[COM] South Road Superway | $842m | 3km

[jimmy_2486]

Exactly urban, we simply spread out too far, too early.

Its going to be a difficult task for Adelaide to get itself out of this mess!! Huge urban sprawl, and bad PT together is not a good mix, especially when there isn't even a decent freeway system to compensate.

We cant just tell everyone in aldinga and craigmore to pack their bags and move into these awesome new high density apartments near the city because we are going to shrink our boundaries and put in a kick ass PT system within our budget.

At the same time it will only be in my sleep, for me to see every suburb of adelaide having a 5-10 min frequency of PT at peoples doorstep taking people into the city in under an hour!! At least in my life time maybe!! West Beach for Christ sake has a frequency of half an hour, and half a year ago it was an hour roughly until the J1 came in.

We need to live with what we have done, and invest in both PT and roads with an open mind, and if the NIMBY's keep their mouths shut, im sure we will slowly start to ease ourselves out of the mess.

[AG]

Not only is public transport infrequent and expensive, but rarely does it take you to anywhere you want to go other than the city. The bus route I take regularly doesn't go anywhere but to the city from where I live, it comes every 30 minutes offpeak and I only live 3-4km from the CBD.

A lot of people would use public transport if it was a viable option for them, although there are a number of people who would still rather tackle road congestion in cars regardless of how good public transport is because of it's strange association of being the way poor people travel.

Similar issues exist with housing. Most Australians would rather live in a house with a backyard than a unit or apartment (for cultural reasons), the majority of those who buy apartments tend to be single or dinks. Hence why the majority of dwellings being constructed are still detached houses. The only part of Australia where the opposite is true is metropolitan Sydney.

Most people tend to be aware of the little things like car usage and waste management that have a significant impact on the environment, but few seem to understand that the way we live and how our cities are built-up contributes to the problems. Even today we're still designing new areas without proper transport in mind such as Mawson Lakes, which is right next to a rail line, yet most of the suburb has it's back facing it. There are lots of commercial areas that are walking distance to major transport nodes, but they are either a long walking distance away and/or served by few or infrequent services.

[Cruise]

Oh whoops, actually I think that was AtD I was talking about....

lol, its funny isnt it? were becoming a very close knit group on here arnt we?

But i would be all for carpool incentives

[Howie]

Just a shot from today, nearly all the neighbouring properties on the south road / anzac highway have been demolished, bar this building on the corner.

[Shuz]

The goverment hasn't really given this much planning thought. The width of the intersection is so large they have had to create 2 sub-intersections for the slip lanes offcoming South Road onto Anzac Highway. Having two intersections will only create more havoc for conjestion, and waiting time seeing as there are two intervals of lights to get through - ironic seeing as I thought the aim of this project was to alleviate conjestion and waiting time, not increase it!

What they should have done, is placed the slip lanes in the middle of the underpass, so that both the oncoming and offcoming traffic run on the same landing (not two seperate ones) where they converge at one single intersection. The waiting time is reduced, and therefore conjestion also. However, using this method probably would increase construction costs, seeing as dual underpasses would have had to be created. Dual underpasses would probably be better if you take into account for roadwork construction delays.

Another one done on the cheap. Only solving for the short term, rather than the long-term.

[SRW]

...the Tonsley service is rather slow, useless and inconsistent. For example, on the way home, a train departs Tonsley at 4.15pm, then there isn't another until 5.10pm! If the line was just 1km longer, it'd service Flinders Uni and Medical, and more frequent services would be warranted!

I remember the Liberals were seriously considering (after they ditched the Southern O-Bahn lunacy) extending it over Sturt Road into Science Park, opposite the Medical Centre, and creating a bus/rail interchange. They estimated it at about $25 million, and proposed a footbridge over South Rd to Flinders. IIRC, services were intended to be much more regular, particularly during peak (every 10 mins or so).

Then Rann came to power, and the plan fell to the wayside AFAIK. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if it resurfaced soon - rumours are that PT will be a major focus from next years budget on, and the plans for the Sturt/South Rd underpass are progressing. And, afterall, the idea for the interchange was originally Labor's.

I personally hope the idea returns to the fore. Such an interchange would have huge potential for improving traffic, for example, by having southern buses deposit passengers for transport into the city via rail instead of continuing up South Road and into the city themselves.

[stelaras]

Here is something published in todays advertiser...
Ide really hope the government can secure some commonwealth money to make south road a proper north south freeway! Imagine a freeway from the southern expressway, linking to port river expressway!

$2bn super road link
Article from: The Advertiser



BRYAN LITTLELY

July 18, 2007 02:15am

A $2 BILLION plan to transform South Rd into a north-south freeway is being pushed to the Federal Government by a high-powered group of state transport leaders.

The group is seeking federal funds for a 22km non-stop route stretching from the Southern Expressway at Darlington to the Port River Expressway at Wingfield.

