$15m State Budget plan for 300 more carparks at O-Bahn’s Modbury interchange – but when?

WE’VE been told parking at the O-Bahn Modbury interchange will be expanded by 300 spaces – but commuters want to know how long they’ll have to wait to get the extra spots they desperately need.

The Modbury interchange carpark will be upgraded as part of a $15 million plan in the State Budget. Picture: Stephen Laffer

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AN extra 300 car parks at Tea Tree Plaza should ease the parking squeeze for commuters – but it’s unclear when they’ll be available and commuters want answers.

The State Government included a $15 million upgrade to Park’n’Ride facilities at the Modbury and Klemzig interchanges in its Budget last week.

The plan is to increase capacity at the plaza carpark to 1000 spaces while Klemzig would grow by 200, to a new capacity of 430.

However, the government has been unable to provide a timeline for either project.

The expansion will support an expected increase in passengers once the new O-Bahn tunnel is completed at the end of the year.

The Park’n’Ride upgrade is to include recharge points for electric vehicles, motorcycle spaces and disability car parks.

Highbury student Olivia Savvas, 21, who regularly uses the O-Bahn to get to Adelaide University and often struggles to find a park at the plaza, welcomed the news.

“It’s commonly accepted that after 9am there are no spots left,” she said.

“It can be a long walk after dark at the end of the day to find your car.

“I’ve probably parked no more than a five-minute walk away, but being a young woman at night-time in the dark, it’s not something I’d like to do on a regular basis.

“The backstreets are not well lit.”

The Modbury upgrade is set to include CCTV cameras, lighting and pathways to the platforms.

Tea Tree Gully Acting Mayor Lucas Jones said it was a welcome investment by the State Government, with Modbury’s Park’n’Ride sometimes full as early as 8am.

“It causes O-Bahn users to park on side streets across Modbury and St Agnes,” he said.

“Many residents in these areas have raised parking issues with the council in the past.”

Commuters are hoping they’ll soon get news on a timeline for the planned upgrade.