Commenting on the story: New Goodwood bikeway overpass scrapped over tree concerns

Another perfect example of why things either don’t get done (or done properly) and end up draining the public purse.

Here we have a project mooted eight years ago at a cost of $10 million, which was modern and appears to be good, functional, modern design.

But eight years of consultation and endless listening to minority interests result in nothing but a lick of paint, some lights and a bit of concrete work for $35 million.

When will governments and especially local councils realise that endless delays result in additional costs that come from the public purse. Oh, sorry… I forgot; they just raise the rates and taxes to pay for it – it’s not their money. – Peter Larner 

I am sad and disappointed at the cancellation of the Mike Turtur Overpass Project. This significant project was created with two main aims: To provide safe, convenient cycling and wheelchair access across the train lines, and to provide equitable access to the Goodwood Station platforms.

Both of these major project aims, each of them a significant community need, will now go unfulfilled.

The Mike Turtur Bikeway is arguably Unley’s (and Adelaide’s!) most popular cycling route, providing an important commuter and recreational link between the city and Glenelg. The area around the Goodwood Station is the most confusing and unsafe part of the whole bikeway.

We know that just one confusing and unsafe part of a cycling route can stop people riding the route altogether, which is why this project was so important for and eagerly anticipated by the cycling community.

People walking, cycling or wheeling across the train lines will be forced to continue to use the dangerous level crossings, contending with dangerous car and train traffic, or use the existing underpass, which is steep, dark, narrow and with poor sight lines.

Neither of these options are safe or convenient for children, families or people travelling alone or at night.

The newly-announced improvements (widening of the arched underpasses of the tram line and spruicing-up of the train underpass) while welcome in their own right, do nothing to address the two stated aims of the Mike Turtur Bikeway Overpass project and are thus poor compensation for its cancellation.

These aims were driven by real and pressing community needs – needs that still exist. Unley BUG urges government, both state and local, to present real solutions to these needs and will continue to work towards and advocate for better outcomes for cyclists at the crossing of the train lines at Goodwood. – Daniel Grilli, Unley Bicycle User Group

Conflict of peoples’ choices when it comes to “greenery”. One moment they are asking for gum trees and others to be removed from parks and wherever pedestrian access is, due to danger of possible branches falling and injuring/killing people.

On the other hand when it comes to peoples’ safety and ease of use of facilities, no they don’t want that at the expense of removing vegetation. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. – Milan Andelkovic

Commenting on the story: Review launched into apprenticeship incentive scheme

As an employer who has just had an apprentice finish their term, I have to say that the apprentice scheme for small employers, in my view, is terrible.

I started my apprentice as a school-based apprentice. My apprentice went to trade school and had seven different instructors. The state system completely forgot about him for the first nine months until I intervened.

We had so many “supervisory” bodies supposedly administering the apprenticeship, but never saw anyone during the whole term. Apprenticeship incentive payments couldn’t be claimed for about a month after the quarter and then took twomonths to process. If I had put my apprentice on JobKeeper during Covid they would have received payments weekly, but instead we had to wait months for the payments to arrive.

The training that was provided was outdated and didn’t address the skills we wanted the apprentice to be taught. When we requested training in another area of the same occupation (aluminium welding), the apprentice was given a welder and told how to do the task but not shown proper techniques. This “special training” lasted for one afternoon for 2.5 hours. All in all it was a waste of time. Nobody at the training college had any skills in aluminium welding.

One of the biggest problems for a small business is the supervision required for an apprentice. I was not allowed to let him out of my sight, so if I needed to go to the shops, I had to take him with me. As we are a regional business, if I needed to go to Adelaide for supplies, I had to either give him the day off or take him with me.

If I had employed the apprentice as a junior labourer, the same supervision rules don’t apply. – William McGregor