News & Discussion: Adelaide City Council

[Joely]

I saw a statistic recently that Adelaide spends the least amount of money on cyclist infrastructure in comparison to every other capital in the country. Does anyone know if this is true?

[Düsseldorfer]

I saw a statistic recently that Adelaide spends the least amount of money on cyclist infrastructure in comparison to every other capital in the country. Does anyone know if this is true?

i hope to see this change in the near future with more bicycle infrastructure like:

- cyclist paths (like in the linear parks) located near or next to main roads and railway lines.
- more places to store bicycles at railway stations/bus stops, something like a B+R to go with the P+R and K+R
- and bike lanes separated from the road rather than just cutting corners and painting lines on roads

it should also be possible for long-distance cycling, like i would love to go from Mawson Lakes to Adelaide City or maybe from Mawson Lakes to Port Adelaide but can't because there isn't sufficent "safe" bicycle infrastructure...and i think this issue of bicycle infrastructure should extend to both the state government and all local suburban councils. If we had better bicycle infrastructure i think people would use it

[Wayno]

Councillor Plumridge's latest newsletter:

NOTES__FROM_COUNCILLOR_Issue_13.pdf

(494.05 KiB) Downloaded 278 times

Includes:
* www.sensational-adelaide.com gets a mention as being a strong lobby group!
* A suggestion flight paths get moved a few degrees so we can have taller buildings (an uneducated statement - but positive nevertheless)
* Vic Park Update with a focus on moving forward and making it true parklands
* Vic Square - rome was not built in a day
* Work soon to start on Glenelg pipeline - yay!
* An unwarranted and vicious slur against the Garden of Unearthly Delights. Plumridge is way off the mark here...
* An "Unique Bicycle Exhibit" as a part of a 3yr plan to improve cycling in Adelaide and parklands
* Etc...

[Just build it]

Clr Plumridge's newsletter is an interesting read. I commend him for considering high-rise development and even diverting flight paths to allow it. I'm confused by his hatred of the 'garden of unearthly delights' event though as I would have thought '600000 pairs of feet' in Rundle Park over 52 days was a positive thing for the city. Is 600000 pairs of happy feet belonging to happy people enjoying themselves as opposed to 6000 pairs of feet belonging to East End apartment owners walking their apartment sized dogs not a good thing? That smells a little of old school nimby-ism.

If the main opposition to it is that it's a privatised event and event profits (only a part of the overall picture) will return to Melbourne then maybe if the council and Adelaide in general had the vision to establish these events themselves then private companies from Melbourne wouldn't have such great opportunities to fill the void. There should be constant 'people events' like this in the city, it's what makes the CBD feel alive, the parks feel useful and allows people from SA to have fun in their capital city!

[david]

Adelaide City Council has recently adopted an ambitious (by our standards) Bicycle Action Plan for 2008 - 2011.
In this 3 year program, which is timed to coincide with the life of the present Council, we will spend $3 million.
An abridged version of the plan can be downloaded from <www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/policy>

Also, there is still time to visit the Danish exhibition "Dreams on Wheels" which is all about cycling and the super bikes that Denmark produces - and uses, in great numbers. Exhibition is on on weekdays 10am to 4pm until 18 September at the Old Methodist Hall, behind 25 Pirie Street and entry is free.

David

[Will]

Adelaide City Council has recently adopted an ambitious (by our standards) Bicycle Action Plan for 2008 - 2011.
In this 3 year program, which is timed to coincide with the life of the present Council, we will spend $3 million.
An abridged version of the plan can be downloaded from <www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/policy>

Also, there is still time to visit the Danish exhibition "Dreams on Wheels" which is all about cycling and the super bikes that Denmark produces - and uses, in great numbers. Exhibition is on on weekdays 10am to 4pm until 18 September at the Old Methodist Hall, behind 25 Pirie Street and entry is free.

