Blackwood roundabout replaces Britannia as Adelaide's worst intersection
NOW the notorious Britannia roundabout has been improved, Adelaide has a new worst bottleneck - and residents are demanding it too be fixed.
BLACKWOOD roundabout has replaced the notorious Britannia roundabout as Adelaide's worst bottleneck and must be fixed, residents' groups say.
Blackwood Action Group president Andrew Tidswell said, as the $3.2 milion fix of the Britannia roundabout neared completion, it was time for the State Government to turn its attention to improving the hills' traffic hotspot.
The RAA earlier this year put Blackwood roundabout second on a list of most risky intersections in SA, beaten by only the Britannia.
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"Many people are now avoiding the roundabout by using side streets creating difficulties where these streets join the main roads," Mr Tidswell said.
"Given that a solution now seems to have been found for the Britannia roundabout, those clever minds should be applying their creativity to the Blackwood roundabout, identified by the RAA as the next most risky in SA.
"Given this dubious status, we hope that State and Commonwealth governments see fit to allocating some funds towards its improvement."
MORE: Do new Britannia roundabouts rule?
His group was waiting to see whether a solution for the five-way intersection was included in the yet-to-be-released State Government Blackwood Road Management Plan.
Blackwood/Belair District Community Association president Karen Hockley was keen to see changes to the roundabout to improve peak-hour traffic flows.
"(We are) aware of the delays and the frustration of motorists using Blackwood roundabout at peak times," Mrs Hockley said.
"Changes at the roundabout, such as pedestrian refuges and traffic lights similar to Blythewood roundabout, would provide significant improvement to the traffic conditions and safety at the Blackwood roundabout."
MORE: Plea to end Blackwood traffic chaos
Newly re-elected Boothby MP Andrew Southcott, who promised a $5 million to fix the intersection at both the 2007 and 2010 elections, would not comment on whether he would seek a similar funding commitment.
"The traffic issues at Blackwood are a major issue which come up frequently in my surveys, at listening posts and while door-knocking in the area," Dr Southcott said.
"We need the State Government to release the Traffic Management Report for Blackwood so all parties can see what is proposed and the community can offer comment."
RAA senior road safety manager Charles Mountain said the configuration of the roundabout could be changed.
"It was recommended for the Blackwood Roundabout that access to Station Rd be limited to buses only, effectively reducing it to a four leg roundabout," Mr Mountain said.
"Most of the comments we received related to the confusing layout of the roundabout due to its five-leg configuration."
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