikes will be available on the NHS as part of the strategy… It comes after the government launched its obesity strategy. GPs in areas of England with poor health will be encouraged to prescribe cycling, with patients able to access bikes through their local surgery.”

With most progressive cities around the world investing in Active Travel-led recovery strategies, the South Australian Government has been caught on-the-hop by its lack of vision for walking and cycling – we currently have no Walking & Cycling Plan (and haven’t had one since 2010!)

In the face of the Covid downturn over the past 6 months, there have been a rash of articles in the world’s press about the potential contribution of new cycling infrastructure to continued social and economic prosperity – here’s one that offers a Call For Action we should all consider…

Cycling and walking can help drive Australia’s recovery – but not with less than 2% of transport budgets.   

The Conversation. July 23^rd, 2020. Matthew Mclaughlin, University of Newcastle, Trevor Shilton, Curtin University.

“What do bike paths and walk-friendly streets have to do with economic recovery from a pandemic-induced recession? How could removing a car parking space benefit a local business? Instead of considering such questions, building roads for cars is often seen as the obvious answer to “kick-start” the economy.

In this article, we explain how cycling and walking infrastructure is a better investment for recovery. Every kilometre walked or cycled has an economic benefit by reducing traffic congestion and vehicle operating costs, improving health and the environment, and saving on infrastructure spending. It’s estimated every dollar invested in cycling infrastructure may reap up to five dollars’ worth of benefits. In Australia, however, walking and cycling only receive between 0.1% and 2% of transport budgets…”