U/C: Rundle Street Streetscape Upgrade

[Wayno]

and as suggested by Wayno-yes no gutter, maybe bollards intead? (whole uninterupted level space)

or maybe those sloped gutters that are gentle on Learners and Drunks

[Ben]

Can't wait for this to start! May even help to attract some high end retialers.

From the Messenger:

RUNDLE St will get a $500,000 footpath upgrade, after Town Hall made several last-minute changes to its budget.

City councillors re-assigned $715,000 worth of money to other projects on Monday night, June 16, before adopting the 2009/10 budget.

The Rundle St footpath upgrade was the biggest change and will include new paving, trees and allow for the commissioning of artworks along the East End strip.

[Howie]

Saw the paving test setup by the austral... looks the goods!

[jk1237]

a few people and friends mention they dont like the common concrete pavers throughout the CBD. I wonder if Im alone caus I think they look great and Adelaide wouldnt look the same without them IMO. They always have had a urban, big inner city look to me

[peas_and_corn]

a few people and friends mention they dont like the common concrete pavers throughout the CBD. I wonder if Im alone caus I think they look great and Adelaide wouldnt look the same without them IMO. They always have had a urban, big inner city look to me

for me anything's better than the whole 'coins in the pavement' thing that's going on now.

[joshzxzx]

Can I have the coins?

[AtD]

a few people and friends mention they dont like the common concrete pavers throughout the CBD. I wonder if Im alone caus I think they look great and Adelaide wouldnt look the same without them IMO. They always have had a urban, big inner city look to me

I like them to be honest. They're much better than bitumen, which is the standard in Sydney. I do think Rundle Street, of all streets, deserves something better though.

[SRW]

Just so long as they fix the path (ie, actually build one) along the U-Park (Rundle Lantern). It's disgraceful, not to mention dangerous.

Of course, ideally all street parking should be removed in favour of widened paths (and/or al fresco seating).

[monotonehell]

I like the look of the paving tests outside of American Apparel, but I wonder if they know that those grey parts are very slippery when wet? I've seen a few people slide about on those.

[Omicron]

a few people and friends mention they dont like the common concrete pavers throughout the CBD. I wonder if Im alone caus I think they look great and Adelaide wouldnt look the same without them IMO. They always have had a urban, big inner city look to me

I like them to be honest. They're much better than bitumen, which is the standard in Sydney. I do think Rundle Street, of all streets, deserves something better though.

Bitumen with the odd random attention-grabbing insert is not an acceptable substitute for proper paving in the supposed premiere shopping strip of the CBD. I vaguely recall the test squares alongside American, and I think they're generally acceptable. That sounds like an excuse for a city shopping trip!

And I too am a fan of the large concrete pavers to be found throughout the CBD - they are sufficiently different from suburban footpath pavers, and they're easily replaced when tree roots or persistent stains cause problems.

[stumpjumper]

As someone formerly involved with the East End Coordination Group (aka Rundle St traders' group) I can look back on several proposals for revamping Rundle Street. The architects Grieve Gillett spent a long time consulting and planning in about 2001-2. Let's hope the current proposal gets up.
It's probably important to retain the street as a car thoroughfare. Experience elsewhere has shown how important to the life of the street the Friday and Saturday night car cruise is.
The precinct supports two economies - a daytime economy and a nighttime economy. The two economies depend on each other, but have separate needs. It's vital not to compromise either. If one economy fails, its highly likely the other will as well.
Activity and movement are essential to both, and these depend on choices of venues.
The daytime economy, centred around coffee shops, restaurants and specialty shops, offers plenty of choice.
The nighttime economy depends partly on many of the same coffee shops and restaurants, but it also needs a choice of pub venues. A different clientele visits the precinct at night, and experience shows that they need a reliable minimum of three pub venues operating to make the trip to the street worthwhile. Ideally the Crown and Anchor, the Austral, the Exeter, the Rhino Room should all be operating, as well as a few bars.
At one stage in 2001, the choice of pub venues dropped to two. The 'street' suffered very badly as the number of nighttime visitors dropped dramatically. A choice of two venues was not enough to draw people.
With everything operating, the average nighttime visitor might spend $30 in the pubs, $10 on a yiros and drink and maybe a few dollars on coffee or smokes. Say 1000 people on a Friday or Saturday night, each spending $50. That's $100,000 per week, every week. $5 million per year spread over the street. A business's share of that could be the difference between being viable or not, and it could be put at risk by closing two or three venues at once, as happened in 2001 when live music was not offered at the Austral, the Exeter and the Q Bar night club, for various different reasons. The remaining live venues - the Crown and Anchor and the Rhino Room were not enough to 'carry' the precinct. People considered that a choice of two venues was not enough to guarantee a good time, and the nighttime economy virtually collapsed.
The economic healt h of Rundle Street is probably more delicate than it looks, and should not be played around with lightly.

[Ben]

Sad but one of my most anticiapted developments at the moment.

From the ACC:

Council paves way for new-look Rundle Street

Released: 29 Jul 2009

One of the City’s premier shopping and dining strips will undergo an underfoot transformation over the next 12 months.

Adelaide City Council has voted in favour of a footpath widening and pavement upgrade, including street tree planting, on the southern side of Rundle Street.

The new paving will incorporate charcoal-coloured concrete and feature stone banding, which was the style of paving strongly supported by local businesses and City visitors.

Lord Mayor Michael Harbison said work is scheduled to begin around October.

“Rundle Street is the cosmopolitan centre of the East End and attracts thousands of people thanks to its unique shops and array of restaurants and cafes,” said the Lord Mayor.

“It’s important that we keep this area looking its best, which is one of the key reasons why Council has approved the paving upgrade.

“Two paving styles were tested along a section of Rundle Street earlier this year, and the public response was overwhelmingly in favour of the charcoal-coloured concrete and stone feature banding which is the style Council has selected.

“It’s also wonderful that the area will be greened up, with trees to be planted during the paving upgrade to enhance Rundle Street’s look and feel.”

The Lord Mayor said the new paving would also improve conditions along Rundle Street for pedestrians.

“This upgrade will not only enhance Rundle Street’s appeal and attractiveness but also improve the area for pedestrians through continuous paving along the laneways. The first stage of works will see footpath widening in front of the Rundle Street U-Park, which will increase the ease of movement.”

Work on the upgrade will be scheduled so as not to disrupt peak trading periods including events.

[AtD]

Sounds interesting. I wonder if they're keeping the bike lane we saw earlier - it sounds like they're not, which is good.

[SRW]

I'm also quite excited for this development, though if I'm honest I'm not particularly taken with the chosen pavement. It's basically only a small step up from the bitumen and stone-'banding' recently laid on Grote St. I think Rundle St deserves something more.

“This upgrade will not only enhance Rundle Street’s appeal and attractiveness but also improve the area for pedestrians through continuous paving along the laneways.”

Does that mean paving down the laneways themselves, or continuing the pavement across the laneways? Both would be welcome, in my view

[mattblack]

I'm also quite excited for this development, though if I'm honest I'm not particularly taken with the chosen pavement. It's basically only a small step up from the bitumen and stone-'banding' recently laid on Grote St. I think Rundle St deserves something more.

“This upgrade will not only enhance Rundle Street’s appeal and attractiveness but also improve the area for pedestrians through continuous paving along the laneways.”

Does that mean paving down the laneways themselves, or continuing the pavement across the laneways? Both would be welcome, in my view

Take a look on the first page of this thread, shows the bike lanes aswell