[COM] Rundle Street Streetscape Upgrade

[Will]

I remember reading an article about the Rundle Street footpath makeover, in which it claimed that the new pavers would beautify the street.

All I can say is that what has happened is a shocking waste of money, and the coins embedded into the footpath look tacky and are an invitation to vandalism.

The council should lower their heads in shame.


I feel that Rundle Street on Friday and Saturday nights is generally very full, however on other days of the week it is very empty. And to make things worse, Rundle Street is promoted as one of Adelaide's premier lifestyle streets, and to be honest If I was a tourist and visited on a Tuesady for example, I would be very dissapointed.

I feel that the suggestions already made are good, and I'll add a couple more:

*Encourage or allow the boutiques and shops on Rundle street to remain open until 9:00pm every day.

*There is a vacant space of land on the corner of Ebeneezer Place and Union Street - this space could be transformed into a speakers corner.

*Encourage night time markets in the lanes that abbut from Rundle Street.

*The council should dismiss complaints from the residents of the apartments to reduce noise. If they don't like it move back to the suburbs!

[Will]

Some of the suggestions raised in this thread are in my opinion excellent, and they display greater imagination, vision and creativity than the council.

Would it not be a good idea to make a list of these suggestions and send them to the council. They may take some on-board!

[Tyler_Durden]

*Encourage or allow the boutiques and shops on Rundle street to remain open until 9:00pm every day.

*There is a vacant space of land on the corner of Ebeneezer Place and Union Street - this space could be transformed into a speakers corner.

*Encourage night time markets in the lanes that abbut from Rundle Street.

*The council should dismiss complaints from the residents of the apartments to reduce noise. If they don't like it move back to the suburbs!

Some very good ideas there. I'm sure the shops are currently allowed to stay open until 9pm (I'm sure they can in Rundle Mall too) but it's a bit of a chicken and the egg scenario because there are not enough customers at those times during the week. I'd like to see it happen though.

I'm also keen on the idea to turn rundle street into a one way street, which means less room needed for cars and allows for wider footpaths, which allows room for more alfresco dining, street art, public seating and public spaces.

[Ben]

Best news I've heard in awhile. Shame Harbo says it won't happen this year as it is in dire need of a makeover. It really is way below the standard required.

$1m Rundle St plan
news Council 25 Mar 09 @ 02:31pm by Adam Todd


SHADE: An artist's impression of a tree-lined Rundle St.

A BOLD vision to repave Rundle St and transform it into a tree-lined “extension of the parklands” has the backing of East End traders, who say the million-dollar makeover is long overdue.

Features of the planned upgrade, prepared by Hassell for Town Hall, include:

* Reshaping Rundle St to provide more parking space for retail shops and increased alfresco dining space for restaurants and cafes;

* Repaving the strip’s footpaths;

* Planting dozens of trees on both sides of the street;

* Commissioning street art projects.

A small section of the strip, outside American Apparel, will be repaved next week using two different materials currently being considered by the Adelaide City Council.

East-End Co-Ordination Group president David Williams said traders were keen to see the upgrade start soon.

“It’s all about improving the look of the area and the ambience of the area, which is the premier street in the city,” he said.Mr Williams said the recent heatwave had exposed the strip’s weaknesses, including a desperate need for shade.

“People didn’t want to come out during the day,” he said.

“You’d see activity during the night, but during the day, the whole area was uninviting.

“We want people to be using Rundle St, no matter what the weather.

“The aim is to try and have the parklands extend into the city, so that cool feeling translates all the way through, so there is a connection from the city and the parklands.”

Rundle St has been a hub of activity in the past few months with events such as the Tour Down Under and Fringe Festival attracting tens of thousands to the East End.

Lord Mayor Michael Harbison told the City Messenger the upgrade was “unlikely” to happen this year.

“What’s proposed is considerably larger than the funds available,” he said.

“There just aren’t funds available.”

Prominent Rundle St landlord Theo Maras said the upgrade should have happened five years ago.

“The condition of the footpaths is bloody below standard,” he said.

“The area has become a premier residential, retail and commercial area, and yet the council has basically been left behind.

“It’s become the most popular part of Adelaide and the council hasn’t serviced the needs of the area.”

[crawf]

Good to hear, hopefully ACC target other streets in the near future. I want to see more trees and decent pavers along our city streets.

Though wasn't Rundle St repaved 2-3 years ago?

[Shuz]

Honestly, I'd prefer it to be a mall; but I think the standard they are proposing for the upgrade is very nice. Definetly deserving.

[Ben]

Though wasn't Rundle St repaved 2-3 years ago?

It was but it certainly wasn't an upgrade. Just plain concrete with a few coins stuck in for decoration. very tacky.