David

Sorry to use you as an example, but having just written about Adelaide's inferiority complex in another thread I could not help but make a criticism of your post. In your post you wrote "(by our standards)". What is the point of this comment? It is a negative comment. Surely we know we aren't a big city, so why do we have to apologise for it?

David, please don't take my comment as a criticism of yourself, because if I had to critically analyse everthing I have written in this forum, there will probably be similar examples of the Adelaide inferiority complex. I am using your comment to identify such comments. The people of Adelaide, even those who like it, nevertheless make such comments. Such negative comments aren't necessary, and when summed up they cause much damage to our cities reputation and self-esteem.

Another example appears in this weeks City Messenger. In the article about the meeting of capital city Lord Mayors held in Adelaide last week, Lord Mayor Harbison is quoted as saying " while we don't have the speed of growth of the other capital cities....". What does such a negative comment achieve? All I can think of, is to confirm the backwater tag.

[SRW]

Sorry to use you as an example, but having just written about Adelaide's inferiority complex in another thread I could not help but make a criticism of your post. In your post you wrote "(by our standards)". What is the point of this comment? It is a negative comment. Surely we know we aren't a big city, so why do we have to apologise for it?

David, please don't take my comment as a criticism of yourself, because if I had to critically analyse everthing I have written in this forum, there will probably be similar examples of the Adelaide inferiority complex. I am using your comment to identify such comments. The people of Adelaide, even those who like it, nevertheless make such comments. Such negative comments aren't necessary, and when summed up they cause much damage to our cities reputation and self-esteem.

Another example appears in this weeks City Messenger. In the article about the meeting of capital city Lord Mayors held in Adelaide last week, Lord Mayor Harbison is quoted as saying " while we don't have the speed of growth of the other capital cities....". What does such a negative comment achieve? All I can think of, is to confirm the backwater tag.

I think you've misread his post. The 'standards' that he references is the ACC's history of bicycling policy.

Or, at least, that's what I took from it.

[Will]

Sorry to use you as an example, but having just written about Adelaide's inferiority complex in another thread I could not help but make a criticism of your post. In your post you wrote "(by our standards)". What is the point of this comment? It is a negative comment. Surely we know we aren't a big city, so why do we have to apologise for it?

David, please don't take my comment as a criticism of yourself, because if I had to critically analyse everthing I have written in this forum, there will probably be similar examples of the Adelaide inferiority complex. I am using your comment to identify such comments. The people of Adelaide, even those who like it, nevertheless make such comments. Such negative comments aren't necessary, and when summed up they cause much damage to our cities reputation and self-esteem.

Another example appears in this weeks City Messenger. In the article about the meeting of capital city Lord Mayors held in Adelaide last week, Lord Mayor Harbison is quoted as saying " while we don't have the speed of growth of the other capital cities....". What does such a negative comment achieve? All I can think of, is to confirm the backwater tag.

I think you've misread his post. The 'standards' that he references is the ACC's history of bicycling policy.

Or, at least, that's what I took from it.

If that is what David meant, then I withdraw my comment and apologise in advance.

[david]

Will,

Re the Bicycle Plan adopted by the Adelaide City Council, I guess I am 'guilty as charged' and I accept your criticism. As an Adelaide City Councillor who is determined to promote the virtues of cycling in our great city I am conscious of the fact that there is plenty of room for improvement. In the S-A forum I think it is important for people like me to tell it as we see it. Jan Gehl's report of 2002 has languished on the shelves of the ACC for the last 6 years and some of us are determined to brush off the dust and get on with implementing the recommendations.

David

[Queen Anne]

Jan Gehl's report of 2002 has languished on the shelves of the ACC for the last 6 years and some of us are determined to brush off the dust and get on with implementing the recommendations.

David

Music to my ears

May I ask, would it do any good if members of the public wrote to the council to support you in your determination to implement Gehl's recommendations? Is there anything we can do to support this?
Cheers, Caroline

[mattblack]

Another submissions doco anyone?

