COM: Glenelg Tramline Upgrade

[AG]

How surprising! I just watched the news and the majority of those who turned up to protest against the project were probably aged 55+. Why bother anyway, the project is already underway. The project will be completed, end of story, nail in coffin for NIMBYs.

[Tom]

Mr Abbott has been emailing all who have emailed notrams that 1000+ people turned up!!!!!!!








He has lost all creditbillity

[James Renfrey]

I dunno I hate the tram extension but I just couldn't bring myself to actually attend a protest against it...

I had promised myself that I would ignore him, but as one old fart who DID turn up with a placard to make himself heard and was interviewed by the press, giving them FACTS gleaned from many years of reading and enquiry on all aspects of public transport and energy conservation policy, I would have liked '' 'Froggy' to have had the intestinal fortitude (read G U T S) to cross the road from his aerie on high and argue his impeccably constructed case face to face.

Several others had placards and were heard in support of the extension. Quite a few bystanders came up to me and congratulated me on my stand, so a small but significant number of the crowd, which numbered only about 250 in all, were actually supporters of the extension.

There were protesters there (with whom I agreed) who wanted the extension of the railway to Seaford to begin soon. I think that it is very long overdue and that it should eventually go to Sellick's Beach. The $31 million for the tram would not make much of a start on the task, and it is surely a case of BOTH, not EITHER/OR.

I also agree with those who wanted water conservation policies and tree protection. The trees about which they were protesting, and under which they held up their placards, are slated for removal BY THE CITY COUNCIL as part of its controversial upgrade of North Terrace. The tram extension will not affect them.

Finally, I would point out that there have been more real improvements to public transport under Mr. Conlon than in many years under his predecessors who were so prominent in criticizing him today. Substantial station upgrades, including legible illuminated signs and track work improvements have been made recently. They are not nearly enough to bring our system up to standard, but the Rann government has at least made a real start on the task.

I will criticize them when I feel that they could do better, but I will also give them credit where I believe it to be due.

When (and IF??) you grow up 'Froggy' I will be pleased to listen to your comments. Until then........!

[Froggy]

I dunno I hate the tram extension but I just couldn't bring myself to actually attend a protest against it...

I had promised myself that I would ignore him, but as one old fart who DID turn up with a placard to make himself heard and was interviewed by the press, giving them FACTS gleaned from many years of reading and enquiry on all aspects of public transport and energy conservation policy, I would have liked '' 'Froggy' to have had the intestinal fortitude (read G U T S) to cross the road from his erie on high and argue his impeccably constructed case face to face.

Geez, what did you want me to do, wander down the road and have a good old verbal stoush with you because I have a different opinion to yourself on the matter? Knock your block off or what? My case is impeccably constructed, it is as logical as extending the tram line to no where, plus, I love monkeys. They are cuddly.

[JAKJ]

My case is impeccably constructed, it is as logical as extending the tram line to no where.

UniSA is hardly the best... but I wouldn't call in nowhere

If you can't see the benefit of connecting up different methods of public transport, after the extensions finished I suggest you hop on, get off at UniSA City West campus (aka 'nowhere') and start some courses on "urban planning for beginners"

[Will]

Froggy why do you keep ignoring me?

Where is the evidence to back your claims that the tram extension will cause 'traffic chaos'?

[Tyler_Durden]

My case is impeccably constructed, it is as logical as extending the tram line to no where

Nowhere? Surely you're having a laugh.

North Terrace is the cultural heart of Adelaide, location of the biggest train station in the state, home to two of the three of this state's universities, most of Adelaide's cultural attractions. And King William Street north is the centre of this city's financial district and adjacent to Hindley street and Rundle Mall, the most significant retail and entertainment areas of this state.

There is a reason why so much of this city's public transport already services this area. It is the heart of Adelaide.

[AtD]

Does anyone remember the protests over the street scape upgrade along North Terrace between Kintore Ave and Pultney Street? Where are these critics now?

Shady trees, grass just an illusion
By TIM LLOYD
The Advertiser (Adelaide, Australia)
12-01-2001


ARTISTS' impressions should always be treated with caution. The drawings of the proposed $16 million North Tce Redevelopment are a good example of this.The drawings present a ``green walk'' running down the Cultural Boulevard, with proud corridors of shady spotted gums. The reality is different in close-up.

If you pore over the plans, most of the green is not grass but ``Balmoral green granite''.

The gums, depicted as taller than the North Tce institutions, turn out to be only 6m when planted. They will take years to replace perfectly serviceable existing trees, described as ``old, sick and dying''.

