Residents win small victory in battle against State Government over O-Bahn upgrade

RESIDENTS who face being “virtually landlocked” by the proposed $160 million O-Bahn tunnel have won a small victory in their battle against the State Government.

South Australia Government releases revised plan for $160m O-Bahn tunnel from Hackney to Rundle Road . Hackney Road looking South

RESIDENTS who face being “virtually landlocked” by the proposed $160 million O-Bahn tunnel have won a small victory in their battle against the State Government.

The state’s Development Assessment Commission on Friday deferred a decision on whether to approve the tunnel and ordered the Government to change the design to address resident concerns about access to Hackney and Gilberton.

The design, as it stands, would ban right turns from Hackney Rd, between North Tce and Park Tce, Gilberton.

A Transport Department spokesman said the Government would provide more information relating to:

THE addition of a U-turn on Hackney Rd and keep clear zone on North Tce, opposite Osborn st;

IMPROVED landscaping on Hackney Rd;

A RETHINK on the intersection at Park Rd, Hackney Rd and Park Tce, and;

FURTHER investigation of pedestrian movement across Hackney Rd.

The delay is a small victory for residents who have raised concerns about extending the O-Bahn tunnel since plans were announced last year.

Friday’s commission meeting — closed to the media — included presentations from 16 residents, the Transport Department and Opposition leader Steven Marshall. Hackney Residents Association president Serena Coulls was pleased the commission was hearing the group’s concerns.

“It’s great news to see they seem to be reasonably sympathetic to the local community’s concerns and the fact that the department have . . . failed to resolve them has obviously annoyed them (the commission),” she said.

But she said the residents were still “very concerned” by the impact on Hackney Rd traffic as well as landmarks such as the National Wine Centre and Adelaide Zoo.

“The project obviously constrains traffic movements and for all commuters, visitors and tourists to the area,” she said

Mr Marshall said Hackney residents would be “virtually landlocked” without a U-turn between Plane Tree Drive and North Tce.

The O-Bahn extension includes a 650m bus tunnel through Rymill Park, with buses emerging close to the intersection of Grenfell St and East Tce.

The Transport Department predicts removing O-Bahn buses from traffic on Hackney Rd will save commuters an average seven minutes travel time each day and motorists about four-and-a-half minutes.

Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan said work on the tunnel would start when the project received the commission’s approval. - with Renato Castello.