Community still concerned about Springbank Rd upgrade
Residents remain concerned about a proposed $60 million upgrade of the major dog-leg intersection in Adelaide’s south.
East, Inner Suburbs & Hills
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Residents remain concerned about the Transport Department’s plan for a major intersection upgrade in Adelaide’s south.
Eager residents gathered on Wednesday evening at the Colonel Light Gardens RSL for a community consultation session hosted by the Transport Department for the Springbank, Goodwood and Daws roads upgrade.
Community members were offered the opportunity to submit their concerns and had the ability to offer suggestions to the design concept as the Transport Department team said it was not too late to have a say.
But community members continue to have concerns about traffic flows, the lack of detailed costing and comparisons between different design concepts.
Peter Bowering, a Panorama resident since 1945, said he could not understand why the department did not use the former $40 million plan proposed by Labor that cut through the Bedford Industries carpark.
“It would cause the least disruption and have the best outcome,” Mr Bowering said.
He said that at previous meetings the department had promised to release traffic light details, but still hadn’t delivered on that promise.
“We want to know the traffic details,” he said.
“How are you going to control the rat runners — the people deliberately going into the suburban area to avoid the intersection?”
Colonel Light Gardens Residents Association member Janet Scott said she was concerned about the concept’s interruption of heritage gumtrees and a near-heritage home.
Ms Scott said the plan had no consideration for the 1905-built state heritage site that would be compulsorily acquired on Goodwood Rd, or for the gumtrees that had existed since before settlement in the area.
“The new DPTI plan has no consideration for the state heritage … what makes Colonel Light Gardens special?” Ms Scott said.
Neil Baron, of the Panorama, Clapham Community Group, was concerned with the “lack of responsibility” of not providing detailed costings in the meeting.
“It doesn’t tell us any timelines and it doesn’t tell us comparative costings with the Bedford project (Labor’s former proposal),” Mr Baron said.
When asked for reasons why they didn’t provide costings at the consultation, the Transport Department provided no response.