Petition to revisit new Hahndorf bypass plans now over 2000 signatures strong
Hahndorf residents are frustrated the town’s popular tourist strip will remain as a truck transport corridor, saying a plan to reduce heavy vehicles won’t work.
Adelaide Hills & Murraylands
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A new freeway bypass is the only solution to fix the dangerously congested Hahndorf main street and must be on the state government’s agenda, according to a Hills community group.
The Hahndorf Community Association continues to lobby for a new bypass near the busy tourist town and points to a 2000-signature strong petition to show an “overwhelming appetite” for a new interchange among Adelaide Hills residents.
Members of the group are frustrated the popular tourist strip will continue to be used as a designated transport corridor, citing it as a danger to pedestrians and local road users.
Four new bypass options were put on the table near the town’s centre to combat the congestion following a 2019 traffic study which found 11,000 vehicles, including 480 heavy vehicles, pass through Hahndorf each day.
However, in September 2022, the state government announced it would scrap a proposed highway interchange and opt to focus on improvements to the nearby Mount Barker and Verdun interchanges while giving the main street a facelift.
A graphic showing the current proposals for Verdun and Mount Barker, and the previous plan for Hanhdorf. The orange line is the South-Eastern Freeway.
The government said its new plans would see a reduction of 990 vehicles a day from Hahndorf’s main street, including 110 heavy vehicles.
HCA chair Greg Lomax said there was serious doubt in the community the latest plans would adequately address the core issue of the main street being used by heavy vehicles.
He said the strip acted as part of a north-south truck commuter route from the Barossa and northern Hills through to Echunga and the Fleurieu Peninsula and would continue to be used by heavy vehicles despite nearby interchange upgrades.
Mr Lomax said the main street also carried the burden of the growing Hills population and its traffic volume would continue to rapidly increase.
“I don’t think there will be any benefit at all from those two interchange upgrades – we doubt the traffic will reduce by 990 vehicles a day but even so, that is relative to traffic volumes counted in 2019 … the traffic in Hahndorf is growing at 1.9 per cent per annum, you add that to the 11,000 from 2019 we are already over the 990-vehicle reduction figure,” he said.
“Hahndorf has experienced its record tourism spend over a 12-month period and the town itself has had its busiest December and January and it will keep growing.
“The traffic study pointed to the need for a new bypass and that is what the community needs.”
However, a spokesperson for Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the government was confident in the Department of Infrastructure and Transport’s modelling and there was no basis for any assertion by HCA that it required updating.
“It is worth noting that many of the trucks currently using the main street do so to service the Hahndorf area, rather than as a thoroughfare,” the spokesperson said.
Mr Lomax conceded the Labor government inherited flawed plans – however it was up to the government to find a workable solution.
“That’s why we have a government – you can’t keep everyone happy but need to make decisions for the greater good,” he said.
“Our petition demonstrates that there is overwhelming support for a new bypass.”
Mr Koutsantonis’ spokesperson said the government agreed it inherited ideas for a proposed interchange that were not workable.
“As such, it was decided the most appropriate course was to proceed with significant upgrades to interchanges at Verdun and Mount Barker, improvements to Hahndorf’s main street and an extension of the Pioneer Women’s Trail, all of which have been widely welcomed in the community.
“The Minister has met twice with members of the Hahndorf Community Association and offered to undertake additional traffic modelling of current traffic impacts at their request.”
Mr Koutsantonis’ office said it would continue to work with not just the HCA, but the wider Hills community.
“There is clearly a strong appetite for an additional bypass among some members of the Hahndorf community, in particular those in the Hahndorf Community Association,” the spokesperson said.
“However, the government has also informed HCA it would undertake similar engagement with other members of the community, including residents of Paechtown who would be most affected by their additional bypass proposal – which would involve considerable impact on that community and its environment.
“It is clear there are a range of strongly-held views in the community about what the HCA is proposing.”
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