The Mt Barker Council’s report into the status of the arterial road network in the town has revealed what anyone who lives here already knows.
The arterial roads – chiefly Adelaide, Wellington and Flaxley roads – face significant issues due to the rapid population growth of the town.
It’s good to have this report, which clearly identifies the issues affecting the network and leaves the State Government without an excuse not to address them.
These roads are being overwhelmed during peak hour, which is causing congestion and gridlock and creating an environment where rear-end crashes are more likely to occur.
The State Government has said it has taken several measures to address congestion, including adding more bus services and making the Keoride on-demand bus service permanent.
However, the council report was put together after those measures were put in place, which shows that they were nowhere near enough.
We know that the State Government plans to upgrade the roundabout at the intersection of Adelaide, Flaxley, Wellington and Alexandrina roads.
But this is a bemusing priority, when the bulk of the congestion on Adelaide Road appears to be between the freeway and Druids Avenue.
The Government has also promised to upgrade the Adelaide Road interchange, including adding a new three-lane bridge over the freeway for northbound traffic.
The interchange and roundabout upgrades are welcome, but without significant work along the rest of Adelaide Road and other arterial routes, it will just move the problem elsewhere.
Earlier this year the Department for Infrastructure and Transport said it had undertaken “preliminary planning” for improvements to Adelaide Road between the interchange and the roundabout.
While that’s all well and good, they are yet to provide a timeframe, funding commitment or any other details about these plans.
It’s easy for the Government to hide behind vague commitments, but what we actually need is real action where it’s most needed.
And we needed it years ago, so we can’t afford to wait any longer.
