News & Discussion: Adelaide City Council

[Matt]

Another vote of support for the bike lanes, for what it's worth.

[Maximus]

Received this in my email yesterday from Bike SA and couldn't help but think that it's a little alarmist, despite the claim to the contrary...

Frome Street Bikeway - Our Moment of Truth

A very proud moment in Adelaide’s cycling history is under threat. The one and only separated bicycle lane in Adelaide's CBD, currently being built on Frome Street, is in danger of being removed.

continues...

As an aside, it annoys me that even Bike SA refers to the Sturt Street bike lane as "an expensive mistake". This is the uninformed masses' opinion. The ACC stated right from the outset that the Sturt Street bike lane was a trial (or words to that effect), which is why it was conducted in a relatively quiet part of the CBD. The trial was completed, lessons were learnt, and now the project is being implemented in a location where it should make a real difference.

[SouthAussie94]

Another vote of support for the bike lanes

[david]

Council appreciates all the positive support for the Frome St bikeway.

Let me assure you that there is absolutely no credibility to any suggestion that the current bike lane is under any kind of threat.
Incidentally, as far as I know only a few parking spaces are lost in this part of the scheme; it's a driving lane that is lost which is only fair and reasonable given the great capacity in Pulteney and Hutt Streets as well as King William St if you want to drive right through the city (rather than use the ring route - or better still a bus or a tram!

What IS the challenge is that Council is now consulting publicaly on the next stage of the north/south bikeway which is the 'point end' of the project because it involves Pirie Street to North Terrace, where the road narrows, demand is stronger and there are some very powerful land owners in that part of the city.We need maximum cyclists support for this next stage.

Go on to the Council's website, download the plans, make your choice between Options A or B and HAVE YOUR SAY!

Incidentally, the preferred East/West cycle route is Waymouth/Pirie St.

David

[jk1237]

I most definitely support the bike lanes

Most people on here would support it because we have quite an interest and knowledge of urban stuff. The issue is the conservatives from the suburbs that how no idea about urban planning or current worldwide urban trends. They need to be ignored as much as possible, but we could see a repeat of the tram extension hysteria for a while

[jk1237]

as for the section between Pirie and North Tce, first thing is to move all O'bahn buses back to the old Grenfell St, East Tce, Rundle Rd route, but have an additional stop in the eastend somewhere. They only started running down Frome Street and past the hospital in the last 5-7 years

The section of Frome Street between Pirie and North Tce only gets any real congestion when the Clipsal is on. If you have a look at those traffic data maps, Frome Street carries very few cars

[Nathan]

Sadly, looks like Cr Hamilton is now trying the populist angle and is calling for the lane to be scrapped (along with removing bus lanes and building more UParks...)

Adelaide City councillor Mark Hamilton will push for the Frome St bikeway to be scrapped
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/adel ... 6895877873

ADELAIDE City councillor Mark Hamilton will push for the Frome St bikeway to be ripped up in what would be a major embarrassment for the council ahead of the Velo-city international cycling conference next month.

Construction of the separated bikeway, which the council is racing to complete as far north as Pirie St before the May 27-30 conference, has caused a backlash from motorists and prominent business leaders, including Theo Maras.

“I’d rip it up,” Cr Hamilton said this morning, after penning a column for The Advertiser labelling the bikeway an example of cycling policy “gone berserk” and attacking Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood for being “anti-car”.

“It’s restricting traffic access at peak hour and slowing right hand turns and slowing traffic dispersal along the street for people going to and from work.

“I went and had a look at it and apart from the obvious (traffic) problems I think it’s frankly ridiculous, bunging white pieces of concrete into the roadway.”

Cr Hamilton will push for the bikeway to be scrapped, a year-long moratorium on new bike lanes and a scaling back of the current network at a council meeting in early May, just weeks before the city hosts one of the world’s most important cycling talkfests.

“I’m not concerned about embarrassment. I’m concerned about good governance of the city,” he said.

If Cr Hamilton succeeds it would be the second time the council has dug up a separated bikeway. It spent $100,000 removing the $400,000 Sturt St bike lanes four years ago.

Mr Yarwood and Mr Hamilton are expected to contest the lord mayoral position at council elections in November, though neither has formally declared their candidacy.

If they do square off, the election looms as a referendum on CBD transport issues.

In his column, Cr Hamilton called for the council to build more UParks, restore on-street parks and right-hand turns, and continue lobbying the State Government to scrap the carpark tax and priority bus lanes.

His position contradicts the council’s Smart Move blueprint for encouraging public transport, cycling and walking.

