News & Discussion: Roads & Traffic

[Omicron]

Because someone has to do it:





I'm very happy indeed for everyone to take public transport to and from work each day if it frees up some roadspace and petrol for our '68 Camaros on weekends.

[jk1237]

It amazes me how most responses to the north/south freeway are against it, I must in the presence of greatness as you all obviously know something that all the other countries/cites of the world don't. :wank:

Obviously Los Angeles now knows something, caus over the last 5 years they have been spending millions upon millions on developing mass transit. How come they need to do this considering they already have prob the worlds most extensive and intensive freeway system. Is there something wrong with their freeways?

[AtD]

Yeah, where's our subway system?

[Cruise]

Eat fresh!

[skyliner]

For those having troubles with induced demand - take a long hard look at Brisbane's road situation. It is in a total snarl - came out on the news here today. Tunnels, expressways and freeways have all got caught up in an uncoordinated mess with very irate drivers everywhere. (All at a cost of 10's of billions of dollars to boot). Anne Bligh taking the knocks on the nose - infrastructure is out of hand - Adelaide has a chance not to go that way.

Coupled with the mess above is that options available to those on the freeways and so on to get out etc have lowered into huge waiting scenarios. People are trying to find back roads as the big fix it road infrastructure net is too crammed already.

Count our blessings here guys - rail, tram, road and O Bahn coordination still a viable option for us.

SA -STATE ON THE MOVE

[monotonehell]

It amazes me how most responses to the north/south freeway are against it, I must in the presence of greatness as you all obviously know something that all the other countries/cites of the world don't. :wank:

Have you ever considered a job with the ACC, I reckon they’ll need a few draconian replacements sometime soon.

Hey, you may be surprised to find that it's 2009, not 1968?

If you're so concerned with what the rest of the World is doing then you might be further surprised that some of the World's largest cities are both considering demolishing some of their freeways and some others have already done so. And you'll be beyond surprised that those places aren't suffering from the gridlock that was predicted from demolishing them.

Freeways have their uses. One of those uses is not in a wide sprawl with multiple origins and destinations.

If you'd like to research this here's google: http://www.google.com
If not here's Adelaide Now: http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/

Sorry, one cheap shot deserved another.

[Prince George]

If you're so concerned with what the rest of the World is doing then you might be further surprised that some of the World's largest cities are both considering demolishing some of their freeways and some others have already done so. And you'll be beyond surprised that those places aren't suffering from the gridlock that was predicted from demolishing them.

Further to monotonehell's point, news just a couple of days ago that Hartford, the capital of Conneticut, will tear down a highway that cuts the city in two. A month ago, Oklahoma City announced the same thing. That story also mentions Cleveland and Syracuse doing the same.

And in related news, financial troubles for struggling NASCAR got worse when GM cut back its sponsorship on several teams. My heart bleeds.

[adam73837]

adam73837 - I admire your persistence!!

I don't think abandoning a thread when your points have been addressed and then coming back and acting like they haven't been counts as persistence!

Why thankyou Paul.
Aidan, I'M BACK!! Anyway, perhaps consider that I usually check S-A about once or maybe twice a week due to school work. Granted that when I do, I make several posts, however I have recently began to prefer looking at building developments, etc. in Adelaide than just sitting here for hours on end posting things that immediately get bagged because the words 'freeway' or 'tollway' are spoken of highly.

[adam73837]

If you're so concerned with what the rest of the World is doing then you might be further surprised that some of the World's largest cities are both considering demolishing some of their freeways and some others have already done so. And you'll be beyond surprised that those places aren't suffering from the gridlock that was predicted from demolishing them.

Yes and replacing them with decent PT Visions that attract younger people to stay and think "Hey, I wonder what this will lead to?" or "I wonder what Adelaide will be like in a few years' time?" Obviously not those exact thoughts, but you get the picture. Anyway, my point is that in Adelaide, we don't even get that.