A new Adelaide city parklands management strategy is seeking to establish vision and management directions to shape the future of the parklands and squares.

Feedback forms are available at www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/aplms

Submissions due be 17/10/08

[Wayno]

Another submissions doco anyone?

A new Adelaide city parklands management strategy is seeking to establish vision and management directions to shape the future of the parklands and squares.

Feedback forms are available at http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/aplms

Submissions due be 17/10/08

could be worthwhile - i'll take a back seat on this one, and will happily review and contribut if someone else drives...

[Wayno]

Councillor Plumridge's latest newsletter:

NOTES__FROM_COUNCILLOR_Issue_14.pdf

(165.92 KiB) Downloaded 183 times

Includes:
* Inappropriate development approved in Nth Adelaide (no guessing which site this pertains to)
* ACC maligned and misrepresented throughout Le Cornu site history
* Rymill park lake
* Australia-wide meeting of councils to be held in november
* Miscelaneous Development Assessment Panel updates
* Parkland building design guidelines endorsed (anyone know what they will look like? relates to all those small sporting buildings/toilets/etc that will get upgraded over time)
* New CEO to be announced on wednesday
* road closures for rundle lantern launch on oct 24
* and a bunch of other stuff...

[Edgar]

I believe any residents who's got their postal address listed in the CBD should received documents so called the 'The People's Park'.

It reveals the draft master plan for the Victoria Park / Bakkabakkandi (what a weird name!) the Adelaide City Council is proposing. Now I believe this documents were only posted to residents under the ACC area, however I think everyone should have a say in this master plan as well to be fair.

It calls for Community Consultation. Strong words I must say, but perhaps they might want to consider consultations from a wider community other than from the CBD and North Adelaide.

Now I present to you....the Master Plan.

Victoria Park/BAKKABAKKANDI

The Adelaide City Council has revealed a bold new vision for Victoria Park and wants to hear your views.

The proposed Victoria Park Master Plan aims to transform the Park into a "People's Park" rivalling some of the great city parks of the world.

The restoration of the Heritage Grandstand, improved playing fields, the creation of a wetland and new walking and cycling trails all feature prominently in the Master Plan.



Precinct 1 - Woodland Recreation

* Improved shared-use path and trail network
* Expanded exercise track
* Establish picnic settings
* Restoration of the existing creek line and revegetation with locally indigenous plantings
* Improvement to the biodiversity and habitat
of the Park by establishing an urban forest
* Creation of a network of interpretive walking trails around the southern end of the Park and the urban forest area
* Creation of a wetland and aquifer recharge facility which will provide opportunities
for education, exploration, adventure
and interpretation





Precinct 2 - community recreation and sport

* Consolidation and upgrade of existing sports fields into a large open expanse to be used as flexible/multi-use grassed playing areas for a variety of uses, organised activities and community based events
* Development of an informal space for community recreation





Precinct 3 - Grandstand and Premium Field

* A prominent community plaza that will incorporate gardens and
public art
* Retention of the heritage listed Grandstand
* Investigate the retention and reuse of associated complementary structures
* Establishment of a premium grassed playing
field/pitch in front of the refurbished grandstand for sport and recreation event
* Construction of a trail to be used for bike racing and recreational cycling




Precinct 4 - special events

* Retention of the existing motorsport racing track for major events such as Clipsal 500 and Classic Adelaide
* Use of the car racing track as a multi-use surface for a culturally diverse range of activities such as bike riding, rollerblading and pedal prix





http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/adcc ... erplan.pdf

View Flyover Video Here

As far as I am aware, there isn't much plan at all there. It is exactly the same facilities as what has already been establish there, maybe some cleaning up here and there.

More information HERE

HAVE YOUR SAY HERE

[cruel_world00]

I love the fact that in the 3d fly over there are people literally standing around the place. Amazing what an ACC upgrade can do to a place!