Having lived in Canberra for the past few years, I now find Adelaide a somewhat frustrating city in which to drive. Canberra has its own problems and peculiarities, but – like Adelaide – it is an elongated and spread-out city. However, Canberra is unique in having been designed post the invention of the motor car, which has permitted city planning that has certain advantages for that mode of transport. Canberra is blessed with a number of wide, non-stop arterial roads (generally 80kph) that mean it is generally relatively quick to get from one part of the city to another. In comparison, whenever I return to Adelaide now, I find the lack of non-stop arterial roads to be very frustrating.
Whilst Canberra obviously has a much lower population than Adelaide, it’s not just because of this that I find transport by car to be easier in Canberra. If I drive from Canberra to Sydney, for example, the highway eventually turns into the Eastern Distributor, winds its way through a non-stop corridor in and amongst Sydney’s south-western suburbs, and I don’t see any traffic lights at all until a tunnel spits me out right in the middle of the Sydney CBD. Sure, I pay $6 or $8 or whatever for the privilege, but I think it’s more than worth it.
Driving into Adelaide, on the other hand, I can either make the long trek through countless traffic lights and a variety of speed limits down Main North Road, or brave the parked cars and right-hand turners on Glen Osmond Road, which outside of peak times (when clearways are in force) is effectively a one-lane road. It seems a bit illogical to me, and is a source of frustration, that it’s far easier to drive into, or through, the CBD of a city with over four million people than a city of one million. Consequently, I’m very supportive of Adelaide building one or more toll roads, provided they’re in the right location.
I’m hoping we can turn our attention to what might be the realistic options for Adelaide’s first road tunnel. I don’t want this to turn into another debate about the pros and cons of tolls, because that’s what the toll road discussion is for. I’m assuming this would be a tolled tunnel. Towards the start of toll road thread, Aidan proposed some possible routes for tolled tunnels. I thought these were all sensible suggestions, but which one has the most realistic chance of being built? To my mind, there are two main options:
1. A tunnel beginning at the bottom of the SE freeway (entrance – ironically – probably near the old toll gate), following the line of Glen Osmond Road and Fullarton Road, and then depositing drivers onto Dequetteville Tce somewhere between Wakefield Road and Bartels Road. This obviously has the advantages of being able to bypass the congestion of both Glen Osmond Road and the Brittania Roundabout (possibly also reducing the ‘issue’ of that roundabout and/or permitting alternative solutions to ‘fix’ it). It’s also the notional route of the A1, and is part of Adelaide’s ‘ring route’. The tunnel would have a possible entry/exit point at the intersection of Fullarton and Greenhill Roads, and might also be supplemented by a shorter tunnel further north to better connect Mann Rd/Park Rd with Main North Road. I suspect such a tunnel would primarily benefit commuters, but there would probably be some freight benefits, too.
OR
2. A tunnel again beginning at the bottom of the freeway and following the line of Glen Osmond Road, but then turning to follow the line of Greenhill Road and eventually depositing drivers onto South Road. The exact location of this exit point would probably be determined by what ends up happening with South Road north of Anzac Hwy. This tunnel would have a possible entry/exit point on Glen Osmond Road in the parklands between Greenhill and Hutt Rds. I suspect this tunnel would have significant benefits for freight movements that come down the freeway and then need to get to the western suburbs.
I realise this is all very much future-gazing – a 10-20 year horizon at least – but I believe Adelaide will eventually come round to the idea of and need for toll roads. In any case, once the South Road upgrade nears completion, I can imagine there will be pressure for the government of the day to identify what its next priorities are for major road infrastructure improvements. Who knows, there's probably a section in the Dept of Infrastructure dedicated to this already...
Sorry for the long post. Keen to hear thoughts. Flaming to a minimum, if possible.
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Maximus