[Prince George]

If you're so concerned with what the rest of the World is doing then you might be further surprised that some of the World's largest cities are both considering demolishing some of their freeways and some others have already done so. And you'll be beyond surprised that those places aren't suffering from the gridlock that was predicted from demolishing them.

Yes and replacing them with decent PT Visions that attract younger people to stay and think "Hey, I wonder what this will lead to?" or "I wonder what Adelaide will be like in a few years' time?" Obviously not those exact thoughts, but you get the picture. Anyway, my point is that in Adelaide, we don't even get that.

Actually, in almost all of the cases that you'll find, the freeway was replaced by ... nothing. No trams, no passenger rail, not even bus-rapid-transit, they simply removed the capacity altogether. And once the supply was gone, demand dropped too - which is a prediction of the induced-demand model. Many of the trips that are being taken are not particularly necessary or valuable to us, but we take them because they are cheap; when the cost rises (ie it becomes less convenient), those trips are the first to go - we can live without taking them, and so we do.

[jk1237]

Im pretty sure Birmingham in the UK have dismantled some of their ring freeways that blighted the inner Brum for years and years.

I was getting a bit annoyed during my lunch break walk for the past few weeks. Everyday in Rundle Mall, there were 3 people under the canopy handing out flyers from the ACC of "learn how to park your car for free in the city", as well as a big sign promoting the carparks. Oh dear

[raulduke]

Some people are always going to need to drive into the city, for example, not everybody goes to the office and stays in the office all day - there is nothing wrong with people commuting this way into the city.

There are some real public transport nuts in here.

You need both systems functioning well and complimenting one another.

[AtD]

Some people are always going to need to drive into the city, for example, not everybody goes to the office and stays in the office all day - there is nothing wrong with people commuting this way into the city.

There are some real public transport nuts in here.

You need both systems functioning well and complimenting one another.

That's a very common strawman argument you're attempting, but I don't think anyone is talking about a total removal of the 'need' to drive.

[Aidan]

adam73837 - I admire your persistence!!

I don't think abandoning a thread when your points have been addressed and then coming back and acting like they haven't been counts as persistence!

Why thankyou Paul.
Aidan, I'M BACK!! Anyway, perhaps consider that I usually check S-A about once or maybe twice a week due to school work. Granted that when I do, I make several posts, however I have recently began to prefer looking at building developments, etc. in Adelaide than just sitting here for hours on end posting things that immediately get bagged because the words 'freeway' or 'tollway' are spoken of highly.

I wasn't criticising your frequency (or otherwise) of posting. But previously after you've posted about how the MATS plan was brilliant, I've explained why it wasn't. And you didn't keep arguing the case for it in that discussion - but your recent posting went back to your original premise.

I'm not really complaining, for although it is annoying, I'm sure I've done the same myself elsewhere on the net. I'm simply pointing out that while persistence is indeed an admirable quality, it's not one that you've been demonstrating here.

[jk1237]

Some people are always going to need to drive into the city, for example, not everybody goes to the office and stays in the office all day - there is nothing wrong with people commuting this way into the city.

There are some real public transport nuts in here.

You need both systems functioning well and complimenting one another.

Im also a cycle nut

btw there are far too many people that drive into the city that stay all day. At my work, the Embassy carpark next door, now gives us thousands of vouchers for all day carparking for just $8. And its worked. All I hear when people walking in, is how long it took them to drive in this morning. "God South Rd was so slow, i may have to start catching the train again", but they dont, caus "its too cold". Multiply this by thousands of commuters, is no wonder why our CBD has so many multi-storey carparks, and why North Tce is a traffic jam filled with 1 person cars each afternoon both ways.

Our state govt has a policy of increasing PT usage by 2020, while the ACC has policy of attracting more cars to the CBD to park in its car parks to make more revenue. Again, oh dear

Thanfully there are still a minor fewin Adelaide that realise it is still possible to leave your house other than in a car, even for short trips