A freeway of this nature would almost certainly require significant tunnels and underpasses, similar to those being planned for the Anzac Hwy and Port Rd intersections. Backers of the plan for a non-stop South Rd, who have approached federal Transport Minister Mark Vaile, include the State Government, RAA, the South Australian Freight Council, Business SA and the SA Road Transport Association.

State Transport Minister Patrick Conlon yesterday said he and the key transport groups had asked for all of South Rd to be included in the national AusLink network, which would unlock significant federal funding.

The plan has been resisted by Mr Vaile's office, which yesterday said the Federal Government was "not currently proposing" to extend the AusLink network, despite numerous requests. But Mr Conlon said there were "no other options" to dramatically improve the efficiency of Adelaide's transport network.

"We've set out with a plan to fix all of South Rd," he said.

"It's very expensive and will take a long time - it will be a lot easier to have the Commonwealth chip in."

Mr Conlon said a non-stop South Rd would help spur economic growth.

"We've got better plans than we have money . . . that's why we're off to the Commonwealth Government, talking about this," he said.

He did not say whether federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd had been involved with the plan, and Mr Rudd's staff did not return calls yesterday.

The RAA estimates a South Rd freeway would cut north-south travel times by up to 16 minutes and eliminate 25 traffic lights.

Funding has not yet been determined. However, Mr Conlon and key stakeholders have asked Mr Vaile to include up to 10.5km of the road as part of the AusLink network.

That would qualify projects on that road section for the pool of $22.3 billion in federal AusLink funding to be dispersed between 2009 and 2014.

The SA transport delegation has requested that the AusLink network be extended from Sir Donald Bradman Drive south along South Rd "at least to the corner of South Rd and Cross Rd, and along Cross Rd to Portrush Rd".

"The RAA thinks it should go further (to the Southern Expressway), but the rest of us would be very happy if it was extended to Cross Rd," Mr Conlon said. "The important thing is that we've got all of the major lobby groups in SA saying the same thing."

Mr Vaile's spokeswoman, Tanya Cleary, yesterday confirmed the request.

"But (the Federal Government) is not currently proposing to extend the network, despite many requests from around Australia," she said.

Mr Vaile is expected to soon announce up to $200 million in federal funding for the Northern Expressway, through the key federal seat of Wakefield.

Transport and business lobby groups say an efficient north-south traffic corridor through Adelaide is "the most crucial project" for the state's ongoing economic growth.

The route would benefit wine exports from the McLaren Vale region and Langhorne Creek, while also significantly helping Mitsubishi and automotive component suppliers south of Adelaide establish stronger export programs.

A non-stop north-south expressway would enhance SA's bid to win a greater share of the $22.3 billion in AusLink Round 2 funds, the SA Road Transport Association says.

The association's executive director, Steve Shearer, said early indications of the dispersal of the funds showed SA was likely to be "short-changed" by up to $500 million.

Mr Shearer said the state's fair share of the next round of AusLink funds was at least $1.96 billion - 8.8 per cent of the available funds, in line with the state's 8.8 per cent of national freight traffic.

SA received a total of $967.5 million in AusLink funds from the 2004 (Round 1) purse of $15.7 billion - or just 6.14 per cent. Mr Shearer said that amount fell $500 million short of what the state deserved.

[Shuz]

If we get that $1.96 billion secured in Auslink funds, there is no doubt it will all go into the N/S freeway. This is has been a project talked about for years, and needs to be capitalised on as soon as the money is available. We can't waste any more time with our ailing infrastructure - as the wait has been 30-40 years too long.

[Cruise]

If we get that $1.96 billion secured in Auslink funds, there is no doubt it will all go into the N/S freeway. This is has been a project talked about for years, and needs to be capitalised on as soon as the money is available. We can't waste any more time with our ailing infrastructure - as the wait has been 30-40 years too long.

If we do get that funding and spend the lot on South road, what about our ailing regional roads? expesially our B class class roads?

[Shuz]

Stuff 'em.

[jimmy_2486]

Well we could split our money up and spend a little on south road, a little on our country roads.....and do patch work jobs on all of them.

No thanks....spend the big bucks on south road.... then spend big bucks on country roads after that

[Cruise]

What im saying is funds need to be spent accrodinally across roads, like depending how much traffic each road handles, So say a road like south road would get far more funding than the stuart highway for example.

At the same time we also need to gear up for the mining boom

[stelaras]

you guys are missing the point:


Any money we get will have to be spent on AUSLINK roads... The conditions of any money given would be to refurbish, build, extend or connect to Auslink roads.

Non Auslink roads are the responsibility of the State Government. Therefore no money will go to B and C class roads. Further, any money we get will be based on how the Federal Government determines the need to connect or build those roads. Which falls back on how we sell the project to the Federal Government!

And as with all funding, what you ask for is not necessarily what you get!

[rhino]

I would expect that if a letter is sent to the feds asking for Auslink funding for South Road, then one of the conditions will be that it is spent on South Road. Period. No if, no buts.

[Cruise]

If all the funding does go to south road dont worry i wont complain id love to see it happen