Chariot Chauffeured Vehicles owner Ian Johns backed Cr Hamilton’s views and said the Frome St bikeway was “the joke of the century”.

“The traffic from Frome St will only move to Pulteney St and cause even more congestion,” he said.

“No right turns in so many city streets has not only cost us valuable time, but business.

“We used to do three Central Market tours a week involving around 40 tourists a time. They spent money. We don’t do that anymore because of lack of parking and the time delays caused by no right turns and (the) Victoria Square (upgrade).

“It will only be a matter of time before our city tours are cancelled too.”

The Frome St bikeway is designed to be the crucial city link in a safe cycling route running from Mitcham to North Adelaide.

Bike SA has sent a newsletter to members warning that the growing campaign against the project was putting it at risk and could “set investment in cycling back a decade or more”.

CEO Christian Haag lamented the “highly charged political environment” around Frome St but said it should be the first of a network of separated bike lanes across the CBD.

“We need four, the existing one being built, an equivalent north-south one on the western side of the city and two east-west routes,” he told The Advertiser.

“We need to get (Frome St) up and used and the benefit will be there for everyone to see.”

The number of cyclists commuting to the city each day has doubled to more than 5000 over the past decade.

Mr Haag said that equated to a $25 million boost to the state economy, based on a Federal Government study that considered factors such as health benefits, emission reductions and crashes and found there was a $21 economic benefit per trip.

Comment is being sought from Mr Yarwood.

[jk1237]

more sensationalist ultra right wing trash from News Ltd - no surprises there. Im surprised the Advertiser don't start campaigning for guns for everyone soon, such as their mentality

As for Mark Hamilton, bye bye, Adelaide city residents can only vote for the lord mayor, not the uneducated petrol brains from the suburbs. Most city residents aren't stupid and are incredibly happy with what Yarwood has done to our city.

You're a complete idiot Hamilton

[Nathan]

This apparently appeared in the print addition too. It's all motorist pandering. Requiring all residential developments to have off-street parking? Kill *all* bus lanes? A complete moratorium on bike lanes?

Plus he wants to confine the bike lane network to avoid conflict with "city traffic", and yet wants to rip up the only lane that will deliver that?

Edit: Also, cycling is only at 0.2%? Not sure where he got that figure from. He claims the city workforce is 130,000 a day. The city council's own study put cyclist numbers at just over 9000 a day in 2011 and 2012. Which works out at just under 7%. 7% sounds a shade high to me, but it'd be much closer to the mark than 0.2 (which works out to just 260 cyclists!)

[mshagg]

Disgusting comments from Hamilton. Makes me ashamed to be a resident of the CBD with clowns like that "representing" us.

[jk1237]

Edit: Also, cycling is only at 0.2%? Not sure where he got that figure from. He claims the city workforce is 130,000 a day. The city council's own study put cyclist numbers at just over 9000 a day in 2011 and 2012. Which works out at just under 7%. 7% sounds a shade high to me, but it'd be much closer to the mark than 0.2 (which works out to just 260 cyclists!)

Id put this down to the fact he has completely ignored the 90,000 university/TAFE students entering the city each day, with a fair chunk on bikes. So 10,000 cyclists from about 250,000 entering the city each weekday would be the most realistic, about 5%.

He also admits that the city is "not inherently congested", so WTF does he needs these absurd 14 plans to make the city easier for cars. I just can't believe how stupid he and News Ltd have become. 1960 here we come for Hamilton

[metro]

Mark Hamilton's plans for Leigh Street

[[Shuz]]

Hamilton looks to be pretty close to his death bed anyway, so we shan't have to worry about his idoicy too much longer.

[crawf]

In his column, Cr Hamilton called for the council to build more UParks, restore on-street parks and right-hand turns, and continue lobbying the State Government to scrap the carpark tax and priority bus lanes.

His position contradicts the council’s Smart Move blueprint for encouraging public transport, cycling and walking.

Let's destroy all the hard work and return Adelaide back to the 1960s!

I would not blame Yarwood for not contending the next local election, considering the amount of negative garbage that has been written by the media and some locals. Seriously why does every minor thing in this town have to turn into a saga?. It's one god damn road, which doesn't even connect both terraces.

God this city frustrates me sometimes.

[monotonehell]

I'm am so sick of popularist, evidence ignoring, truth distorting, politicians who destroy society in order to gain power. We're having enough problems with this at a national level, I do not wish to see what little positive work that Yarwood has achieved wound back. Can Yarwood stand another term? I thought our Lord Mayors were only allowed two terms in a row?