Commenting on the story: Call to make Hindley, Franklin, Waymouth streets one-way after bikeway debacle

Greg Mackie’s motion is at least a positive and realistic possibility that should be able to be developed quickly and established at an affordable cost.

It would then be able to analyse the effect, pros and cons, modify if necessary and quite probably further develop.

Sadly, to call it a “brain fart” is only indicative of negativity. – Damien Henderson

Commenting on the story: City council to lose $3m bikeway funding after rejecting latest plan

I am deeply disappointed by the failure of the city council to support a dedicated east-west bike path. Adelaide is a perfect place to encourage and support cycling, and to reduce the demand by cars for road space and parking.

Cycling is healthy and enjoyable, but in the city at present is seriously dangerous. I find it astonishing that the council can continue to put the lives of cyclists at risk by refusing to provide a safe route.

I use the Frome Rd cycle path and it has made me much more confident and comfortable about riding into the CBD. – Sue Richardson

Commenting on the opinion piece: Adelaide’s wide streets, narrow minds

I couldn’t agree more. To read of that descision was an embarrassment. 

I was in Perth at the time speaking to an E-bike supplier and they couldn’t believe how draconian the Adelaide City Council are in so many things.

They are stifling progress in this city, a place that has so much to offer but allows nothing. – Jeff Davis

I am in total agreement. Ridiculous, given all the good trails around the CBD and that the city plays host to the Tour Down Under. – Gordon Jackson

Is anyone really surprised by the fact the ACC can’t organise a bike track through the city? Not even sure if we need a council.

What we need is a someone who has a bulldozer capacity and attitude to get things done so we can become a thriving destination once again.

Unfortunately, SA and Adelaide seem to be just stuck in the slow lane and if we hold our breath for long enough it just goes away. – David Broad

The only thing narrow is the mindset of the bike riders who do not follow the law and ride three, four or six abreast on narrow, winding roads. – Rob Mack

As a transport planner and economist, I must agree with the criticism of Adelaide City Council’s failure to build a promised bikeway.

It is symptomatic of Council’s ideological belief that having the Adelaide city centre crammed with traffic will turn it into a retail nirvana, and their dependency on car parking revenue. I suspect it is based on a fallacy called “self-referential thinking”. Most of our decision makers have allocated parking spaces in their city office, and drive to work. They consider cyclists and pedestrians obstacles to that delay them. They assume everyone else does too, and make decisions accordingly.  

The lack or priority for pedestrians is in some ways an even worse failing than the lack of safe cycleways. Workers walking around the city centre are the lifeblood of every city cafe and shop.

When Covid restrictions began in 2020, council made pedestrian phases at traffic signals activate automatically to avoid people having to push the buttons. It got easier to walk around. But as soon as Covid restrictions started to relax, cCouncil turned the signal controlled back to manual, requiring pedestrians to manually push the button at each intersection. Otherwise the pedestrian phase would not activate. Why?

Traffic congestion is worse than ever, but the convenience of walking around town while there has declined. With the end of JobKeeper we are about to see a host of small city businesses close, and more traffic won’t help. – Scott Elaurant

I agree with most of the article. I am not against cyclists. What annoys me most about cyclists here in Adelaide is that they think they are God. They will ride a few abreast when clearly they are hindering traffic.

Where there are bike lanes, they still ride in the car lanes. Why do police not fine them heavily? Most motorists would be very accommodating of cyclists if cyclists had consideration towards motorists.

Consideration goes both ways, not just towards cyclists. 

Also, enforce bike licencing and registration, just like any vehicle. Ensure the bike has a visible “numberplate” so when a cyclist transgresses they can be reported to police. – Colleen Smith

As someone who uses cycling as my primary transport, nothing you have said comes as a great shock. Any venture to a new location is usually made five minutes longer, when I must consult Google maps to find a relatively safe route.

I don’t believe it’s any secret that our public transport system is abhorrent. What was a surprise to me is just how little the powers that be are doing to change things. 

I must admit, I was unaware of the east-west bike way proposal and had it not been for your article exposing its recent quashing, I would have continued to dodge buses on Grenfell Street whenever I attempted to find a straight path through town and been none the wiser.

However, now that this has been illuminated to me it will not be let go easily. – Vincent Laurendi

I agree with council. As a road user, I see more vehicles trying to use our roads and only see a handful of cyclists using bike paths. And those bike users are alienating themselves by adopting to use the current law by spreading themselves out and making it as difficult to navigate around them.

I have been riding bicycles for a long time on and off road and always kept a watchful and respectful eye on the main users of roads – motor vehicles. – Eddy Karalis

This is a ridiculous article. All our train and tram infrastructure was systematically removed from the city and state despite the cries of desperation from those in regional areas. Now we are being chastised because we don’t just jump back on board with our benevolent benefactors.

You can’t just tell people to ride bikes because it suits your agenda: in places like Amsterdam and Stockholm there has been a constant improving of infrastructure over many, many years. Prove you actually care about how South Australians are travelling then act appropriately, maybe then we’ll see some actual improvement. – Darryl Gardner