The City of West Torrens is currently asking for feedback on their draft Local Area Traffic Management Plan (LATM) for precincts 17, 18, 19, 20 and D, which includes the suburbs of Ashford, Keswick, Kurralta Park, Marleston and parts of Plympton, Netley and North Plympton in Adelaide, South Australia.

Their LATM needs a greater focus on active transport with slower streets and investment in fit for purpose cycling infrastructure.

If you want to cycle safely in the Inner South West of Adelaide I encourage you to contribute your feedback by 5pm Friday 15 April 2022.

My final submission dated 11 April 2022 is below for your reference.

https://video.wordpress.com/embed/8e3WaN7J?cover=1&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=1&hd=1ID: A video with 13 slides, the first says “Reimagine Everard Avenue, Ashford. The following slides include the question, “How to plan for the 60% (interested but concerned cyclists)?”. The following video and photos are of cycling along Everard Avenue, Ashford with children – these are labelled “not this”. There are images taken from the City of Charles Sturt’s consultation on Chief Street, Brompton which have a flashing caption that says “cool”. There is also a slide with evidence from the World Health Organisation about why urban areas should have a 30 km/h speed limit. The final slide is an invitation to “have your say!” with an image of the City of West Torrens Your Say webpage.

Critical feedback:

• I want to encourage the City of West Torrens to invest more in long term, strategic, community engagement. The piecemeal approach and response times suggest that more resourcing is needed to support staff and elected members to deliver best practice community engagement according to the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2).   
• I would like to see each policy piece provide linkages with other relevant Council plans and current research and best practice. For example, how does the LATM relate to urban infill data, the Community Plan, Public Health Plan, Disability Access and Inclusion Plan, AdaptWest Climate Change Adaptation Plan, Transport Strategy, Tree Strategy, and Economic Development Plan?  
• I do not understand why the City of West Torrens is the only inner rim suburb without any 40 km/h zones. Our streets are used as rat runs by vehicles wanting to avoid the congestion of major roads like South Road and Marion Road. Our local neighbourhoods should prioritise people, pedestrians, and cyclists first. This Plan needs to include a proposal for 40 km/h zones for all these areas. Worldwide there are campaigns to have local neighbour speeds be 30 km/h to ensure safety, as endorsed by the United Nations in 2020. See the Australian 30 Please campaign here. The campaign research and policy advice states, “Austroads has updated their guidance in April 2020. In their Guide to Traffic Management Part 4: Network Management strategies, it now says “In a vehicle-pedestrian collision, the probability of survival for the pedestrian decreases dramatically at impact speeds above about 30 km/h”. How is the City of West Torrens implementing this advice?
• There is a climate crisis. Without drastic action, our world will warm to levels that threaten human life. We can already see this in the increased frequency and intensity of fires and floods across Australia. The Climate Council reports that transport is Australia’s third-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and cars are responsible for roughly half of Australia’s transport emissions. Walking, cycling and public transport are the most accessible alternatives. The LATM must prioritise walking, cycling and public transport.
• Why isn’t the City of West Torrens using this opportunity to invest in cycling infrastructure that supports the so-called “bike direct” route along Barwell Avenue and Everard Avenue? The City of Charles Sturt is consulting on plans for a similar street in Chief Street, Brompton, which include a proposal for separated bike paths, and the area is already 40 km/h.

A direct, separated cycling link between Westside Bikeway along Barwell Avenue, across South Road, along Everard Avenue and then linking to Anzac Highway and the Parklands Trail would transform active transport options for the Inner Southwest.

Read our submission to the City of West Torrens on their draft Local Area Traffic Management Plan here.