[AtD]

I don't think Rundle Street is the type of street that should carry a bike lane. Not because bikes don't belong in Rundle Street, because they do, but due to how narrow and congested the street is. A bike lane creates the notion that bikes and cars must be kept separate at all times. Yet inner city bike lanes are almost continuously blocked by legally and illegally parked cars and trucks.

Motorists pay less attention to a bike when it is in a bike lane. You have your space, I have mine. With parallel parking, there's also the ever-present danger of doors suddenly opening.

Rundle Street is definitely the type of low-speed area where the shared-space concept would suit well. Bikes and cars should share the same lane. Rundle Street traffic rarely goes faster than a bike anyway. By sharing the lane, motorists will be required to be aware of bikes around them. By taking charge of the lane, cyclists are given more space and can avoid obstacles on the left, such as loading vehicles.

There are several roads around Australia that are shared like this. Sometimes there is a bike symbol painted in the middle of the lane to remind drivers to share the road.

While we're talking about Rundle Street, how about a few pedestrian crossings? There's only one safe place to cross between Pultney Street and East Terrace – Frome Street. This is not much of a problem for an individual, but when you're with a large group, as you often are on Rundle Street, crossing the road is a bit more challenging, especially during the day when traffic is actually moving.

I think there should be at least three zebra crossings, possibly one next to Synagogue Place, one between Ebenezer Place and Vaughan Place, and one just east of Vardon Ave.

Thoughts?

[Prince George]

+1 to AtD's comments on shared space vs bike lane. Bike lanes on narrow streets with parking can be very dangerous because (1) it's hard for a driver leaving a spot to see a cyclist approaching from behind when the cyclist is close to the parked cars, and (2) the biggest danger for cyclists is car doors opening in front of them. There is a very vocal cycling sub-culture of protesting *against* bike lanes. I disagree that bike lanes are bad in all cases, but certainly bad lanes are worse than none, and bad lanes are almost the norm.

That bike-with-arrows, shared-space paint marking, BTW, is commonly called a "sharrow".

[Wayno]

a shared space concept is spot on! bring the speed limit right down, and perhaps even share the road with pedestrians as well so we don't need the formality of crossings.

[monotonehell]

In addition to this how about my ancient idea of realigning Rundle Road with Grenfell Street? Which is where most of the traffic goes from that intersection anyway.
http://users.on.net/~c0pkf48/EasternConnectorsMap.jpg

[AtD]

In addition to this how about my ancient idea of realigning Rundle Road with Grenfell Street? Which is where most of the traffic goes from that intersection anyway.
http://users.on.net/~c0pkf48/EasternConnectorsMap.jpg

Makes sense, at least the Grenfell Street alignment. Not sure about the Wakefield alignment though.

a shared space concept is spot on! bring the speed limit right down, and perhaps even share the road with pedestrians as well so we don't need the formality of crossings.

I'm not sure if shared spaced in it's pure form, with no obvious distinction between road and footpath, is appropriate. It is already a bit unnerving on Rundle Street at some alfresco areas where there's nothing between you and traffic except for the curb.

Having had some time to digest the article a bit deeper, I'm sightly less hopeful. Harbo basically is saying it'd be a good idea but they can't afford it. Oh well.

Also, how exactly do they plan on increasing both the number of on street car parks and alfresco areas simultaneously?

On that note, I've often wondered how the "licensing" system for alfresco areas works. I know that Council approval in one variety or another is required to set up alfresco areas. I don't think I've ever seen the alfresco area extend beyond the width of the street frontage of the business in question. Are alfresco "rights" transferable to neighbours? I've often thought it'd be a good way to cover up the "gaps" in active street frontages caused by blank walls (especially in heritage structures) or the differences in the tenant mix.

[Norman]

In addition to this how about my ancient idea of realigning Rundle Road with Grenfell Street? Which is where most of the traffic goes from that intersection anyway.
http://users.on.net/~c0pkf48/EasternConnectorsMap.jpg

The Inner Ring Route goes along Greenhill Road, " "

[Will]

I agree with the idea of an upgrade however I am not a fan of that one proposed by the ACC.

I particularly do not like the idea of increasing carparking spaces; this is a throwback to the 1960s. We should in fact remove all carparks from the street to make the footpath wider to allow more al-fresco dining.

I also do not like the idea of placing trees in the street. Part of Rundle Street's appeal is based on the unbroken 19th century streetscape. Trees will only block this. In the same manner that some of our most stunning buildings are hidden from view by trees (Edmund Wright House, Parliament House and the Town Hall to name a few). I would much rather the ACC planted shrubs or street art instead of trees.

[AtD]

I also do not like the idea of placing trees in the street. Part of Rundle Street's appeal is based on the unbroken 19th century streetscape. Trees will only block this. In the same manner that some of our most stunning buildings are hidden from view by trees (Edmund Wright House, Parliament House and the Town Hall to name a few). I would much rather the ACC planted shrubs or street art instead of trees.

Agreed. But it depends where the trees are placed.