News & Discussion: General CBD Development

[Nathan]

A good article on InDaily about the history of Frome St and Adelaide's inability to debate transport strategy.
http://indaily.com.au/opinion/2014/04/2 ... eet-never/

[Maximus]

Beat me to it, Nathan.

An interesting article, indeed. Looking at a map of the square mile, it's easy to see that Frome Street doesn't 'fit'. None of the other 1/8ths of the square mile have a road anything like it. For me, though, it raises another interesting question -- why was Frome Road constructed to intersect North Tce in its current location? Montefiore Road flows into Morphett Street, King William Road flows into King William Street, so why doesn't Frome Road flow into Pulteney Street?

[Nathan]

I know there was a plan at one point to continue Pulteney St north, but Sir John Langdon Bonython wanted to avoid dividing the university campus so made it a condition of his donation towards the hall that it be built directly opposite Pulteney St blocking any potential extension.

Whether Frome Rd was around at that time I'm not sure (I suspect so given some of the buildings and the extremely well established trees), but I gather the route is more based on the topography of the area as you get towards the Torrens.

[[Shuz]]

Looking at Vee's photo - I don't know what the hell the Government's harping on about a tram line not being able to be built down Frome Street. If anything, it looks like it's been designed to accommodate just exactly that! I think it's more an issue of aesthetics, really - The council have opted for future tram infrastructure (wiring, platforms, etc.) to be built on the side of the road (as is the case predominately in Melbourne) as opposed to the Government's preferred option of having the tram infrastructure (poles & platforms) down the centre median in a similar fashion to the recent City West & Hindmarsh extensions.

I prefer tram infrastructure to be on the sides.

ACC should be applauded for their work with regards to this project.

[SouthAussie94]

If you look at Colonel Light's original plan for Adelaide you can see that the present day Frome Road did connect right into Pulteney Street, right through the centre of the current Uni campuses.

On the other hand, King William Street didn't connect with King William Road at its Northern end, with Government House stated to be built right where the two roads meet today. Morphett Street also did not cross the River.

[Maximus]

Thanks SouthAussie. Very interesting!

I can' help but think that traffic flow would be improved a little if Frome Road did flow into Pulteney Street. Anyway... pipe dream.

[Ben]

It's always bothered me that Hutt Street/ East Terrace did not line up to create a perfect square. Such a small modification was needed. there was obviously a reason for it but the OCD in me makes me want to see it straight haha

[Maximus]

It's always bothered me that Hutt Street/ East Terrace did not line up to create a perfect square. Such a small modification was needed. there was obviously a reason for it but the OCD in me makes me want to see it straight haha

Oh, gawd... + 1,000,000!

Anyway, here's your answer: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3764

[[Shuz]]

Yes! I second that motion. I know it's just aesthetics, but really it just doesn't look right.

If the road was 'straight' from Pirie Street to North Terrace, there should also be a park / plaza space between the new straight road and the buildings. The Stag, PJ's, Oyster Bar, Botanic, San Churros would all benefit from having expanded outdoor dining space. There should be something similar to the Adelaide Airport plaza, but with more grass and a little less concrete / paving. It should be made in a way that suits 'pop up festivals' - especially the Garden of Unearthly Delights. That way, the grass in the east parklands, especially Rymill Park, doesn't have to endure such a bashing over the Mad March period.

[Vee]

Interesting read.
Blog post by Robert Steuteville outlining and reinforcing the multiple and broad benefits of New Urbanism (goal: revitalization of cities) as he takes issue with a recent critique by Witold Rybczynski.

The health of cities depends on place-based development more than big projects.
Cities take a physical form that either supports or is stressful to people outside of a moving vehicle or building.

Better! Cities and Towns
By Robert Steuteville 28 Apr 2014

http://bettercities.net/news-opinion/bl ... more-big-p

[EBG]

Frome Road.

When is 6 cars a traffic jam - when driving down Frome St as in this morning. This idea is even more stupid than the bus lanes in Grenfell St (which the Adelaide city council now wants to remove). Did they learn nothing from the Sturt St bike lanes?
CBC college knocked down their original building (built in 1878) in 1963 to widen Frome Street on the basis that it would be extended to Glen Osmond Road in the South parklands.

