Backstreet chaos — just to avoid this intersection in Adelaide’s northeast

MOTORISTS wanting to avoid a notoriously busy Adelaide intersection used by 73,000 cars a day are pushing more traffic onto nearby roads — and it has the local council worried.

Peak hour traffic on North East Rd. Intersection of North East Road and Sudholz rd Gilles Plains.

MOTORISTS’ efforts to avoid a notoriously busy Adelaide intersection used by 73,000 cars a day is pushing more traffic onto nearby roads — and it has the local council worried.

More people are using Oakden backstreets to try to avoid busy intersections and main roads which will inevitably lead to traffic squeezes on other roads, one councillor has warned.

Port Adelaide Enfield Council has voted for a report on traffic patterns along Sir Ross Smith Blvd and other nearby streets, after Cr Matt Osborn said more cars were using the roads to avoid the North East Rd and Sudholz Rd intersection.

Councillors voted last month for a report to be completed in to driver behaviour, as well as the need for new “collector roads” in yet to be developed pockets of land near Grand Junction Rd.

Drivers have been banned from turning right on to Sudholz Rd from North East Rd under a $7.7 million overhaul of the busy intersection, which is used by 73,000 cars each day.

Hundreds of school students and residents use the pedestrian crossings at the intersection to access Windsor Gardens Secondary College, Gilles Plains Shopping Centre and Holden Hill Police Station.

“Residents have complained about a growing number of drivers using their street as a rat run to avoid the intersection,” Cr Osborn said.

“It was already happening, but more people started doing this during construction and I think the habit has stuck.

“Between Lightsview continuing to expand and the upcoming land release on the old Hillcrest Hospital site, there will be a lot more cars on the streets and new rat runs are bound to emerge.

“We have to get our heads around this problem.”

In a council report, administration said it was too early to identify the need for traffic measures because the intersection change had just been completed.

“It generally takes three to six months after a road work completion,” it stated.

“After this period, it allows (the) council to deal with any new traffic issues in the area.”

Staff are set to present another report on traffic patterns in the area by April.