Little ideas for a big city

[chrism4549]

@Peas&Corn: I think AtD is talking about the countdown (you need to watch the entire video to see it).

I saw those over in California also (they countdown not the animation). Not sure that they actually make crossing safer. They intrigued me so I waited near the corner of Harbor Blvd and Disney Way one afternoon watching the people leave Disneyland. The countdown seemed to embolden people further than the flashing red guy we have -- they'd try to run across during the last few seconds, focusing on the counter and ignoring the right turning traffic.

I'm not convinced that it's safer either. I just want to know when the light is changing so I can get across. Most cities here have the countdown.

Folks don't really need to look at the right turning traffic as pedestrians have the right of way. At most intersections, the cars will have a red and should (should being the operative word) stop and then they can turn on red assuming it's clear to do so. Most kind of do a rolling stop. I can't watch video at work but I'm assuming that's what's happening.

[peas_and_corn]

Today I got home from a holiday in Vietnam, and I thought I'd post this idea of mine in this thread. While travelling in many non-English speaking places, the amount of English available to me is quite large (not just Vietnam, but Japan and parts of the Middle East are all really accommodating). Even in some more remote parts of Vietnam, the availability of dual language menus was quite consistent (and incredibly appreciated). So my suggestion is this: how about the ACC look into what nationalities comes into Adelaide the most (either as tourists, students or for business reasons) and provide help for restaurants in Adelaide to write up and print dual language menus? Perhaps providing the translating services, and if the ACC is feeling generous, help with subsidising the cost of printing?

It will certainly give Adelaide a feel of being more accommodating to international visitors.

Thoughts?

[Waewick]

that is a fantastic idea p&c and one I would support - If in fact I could vote in city elections

we had the same experience in Japan and felt horrible that the odds of a japanese person being treated in Adelaide as fantastically as were Japan would be extremely low.

I actually wish SA would somehow assist the state in it's ability to be multi-lingual i just don't know how that is done - I've tried learning a language but failed miserably.

[Wayno]

Peas & Corn, i also agree it's a good idea. Stephen Yarwood is pushing for a 'Little India' region in the CBD. He might appreciate hearing your idea!

[Mants]

p&c i appreciate your idea, but i don't agree with it.

Adelaide is a English speaking city with many other languages spoken, but nowhere near as widely. The concept of dual or multi language menus works well in bilingual cities, such as Montreal. However, it would be difficult, and possibly discriminatory, to include some languages and not others on Adelaide menus. It is common to see duel language menus in a lot of Asian restaurants, but i believe it should be left up to the restaurant, rather than subsidised by the council, if any given restaurant wished to introduce such a menu.

I think it could even be off-putting for some people to enter a rustic Italian restaurant and be confronted with a Japanese menu. And it would be equally as unusual to enter a sushi bar and see a menu printed in Italian.

[AG]

I think what would be even more effective is implementing multilingual touch screens displaying information about Adelaide (things to see and do, getting around, etc.) in places such as the airport and in tourist information centres. It's a bit overkill and impractical to be providing signs in a large number of languages. Could you imagine going to the airport and trying to read the signs to get to the correct gate only to see the information boards covered in over 20 different languages? It's bad enough in Japan now where some of the signs look insanely crowded and unreadable with four languages (Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean).

[Wayno]

Kindle menus with language translation facility.

[peas_and_corn]

p&c i appreciate your idea, but i don't agree with it.

Adelaide is a English speaking city with many other languages spoken, but nowhere near as widely. The concept of dual or multi language menus works well in bilingual cities, such as Montreal. However, it would be difficult, and possibly discriminatory, to include some languages and not others on Adelaide menus. It is common to see duel language menus in a lot of Asian restaurants, but i believe it should be left up to the restaurant, rather than subsidised by the council, if any given restaurant wished to introduce such a menu.

I think it could even be off-putting for some people to enter a rustic Italian restaurant and be confronted with a Japanese menu. And it would be equally as unusual to enter a sushi bar and see a menu printed in Italian.

Vietnam is hardly a bilingual country, and the menus were widely available.

[Will]

I agree with Mants here.

English is the ''universal'' language, so it is understandable that in non-English speaking countries, the next logical language which to include is English. However, in a monolingual English speaking country such as Australia, you would be opening a Pandora's box if you required menus or anything else be printed in another language.

I feel that if menus are to be printed in another language it should be at the individual restaurant's discretion.

[rhino]

I agree with Mants here.

English is the ''universal'' language, so it is understandable that in non-English speaking countries, the next logical language which to include is English. However, in a monolingual English speaking country such as Australia, you would be opening a Pandora's box if you required menus or anything else be printed in another language.