Instead of gradually replacing the original trees, the redevelopment goes for a virtual clear fell.

In all, 120 trees will come out in mid-2002 and 154 will go about a year later.

Only a handful of the biggest and healthiest of the ash, elms, jacarandas, Moreton Bay figs and Callery's pears will be spared.

Under the proposal, we will be confronted with construction from the middle of next year, and after 18 months, by an expanse of green granite and bluestone infill paving with young trees poking out of it.

We will have to wait for however long it takes for spotted gums and plane trees to grow into large shady trees.

There will be no longer any lawns from the War Memorial on Kintore Ave to Adelaide University, save for the SA Museum forecourt.

Instead of lawn there will be paving, seating, several water features and occasional narrow strips of low-growing shrubbery to promote the illusion of ground cover.

``I just think it is bizarre,'' says former lord mayor Jane Lomax Smith. ``We are going to end up with no grass, no shade and a trendy non-symmetrical solution.''

The redevelopment is inspired by 1860s photographs of North Tce and better reflects the original Prince Henry Gardens design.

It adds a second path running parallel to the existing footpath but close against the cultural institutions from Kintore Ave to Frome Rd. Its major obstacle is the Bonython Fountain in front of the SA Museum. The fountain, famous for giving pleasure to children on hot days, will be removed.

Meanwhile, the footpath on the city side of the terrace will be widened, cleared and planted to a new set of plane trees because so many of the existing trees are not thriving and, in any case, have been damaged by cars parking between them.

The spotted gums, chosen because of their user friendliness, are big trees of the east coast of Australia. They grow tall - up to 45m - and straight and produce plenty of shade.

While it is a worthy notion to plant the Australian native, they are out of step with the ceremonial nature of Victorian-era public buildings.

Exotics common to England would seem more appropriate from a heritage point of view.

But whatever shape the terrace, here's a plea to do away with the clear fell and try instead to do things gradually - as trees do.

Wrong time for terrace to be boulevard of broken dreams
Rex JORY
The Advertiser (Adelaide, Australia)
02-11-2004

WHAT have we allowed them to do? While most of us were out of the city on holidays, the wonderful, shaded cultural boulevard along the northern side of North Tce has been all but ruined. It is in sun-bleached uproar.The multimillion-dollar North Tce Redevelopment Project has been long debated, with all sorts of public consultation. But none of us imagined our premier tourist stroll would ever look like a main street in Baghdad.

We must, of course, have faith in the State Government and the Adelaide City Council. They are elected to govern, therefore they must know what they are doing. But it is hard to see how they are going to put the North Tce Humpty Dumpty back together again.

For example, between Kintore Ave and Pulteney St - perhaps 300m - only 10 street trees have survived, less than half of them of any age or grace. The rest have vanished.

In front of the old Institute Building, which houses the Bradman Collection, the State Library, the Museum, the Art Gallery and the Adelaide University, the once gracious, tree-studded lawns are fenced off.

Walking along the once-shaded footpath is now vaguely like walking through a detonated minefield. Reasonable pedestrian progress is inhibited by a succession of imaginative obstacles. No trees stand in front of the War Memorial. The lawn is long and yellowing. The Lavington Bonython Fountain in front of the Museum is, as is so often the case, silent.

The once manicured lawns are worn and yellowing. Outside Government House the odd trilogy of statues featuring bronzes of Matthew Flinders and a seated Dame Roma Mitchell flanking the immodest and near naked marble Venere di Canova, stand in a dusty desert.

The picnic lawns have been ground to black dirt and red building sand by heavy machinery. A recessed ground light has been smashed. On this stretch between King William St and Kintore Ave, 10 spindly trees follow the gutter line and a score of more mature trees adorn what were once lawns and gardens. But the lovely gardens which screened lovers on park benches from prying eyes have been flattened.

So now, in this continuing burning heat- wave, Adelaide's once lovely boulevard has turned into someone's broken dream. Gone is the shade of arched trees. Gone the elegant serenity of hidden pathways and sandwich lunches on the grass.

We must maintain belief in our city fathers. From this rubble, we are assured, will rise one of Australia's great cultural experiences.

A granite and slate plaza, water features, colourful gardens and a leafy green walk. Humpty will be restored to even finer glory.

But why, after years of typically South Australian argument and procrastination, do we have to rip North Tce apart at the very moment thousands of visitors are flooding into Adelaide?

The Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts and the Fringe, Womadelaide and the Clipsal 500 collectively attract more people into Adelaide than any other grouping of events.

