News & Discussion: Active Transport

[Nort]

The concrete channel seems absolutely required though unfortunately, at peak periods the water flow through there is massive and the drains are part of the infrastructure for preventing potential flooding of the area, have often thought how wonderful it would be if it could be more similar to the Torrens through linear park, but also prefer my house stays unflooded.

[dbl96]

The concrete channel seems absolutely required though unfortunately, at peak periods the water flow through there is massive and the drains are part of the infrastructure for preventing potential flooding of the area, have often thought how wonderful it would be if it could be more similar to the Torrens through linear park, but also prefer my house stays unflooded.

The idea of the best way of flood prevention being concrete channels has largely been discredited. Channeling run-off through impermeable concrete is a massive waste of water, ugly, and can actually increase flood risk under certain circumstances. The trend is now towards the "sponge city" concept, whereby flood water is slowed and retained in the landscape as much as possible, using landscaping which holds it in safe areas. This allows the water to seep into the soil to recharge aquifers, and for excess water to be gradually released downstream at a manageable rate. This is the idea behind new water infrastructure like the lake/wetland area in Victoria Park.

Implementing the "sponge city" concept on Keswick Creek might be difficult, as the corridor is very narrow. However there might be opportunities where it reaches the Airport. A masterplanned redevelopment of the Mile End/Keswick railyards and adjacent industrial areas could also incorporate these features. There might also be opportunities with land left over from the North-South Motorway compulsory acquisitions. These things together might then make it safe to lift the concrete from the whole of the creek and return it to a more natural and attractive state.

[Nort]

The concrete channel seems absolutely required though unfortunately, at peak periods the water flow through there is massive and the drains are part of the infrastructure for preventing potential flooding of the area, have often thought how wonderful it would be if it could be more similar to the Torrens through linear park, but also prefer my house stays unflooded.

The idea of the best way of flood prevention being concrete channels has largely been discredited. Channeling run-off through impermeable concrete is a massive waste of water, ugly, and can actually increase flood risk under certain circumstances. The trend is now towards the "sponge city" concept, whereby flood water is slowed and retained in the landscape as much as possible, using landscaping which holds it in safe areas. This allows the water to seep into the soil to recharge aquifers, and for excess water to be gradually released downstream at a manageable rate. This is the idea behind new water infrastructure like the lake/wetland area in Victoria Park.

Implementing the "sponge city" concept on Keswick Creek might be difficult, as the corridor is very narrow. However there might be opportunities where it reaches the Airport. A masterplanned redevelopment of the Mile End/Keswick railyards and adjacent industrial areas could also incorporate these features. There might also be opportunities with land left over from the North-South Motorway compulsory acquisitions. These things together might then make it safe to lift the concrete from the whole of the creek and return it to a more natural and attractive state.

Oh yeah it would absolutely be better if that water could be retained in the landscape, but it doesn't look like there is currently much chance of that happening at that scale unfortunately. Would be great to be wrong though, a Western Parklands lake and wetlands could be stunning.

[SBD]

The concrete channel seems absolutely required though unfortunately, at peak periods the water flow through there is massive and the drains are part of the infrastructure for preventing potential flooding of the area, have often thought how wonderful it would be if it could be more similar to the Torrens through linear park, but also prefer my house stays unflooded.

The idea of the best way of flood prevention being concrete channels has largely been discredited. Channeling run-off through impermeable concrete is a massive waste of water, ugly, and can actually increase flood risk under certain circumstances. The trend is now towards the "sponge city" concept, whereby flood water is slowed and retained in the landscape as much as possible, using landscaping which holds it in safe areas. This allows the water to seep into the soil to recharge aquifers, and for excess water to be gradually released downstream at a manageable rate. This is the idea behind new water infrastructure like the lake/wetland area in Victoria Park.

Implementing the "sponge city" concept on Keswick Creek might be difficult, as the corridor is very narrow. However there might be opportunities where it reaches the Airport. A masterplanned redevelopment of the Mile End/Keswick railyards and adjacent industrial areas could also incorporate these features. There might also be opportunities with land left over from the North-South Motorway compulsory acquisitions. These things together might then make it safe to lift the concrete from the whole of the creek and return it to a more natural and attractive state.

Oh yeah it would absolutely be better if that water could be retained in the landscape, but it doesn't look like there is currently much chance of that happening at that scale unfortunately. Would be great to be wrong though, a Western Parklands lake and wetlands could be stunning.

The fairly new wetland in the parklands south of Victoria Park is part of that system as far as I know. The Keswick and Brownhill Creeks are connected by a pipeline, I think under Anzac Highway, so floodwater can be distributed if only one floods or the peaks arrive at different times.

[SBD]

Apparently the stop line on Cross Road is to be moved back 100m so that cars don't get stopped by a red light in the space that runaway trucks coming down the SE Freeway need to go through before crashing into the fountain.

Has anyone heard what treatment is intended to protect cyclists in the Cross Road bike lane? Will the green light time be extended long enough for average cyclists to safely cross the intersection from a standing start? Or will they ride up to the original stop line and wait, with the choice to cross in advance of any crashing trucks? Pedestrians hoping to cross Glen Osmond Road might have a long sprint, too.

[Norman]

A few photos from the last few days