Holdfast Bay Council collects almost $50K in less than four months from drivers parking in Brighton Rd bike lanes

CONTROVERSIAL bike lanes near an Adelaide tourist strip have netted the local council tens of thousands of dollars in revenue in just a few months. Here’s how ...

CONTROVERSIAL bike lanes set up at a popular tourist destination have netted the local council tens of thousands of dollars in revenue — while local traders say they’re killing business.

Holdfast Bay Council has issued almost $50,000 in fines to drivers parking in Brighton Rd’s new bike lanes in less than four months.

The council has handed out 200 fines to motorists since the State Government installed the lanes in October and 100 peopled were fined in November alone.

Some traders say they rarely see cyclists on the road and the no-parking zones created by the lanes are killing off business.

The lanes run between Jetty Rd, Glenelg, and Clubhouse Rd, Seacliff Park, in both directions from 7am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm.

Buns on Brighton owner Sue Schultz said her business had effectively lost two hours of trade and others had lost four or five hours.

“The bike lanes have had a big impact on our business between 7am and 9am,” Mrs Schultz said.

“Some days we might have only one or two customers instead of up to 20.

“Going on current figures this is going to affect our turnover for the year by at least $26,000.”

The concerns have prompted fresh calls for the government to scrap the lanes or at least conduct a review.

Mrs Schultz said the lanes should be city-bound in the morning and southbound in the afternoon.

“The number of bikes using these lanes past our shop would be lucky to be one or two each week,” she said.

“The bike lanes have not improved the flow of traffic on Brighton Rd at all.

“I would like to see them removed completely but I realise this is not going to happen.

“They definitely need to change the times they are operational — there is no need to have them running both ways.”

Brighton Veterinary Hospital owner John Calder said some of his clients had been fined and delivery people had been inconvenienced.

“We have seen one rider in the morning travelling south (and) we have seen only a few cyclists in the afternoon,” Dr Calder said.

“This is not a bicycle lane but a Clearway by another name, so yes there is a small traffic improvement but only northbound in the am and southbound in the pm.

“(It’s) draconian otherwise.”

Bike Society Brighton manager Heath Gage said cyclists had welcomed the lanes but many “still prefer to use King George Ave due to the lower amount of traffic”.

“I would estimate I would see 50-60 riders per day use the lane, however our shop is not open during the morning bike lane hours,” Mr Gage said.

“The flow of traffic has improved slightly and it is much safer for cyclists now.”

Mr Gage said the lanes had not affected his business and he would like them to be retained.

Holdfast Bay chief executive Justin Lynch emphasised the lanes were installed by the government, not the council, and the state also set the fines.

The government last year increased fines for stopping in a bike lane from $239 to $245.

The money from the fines is directed to Holdfast Bay’s general revenue, going towards paying the inspectors, road maintenance and other projects.

“You can avoid a fine, and help all road users to stay safe, by checking the signs carefully and observing the parking restrictions,” Mr Lynch said.

Transport Department spokeswoman Lauren Whitney said there were 23 crashes involving cyclists on Brighton Rd between 2009 and 2013.

She said the department would “continue to work with residents and business owners in relation to their concerns” and review the hours of the bike lanes after 12 months.