GETTING BACK TO BASICS

The recent public backlash over the proposed extension of the O-Bahn into Grenfell Street by constructing a tunnel and running through Rymill Park highlights a serious problem that South Australia has had for the past 60 years. 

A distinct lack of transport vision.

Ever since the flawed decision to replace our once popular tramway network with buses was made in the mid 1950's, Adelaide has suffered greatly from a disjointed transport network that struggles not only with it's own hurdles but more importantly with the ever popular motor car.  Developers, town planners, councils and Governments have paid little or no attention to public transport for decades, until now when it is virtually impossible to get any serious development or satisfactory development off the ground without stirring up a hornets nest of opposition.

Just cast your minds back to the tram extension.  It was slammed almost on a daily basis from the opposition in Parliament, the media and the public.  It was tagged as the tram to nowhere, with many people saying it will cause traffic chaos and it will be ugly with the overhead wires etc.  Now, 8 years on the tram is more popular than ever.  Try taking it away!  Where are the people who said it would fail?  Where is the media singing it's praise?

Lets go back even further in history to about 1979 / 1980 when there were discussions about the construction of the Northeast Busway (O-Bahn) or light rail from the City to Modbury.  There was a huge public outcry over the expenditure for public transport from the above mentioned critics.  History will show that the O-Bahn option was selected and construction was underway in 1982.  The system opened for service on 9th March 1986 and almost immediately there was an enormous increase in bus patronage from the North Eastern suburbs and beyond.  It was, and still is a huge success.  I ask again what ever happened to the critics?  What have they got to say for themselves now?

Over the past 60 years since the demise of the trams in Adelaide, there have been a handful of major transport initiatives as those mentioned above, but they are very few in comparison to other Cities or to the growth of our City.  In 2015, we only have one electrified railway line with arguments over the electrifying the other one and ultimately leaving two others running on diesel.

With the exception of Saturday nights our public transport ceases operation just before or just after midnight.  Some suburbs and much of the Northern suburbs have no services after 9.30pm.  In this day and age its disgraceful.  We still have a public transport system that operates as if it were in 1950 when the street lights were switched off at 1am and nothing was open.

Our transport systems need to get with the times.  There should be some bus services and rail services, along with the tram that operate 24/7.  On street car parking in high traffic areas in the CBD and in suburbia removed to assist with traffic flow.  Public transport to be given priority at all major intersections thus making bus and tram travel a more appealing option.  Parking a car in the CBD should be a hindrance, but only if the public transport is up to the challenge.  Sadly, at present it is not.

Well that's my opinion.