(image source: SA Government/ Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure website: http://www.infrastructure.sa.gov.au/public_transport_projects/o-bahn_city_access)
OPINION PIECE
It's not Melbourne and it's definitely not Sydney, but Adelaide is growing. It's growing fast. Traffic has increased and the road network has started to struggle. Admittedly the South Road upgrade is going to make a change and it will certainly give Adelaide an image it suits it, the image of a proper capital city.
The increase of international flights reaching Adelaide and all these exciting high-rise building projects in the city centre show that Adelaide is on its way to catch up with the rest of the other major Australian cities, coming out of the dark ages of the 90s and the 2000s.
Infrastructure projects that failed and which still exist, are there to remind us of those dark ages. A great example, the West Lakes boulevard bus lane project, which was presented to the community as THE project, the traffic savior. The idea behind it was great, but the execution was head-scratching! They sacrificed two traffic lanes to create a "bus lane" for footy season, since AAMI stadium was the host of footy games at the time. So, speed limit went from 70 down to 60 km/h, and from three lanes on each direction, down to two! The bus lane mind you, was a wasted space any other time that footy wasn't on, since no cars were allowed on there. But the solution to the "footy traffic chaos" could have been simpler and lot less expensive. Just allocate the far left lane to the buses during footy season and have the lanes free and back to the traffic any other time. Groundbreaking! Save time and money.
It was such a waste of time and tax payers' money that a couple of years ago they decided to partially get rid of it.
Of course who can forget the one way Southern Express Way joke!
But unfortunately such mistakes get repeated. One such mistake is the O-Bahn tunnel. A great concept, but the execution is going to cause of a lot of problems. Who's going to pay for it? The motorists!
The $160 million project caters for the O-Bahn buses. The tunnel is designed to allow buses to drive underground between the end of the busway at Gilberton and Grenfell Street and to reduce traffic congestion and delays, particularly on the Inner Ring Route, according to the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure.
The Department also says this project takes buses off the main roads during peak hour traffic. But why couldn't it take a considerable amount of traffic off the main road too?
Again, half measures! The first question one should ask about this project is "What happens to this tunnel after 10.30 - 11.00pm or on Sunday mornings when buses are not as frequent? The answer? It becomes a wasted space. A $160 million tunnel that is there for a handful of buses during the very early and later hours of the day.
Since the State Government decided to build such a tunnel, why didn't they allow for the whole traffic instead of only the O-Bahn buses? This way, it stays open for all vehicles and everyone can benefit from it. Not to mention that another all-traffic tunnel should be built under the CBD, under North Terrace and other traffic-congested spots of Adelaide. But we are happy with round-abouts and traffic lights!
It is with dread that I read the Department's notification about a permanent right turn restriction from Richmond Street onto Hackney Road will be implemented from 7am Monday 20 February 2017.
Not only motorists are being restricted from using the tunnel, they are now restricted from turning from Richmond Street.
In the meantime, the three lanes on part of Hackney Road go down to two (sounds familiar? West Lakes boulevard bus lane project). How unfair is this towards motorists!
So, we are building a tunnel, the first tunnel in the city of Adelaide, and we don't take anyone into account.
We talk about improving travel times.We come up with ideas which make us look great to our superior Ministers, justifying our uni degrees and positions we hold.
But how much do we take all factors and players involved into account?
Why are Adelaide's motorists treated like third world citizens when cyclists are given first class privileges?
Our road infrastructure needs a lot of work. Lots! One tunnel in the CBD only for one bus line isn't a solution to improve travel times for everyone. It offers a partial solution for commuters but not so much for motorists.
A more holistic approach should have been employed here, so everyone could be benefited by this project.
Adelaide is a great city! People envy us, our relaxing way of life, our weather, our beaches, our culture. We can make it even greater! Let's just hope that this will be the last "wind tunnel"...
