$180 to give bikes right of way on suburban stretch as safety measures planned for Rugby/Porter St bikeway
A SUBURBAN council is pushing ahead with a plan to give bike riders the right of way over cars on a route in Adelaide’s inner south. Here are the measures it’ll implement as part of its $180,000 plan.
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UNLEY Council will push on with plans to give cyclists priority over motorists on the Rugby/Porter St bikeway after an independent review found its design was safe.
But the council plans to install extra street signs and more public lighting at the corner of Porter and Young streets to allay fears about the potential for crashes at the intersection.
Elected members last month accepted the recommendations of Greenhill Engineers’ review of the council’s plan to switch give way signs and widen the kerb at the junction of Porter and Young streets.
The council commissioned the audit amid concerns from some councillors and Parkside residents that the changes would encourage cyclists to speed along the district’s busiest bikeway, increasing the likelihood of accidents with pedestrians and motorists.
The review found the design of the intersection was safe, but recommended a range of measures to reduce the chance of crashes.
It included installing signs warning drivers on Young St about oncoming cyclists, new public lighting and trimming – or even axing – a tree at the intersection’s northwestern corner to give motorists a better view of riders.
Cr Rufus Salaman, who called for the review, was satisfied the changes would address safety concerns.
“I do not think this is perfect, but there are quite a number of minor changes that will make it far safer than what it was,” Cr Salaman told last month’s meeting.
The changes at the Young St intersection are part of the council’s $180,000 plan for the Rugby/Porter St bikeway, which includes switching give way signs at two other intersections and redesigning the Edmund Ave roundabout.
The council expected work to be completed by October.
