North Tce facing pedestrian ‘tidal wave’, council warned
The Adelaide City Council has been warned it needs to seriously consider upgrading the western end of North Terrace to cope with increased foot traffic after the new Royal Adelaide Hospital opens later this year.
The upgraded eastern part of North Tce could be replicated in the west. Photo: John Gollings
The council’s administration labelled the western end of North Terrace an “emerging key risk” during a council meeting on Tuesday evening.
This morning, council city design and transport strategy manager Daniel Bennett told InDaily the inferior quality of pavement, crossings and public realm on the western end of North Terrace would come under pressure from a “tidal wave of people” when the hospital, and other developments along the riverbank, are complete.
North Ward councillor Phil Martin said he was interested in upgrades to the western end of North Terrace, and he believed other councillors would be, too.
“We have to determine whether there’s an appetite to spend one, two, 10 or 20 million dollars (upgrading the terrace),” he told InDaily.
“I would’ve thought most councillors would be sympathetic to some work on that stretch of North Terrace.
He said that, as more people flood the western end of the city’s main boulevard, “everyone can see that the whole character of that part of the terrace is changing dramatically”.
“It’s quite easy to make a case for the upgrade of that part of North Terrace,” he said.
He said he would want to see the State Government co-fund any renewal.
“My appetite is to spend whatever will deliver the best looking precinct… It’s much more important than squaring Victoria Square.”
Bennett said the administration had “identified that North Terrace (west) … is going to face a lot of pressure”.
“The quality of our footpaths and our public domain isn’t the same standard (as the eastern half).”
He said the council may need to “look at” replacing pavements, crossings and public realm, even suggesting the multi-million dollar and multi-award winning redevelopment of the eastern half of North Terrace could be replicated in the west.
“We do really need to have a look at this in meaningful way, and see what appetite there is for council to invest in the rest of North Terrace,” Bennett said.
“Why shouldn’t the rest of North Terrace be the same standard in time?”
He said the 2001 masterplan for North Terrace envisioned upgrades along its entire length, but that they were never completed.
He said the masterplan also did not take into account a tram stop, let alone a new multi-billion dollar hospital on its western end, and there may need to be a new masterplan for the western half of the road.
InDaily contacted the office of City of Adelaide Minister John Rau for comment.