Progress, change and activity are good. Perhaps the new will eventually be better than the old. When the new plantation of plane trees finally matures we will look back in admiration at the foresight of our governing fathers and mothers.

The Boulevard of Someone's Dreams will emerge in triumph. But the logic of tearing down the trees and tearing up the pavement on the eve of the Festival and during what is the hottest time of the year is beyond my understanding.

(cross posted to RailPage and RailSA)

[Redback20]

As a relative newbie to Adelaide i didnt realise the look of North Tce was so recent. Its a stunning boulevard and i never tire of walking up there of a morning, even if its a longer route to my bus stop. Its both contemporary whilst complimenting the grand old buildings. Fabulous job by the architects.

Those critics aren't even worth commenting upon.
The 2nd one is staggeringly scary... seemingly passing final critical comment yet before construction has properly started!!!

Maybe i shouldve passed comment to my builder back in Sept... heaps of dirt and poured concrete... it looked nothing like the house i designed. whatever was he thinking

[bva]

here is piece from the advertiser
cheers to Brian Pearson, he must shouted the loudest against the 'hundreds'

THOUSANDS of people clogged the streets of Adelaide to protest against the Vietnam War back in the 1970s.

About 250 turned up yesterday to protest against the tramline. It was big, but probably not as big as organisers had hoped - one of them contacted The Advertiser on Tuesday to say it would be bigger than Vietnam.
But a very vocal audience turned up to listen to speakers, including activist Richard Abbott, Opposition Leader Iain Evans and Opposition transport spokesman Martin Hamilton-Smith.

Their main message was that the tramline should be low on a list of priorities including water infrastructure, hospitals and schools.

Mr Hamilton-Smith said Parliament's vote yesterday to allow the tramline came as people rallied to oppose it.

"(Transport) Minister Conlon's claim that 70 per cent of people support the tram extension is utter nonsense and is a muttering from a government out of touch," Mr Hamilton-Smith said.

"The passage of this Public Works report through Parliament today means that the first infrastructure project the Rann Government will deliver in this term is a tram to nowhere for use by 5 per cent of Adelaide's population who live along the route."

Rally organiser Richard Abbott, himself a "tram lover", said many people opposed the extension because the Government had "failed to provide an overall vision".

Transport Minister Patrick Conlon said Liberal politicians made up a number of those protesting and some of them had supported a tramline extension when they were in power.

Of the hundreds of protesters, at least four were part of a protest-within-a-protest, heckling speakers and holding banners in support of the tramline extension.

The pro-tram group included Brian Pearson, who said trams were "the way to go for Adelaide".

[Ho Really]

I'm not against the Glenelg tram line extension, but I do sympathise with some of the protesters. There are many other projects that should be prioritised: an extension of the Noarlunga line to Seaford, repair of our ageing train network, bus services improvements, etc. A desalination plant at the old refinery site at Port Stanvac should also be seriously contemplated. More funds for education, health, and so on. Let's hope this government does not squander our money like some have done in the past.

Cheers

[Redback20]

Do i remember right that federal funding for a desal plant was part of Rann's submission to Howard over releasing control of the Murray?
I don't see why desal plants should be should a major issue, they're all over parts of the Meditterranean which have similar climates to us, especially spain.

And yes Noarlunga line extension has got to be on the table at some point with the speed at which the southern suburbs are heading towards Aldinga and Sellicks. I'm also thinking Onk Council have recently been involving in talking to the govt about this subject?

[Ho Really]

Do i remember right that federal funding for a desal plant was part of Rann's submission to Howard over releasing control of the Murray?

A bit off topic but...

I think Federal and State governments regardless of their colour will come up with compromises on water. It's too important of an issue. Let's hope they build them keeping an eye on the environment, such as the one Rann is planning in the far north of Spencer Gulf.

Cheers

[AG]

And yes Noarlunga line extension has got to be on the table at some point with the speed at which the southern suburbs are heading towards Aldinga and Sellicks. I'm also thinking Onk Council have recently been involving in talking to the govt about this subject?

The extension of the Noarlunga Line has been talked about since the line to Noarlunga Centre opened in 1979. It's been "studied" and proposed many times but nothing more, nor any funding for it's construction announced.

[Froggy]

Froggy why do you keep ignoring me?

Where is the evidence to back your claims that the tram extension will cause 'traffic chaos'?

What's the point, you'll just discredit it like I simply discredit yours. After spending a few days in Melbourne this week I am now even more confident of what a big mistake this is.