I feel that if menus are to be printed in another language it should be at the individual restaurant's discretion.

+1

[Westside]

I guess this post fits in this topic.

This is just a very simple solution to what is a pretty bad intersection, the Grange/Holbrooks/East Ave intersection. In my opinion, the whole A22, should be one continuous road from the Southern Expressway to the Port Expressway, but that is a long way off and local residents along the route may tend to oppose this. However, this intersection still causes a bottleneck in both directions, mainly as all north-south vehicles have only one lane to travel between Holbrooks and East ave and the sequence of lights separates the east ave and holbrooks rd traffic. I think with a slight adjustment of the rd, you can allow 2 lanes of traffic n-s and allow for one n-s sequence of lights, thus giving N-S and E-W traffic greater priority over traffic turning right from Holbrooks or East ave (of which only a handful of cars do on each set of lights).

Here's what I think it could look like (sorry i don't have any graphic design software):



Thoughts?

I know there are a number of intersections like this in Adelaide, where a simple solution could ease a bad intersection.

[Aidan]

I guess this post fits in this topic.

This is just a very simple solution to what is a pretty bad intersection, the Grange/Holbrooks/East Ave intersection. In my opinion, the whole A22, should be one continuous road from the Southern Expressway to the Port Expressway, but that is a long way off and local residents along the route may tend to oppose this. However, this intersection still causes a bottleneck in both directions, mainly as all north-south vehicles have only one lane to travel between Holbrooks and East ave and the sequence of lights separates the east ave and holbrooks rd traffic. I think with a slight adjustment of the rd, you can allow 2 lanes of traffic n-s and allow for one n-s sequence of lights, thus giving N-S and E-W traffic greater priority over traffic turning right from Holbrooks or East ave (of which only a handful of cars do on each set of lights).

Here's what I think it could look like (sorry i don't have any graphic design software):



Thoughts?

It's technically possible, but road markings would be confusing unless we used technology such as switchable road markings. Considering how easy it is to realign roads that are so close together, I think realignment would be the best solution.

I know there are a number of intersections like this in Adelaide, where a simple solution could ease a bad intersection.

Really? I can't think of any others.
I can think of some intersections in Adelaide that are too far apart for this to work. The other end of Holbrooks Road fits this category, as does the Daws/Goodwood/Springbank Road staggered intersection. And there are other examples that are sufficiently close for this to work but don't have sufficient through traffic for this to be worthwhile (such as Whyte Street and Oaklands Road on Brighton Road.

The lack of suitable roads for this is fairly easily explained: most roads that can be easily realigned already have been.

[Waewick]

yikes, what a dog of a road.

hopefully DTEI have their eye on those buildings next to each road...when they come up for sale they can do something about it.

[iTouch]

Really? I can't think of any others.
I can think of some intersections in Adelaide that are too far apart for this to work. The other end of Holbrooks Road fits this category, as does the Daws/Goodwood/Springbank Road staggered intersection. And there are other examples that are sufficiently close for this to work but don't have sufficient through traffic for this to be worthwhile (such as Whyte Street and Oaklands Road on Brighton Road.

The lack of suitable roads for this is fairly easily explained: most roads that can be easily realigned already have been.

Grenfell Road and Golden Grove Road also intersection comes to mind. There have been a few deaths at that intersection because of this as well

[Aidan]

Really? I can't think of any others.
I can think of some intersections in Adelaide that are too far apart for this to work. The other end of Holbrooks Road fits this category, as does the Daws/Goodwood/Springbank Road staggered intersection. And there are other examples that are sufficiently close for this to work but don't have sufficient through traffic for this to be worthwhile (such as Whyte Street and Oaklands Road on Brighton Road.

The lack of suitable roads for this is fairly easily explained: most roads that can be easily realigned already have been.

Grenfell Road and Golden Grove Road also intersection comes to mind. There have been a few deaths at that intersection because of this as well

Well spotted! It seems that when that area was developed, someone (Delfin? TTG Council?) had a policy of breaking long roads up. Milne Road breaks at Golden Grove Road and elsewhere. It's as if there was a policy of discouraging E-W traffic - although the break in Ladywood Road suggests there's more to it than that. One possible advantage of split roads is that it might make them easier to grade separate in the future - but that seems unlikely to be the reason it was done. Maybe they were trying to maximize the proportion of traffic using the major roads.

IIRC Wynn Vale Drive used to be part of Yatala Vale Road, but I think the change there was more like a diversion (similar to Honeypot Road Noarlunga) than an obstacle.