Arrests after protesters block city traffic, after they last week glued themselves to prams
Three people have been arrested and more people fined after a climate protest this morning disrupted peak-hour traffic for the second week running. Pic: 7News
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Three people have been arrested and fines have been handed out after another climate protest caused peak-hour traffic woes in Adelaide’s CBD.
The Extinction Rebellion protesters set up a bamboo tripod at the intersection of King William Rd and Flinders St from 8am until 10am Monday, blocking westbound traffic.
Police are responding to an incident at the intersection of King William Street and Flinders Street in the CBD.
— South Australia Police (@SAPoliceNews) October 24, 2021
Flinders Street is closed to traffic at the Victoria Square intersection.
Please avoid the area.
Five people had chained themselves to the tripod, which was symbolic of life “hanging in the balance”, and at least three were arrested after STAR Group officers were called in.
Protesters glue themselves to prams
It follows the arrest of eight climate protesters on Wednesday, after they glued themselves to the road and a line of prams in Victoria Square in the CBD’s morning peak-hour.
They were charged with obstructing the path of drivers and are expected to be bailed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court. Ten other protesters were issued expiation notices.
Those arrested last Wednesday were a 67-year-old Hilton woman, a 44-year-old Torrens Park woman, a 71-year-old North Plympton woman, a 68-year-old Hazelwood Park woman, a 74-year-old Flagstaff Hill woman, a 69-year-old Croydon woman, a 66-year-old Flaxley woman and a 70-year-old Henley Beach man.
Last week’s activity caused widespread delays for most of the morning with traffic banked up as far as Unley and Greenhill roads. However, Monday’s protest was less disruptive.
The protesters were lined up at the intersection of King William Rd and Grote St from 8am before they were removed by police just before 11am.
Trams were not affected.
Flares were also let off, causing some disruption, a police spokesperson said.
Earlier, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said patrols were “facilitating a safe protest”.
He said he respected people’s right to protest, but disagreed with their methodology.
“I’m not sure you get your message across when you disrupt and inconvenience so many people, who potentially support your cause, I think there are better ways to do it,” Mr Stevens said.
Anna Slynn, from Extinction Rebellion, said: “Australia has an abundance of clean, renewable energy that could ensure the health and prosperity of future generations. We demand (Environment) Minister Ley accepts her duty of care, and that the government releases a detailed plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2025.”
The group held a similar protest outside the Santos building in the city in March.
Several protesters later had bail conditions banning them from the CBD overturned.
Adding to the traffic woes last Wednesday morning, there were widespread delays on the South-Eastern Freeway after a truck and car crashed at Aldgate.
The freeway crash happened about 7.45am near the Bridgewater on ramp, causing gridlock in the area. But there were no serious injuries and traffic eased around 9.30am.
A tow truck is now on standby during peak-hour traffic in a bid to quickly clear vehicles in the case of an accident, like this morning.
The crash was made worse only minutes later when a car ran out of fuel near Stirling just after 8am, resulting in the closure of the right-hand lane between Stirling and Crafers, city-bound.
It took police over two hours to clear the crash site.
Transport Minister Corey Wingard said tow trucks would be on standby for the duration of freeway works.
It follows a commitment by the minister in April this year, following calls by commuters to address a high frequency of crashes and breakdowns on the SE freeway.
“To date there have been 14 incidents on the freeway to which the TMC standby truck has responded, helping ease the disruption to traffic.”
Newly fledged independent Dan Cregan MP said Wednesday’s morning accident highlighted the ongoing need for improved transport options between Mt Barker and Adelaide.
According RAA data, a total of 599 breakdowns were recorded on the SE Freeway between January 1, 2021 and October 19, 2021.
This compares to 519 breacdowns during the same period in 2020.
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