A Meadows resident says increasing congestion along Hahndorf’s main street is bad for his community too.
Truck driver Andrew Hewett transports cattle between the Yorke Peninsula and his Meadows property, which he said left him with no choice but to drive through Main Street at Hahndorf to reach his destination.
But he would prefer not to, saying a new bypass would help him cut down on travel time and would also benefit the overall Hills road network.
“With the curbing and parking on both sides (of the main street) it’s a bit tight (with the truck),” Mr Hewett said.
“We bring machinery and bits and pieces up here as well.”
When driving out of the Hills to the Yorke Peninsula, he said he has to turn from Pine Avenue onto Main Street before turning again onto Balhannah Road.
His partner Rebecca Hewett, a Mt Barker Councillor and Meadows resident, said this often led to traffic being blocked.
“We actually block traffic coming off Pine Avenue onto (Main Street),” she said.
As a horse trainer, Ms Hewett said she towed a horse float on weekends when equestrian events were held in the region.
“I’m not a skilled truck driver so it’s even harder for me ... it actually turns me off going to things that I have to go through Hahndorf for because I don’t want to take out a mirror or a car,” she said.
“A bypass would be good for commuters because they don’t have to travel at 40km/h and it’s going to reduce fatigue.”
Last year, the State Labor Government announced a revised version of the former Liberal Government’s $250m Hahndorf Township Improvements and Access Project.
It removed multiple freeway interchange options suggested by the previous Government, which included a new interchange at Hahndorf.
The revised scope included upgraded freeway interchanges at Verdun and Mt Barker, which the Department for Infrastructure and Transport has estimated would reduce Main Street traffic by 990 vehicles per day.
But the decision to upgrade two existing interchanges has led to criticism from some residents, who said it doesn’t do enough to reduce traffic and a new bypass was essential.
A petition calling for the Government to build a new bypass at Hahndorf will be tabled by the Hahndorf Community Association (HCA) later this month.
HCA president Greg Lomax said the petition had around 2000 signatures and there was growing thanks to support from tourists visiting the town.
“They find that the congestion, difficulty in finding a park, narrowness of the street, all those things make visiting Hahndorf just that little bit stressful,” he said.