Ps I am a bike rider. Even the bike lanes in Hutt St should be renamed as "the I am waiting to find a parking space" or the "My friend has just gone to the shop". or better "cant you see I am on the Phone"

[omada]

change folks, embrace it!

Ever consider our reliance on cars as unnatural? as a luxury? It's an addiction, there are other ways.

[monotonehell]

change folks, embrace it!

Ever consider our reliance on cars as unnatural? as a luxury? It's an addiction, there are other ways.

^ This.

Our reliance on cars is a perversion that affects all aspects of city, society and the built form.

[MessiahAndrw]

change folks, embrace it!

Ever consider our reliance on cars as unnatural? as a luxury? It's an addiction, there are other ways.

Agreed

[Llessur2002]

change folks, embrace it!

Ever consider our reliance on cars as unnatural? as a luxury? It's an addiction, there are other ways.

Also agreed.

It never fails to amaze me the amount of excuses I hear from friends as to why they “can’t” cycle to work who, in reality, are simply too lazy or cosseted to even try it.

I’m a 33 year old bloke of, frankly, low to average fitness (i.e. I don’t do any structured form of exercise) and I cycle 12km to work (and 12km home again) every day. It takes me about 35-40 minutes. I do this rain or shine and carry all of my work clothes, lunch and other items in a small backpack.

I get wet when it rains but I dry off at work (we don’t have a shower in my office but I don’t really need it – I regulate my speed depending on the temperature so I don’t get too sweaty) and my stuff doesn’t get wet as I use a waterproof backpack, I get warm when it’s 40+ degrees but I take it easy and take a bottle of water with me. I occasionally need to carry more stuff or pop to the shop after work – but I take a bigger backpack. If I needed to I could get panniers or even a bike trailer (I pass two on the way to work most days).

12km of steady cycling is not particularly challenging. Even for a podgy git like me. I regularly ‘run errands’ after work which extends my journey home to about 20km – takes about an hour. I do a bit of Google Maps planning beforehand to plan a safe route away from major roads. If I worked 20km away I’d still commute daily by bike – although that would probably be around my limit.

Does any of this bother me? No – because I’m a human and my body is quite able to cope with being wet, being a bit hot, being a bit cold and having my limbs move around a bit.

I’m lucky enough to have cycle paths for some of my journey but I take a longer route and use quiet backstreets where there aren’t any. It took me a week or two to perfect my route to balance distance and safety but that’s not exactly a big deal. This probably extends my journey by about 3 or 4 km but it’s worth it to avoid certain death.

I’ve been cycling to work for over a year now. It’s genuinely quicker than the car, saves me hundreds of dollars each year in car running costs and is much healthier and environmentally friendly.

I fully acknowledge that cycling to work is not an option for many people. Some people live too far away. Some people need their car for business. Some people have medical reasons as to why they can’t cycle or do exercise in the heat/cold etc.

However, since starting cycling to work a year or so ago I have lost count of the times friends have pulled out the old “it’s too far”, “the roads are too busy”, “I have stuff to carry”, “I’m client-facing and my hair would end up a mess”, “it’s too hot/cold/wet” excuses as to why they can’t cycle a comparable distance to their workplace. These are fit, healthy people in their late 20s/early 30s who live within 12-15km of their CBD/CBD fringe jobs.

The truth is that many of these people are simply too used to the unsustainable luxury of a short car-based commute to consider getting on a bike.

Most healthy people under 60 who live in the inner suburbs within 15km of their workplaces – especially if that workplace is in or near the CBD - *could* with a little bit of planning cycle to work.

Why there is so much opposition to adding a couple of bike lanes to Frome Street when there are 5 other major north-south routes through the CBD is beyond me. I get the impression that a lot of the time motorists are just anti-bike for the sake of being anti-bike partially through an ingrained sense of entitlement to exclusive use of the roads and partially through the 'car vs bike wars/them and us' hysteria whipped up by the Murdoch press.