as a visitor,Ifound Adelaide at night very dark and a dismal city a town without soul,once a very clean city
is now very grubby looking has the government and city council lost interest in this once beautiful city of Adelaide

While I do not disagree with the intent of Jeremy’s comment above, I somewhat disagree with use of the tramline extension as an example. While mishandled and poorly articulated I think that, in the long term, the tram extension may prove to be an excellent idea ... provided it doesn’t just ‘stop there’.

Without going in to why I see it as invalid to compare the pre-1958 traffic situation with the present traffic situation, I see this as the first step in actually cutting off KWS to most motor traffic completely.  Look at ‘vibrant city’ examples like London, Sydney, Melbourne, Portland Oregon, and a number of European cities by way of comparison - where they are actively restricting/discouraging city-based car travel & parking and cutting off major interior roads to get the traffic to go around the city instead of through the city.

Why should we wait until we experience the unbelievable, dangerous and painful congestion these cities had to endure before they decided to find a better way?

To me, the thought of no cars in the city is a good thought.  To me, the thought that people will have to either walk, ride or catch public transport to get in and around the city is a good thought.  To me, having 10,000 cars crawling along KWS in a mad rush (yes, I note the oxymoron in there) to get home and hitting my wife when she is riding to or from work (which has happened more than once, albeit near but not on KWS) is a bad thought.

Putting aside the general lack of courage, in my opinion the Great Error the Rann Government has made in the Great Tram Fiasco is 3-fold: 1) not upgrading the radial routes first 2) having negative publicity about reducing many bus routes and inadequately addressing negative publicity surrounding PT in general and 3) not having the balls to actually shut down KWS (except to, say, early-morning commercial vehicles, bikes, taxis and PT) completely.

Having also lived in Melbourne for many years, I do have a view on Federation Square and how little it has added to Melbourne’s vibe versus other more pervasive considerations ... but I’ll leave that for another day.

Anyway, that’s my 2 cents worth.  Good to see someone out there taking a pro-active approach to local politics and bringing it in to the 21st century.

Couldn’t agree more with Jeremy about the retrograde effect of the “new” tram line on the flow of Adelaide. It isn’t just the traffic, it’s the pedestrian flow that has been badly affected. So much for giving the city back to the people!
The CBD would have been far better served by extending the free bus services, and putting up a weather proof “interchange” in Vic Square. Much cheaper, better asthetics, and better use of our fine city. The south east and south west corners could have become accessible, opening up some more of our treasures to everyone.May I say that there seems to be too much focus on the age differential in theses blogs. I am well past the 34 year age limit, but ain’t past my “use by” date yet. I also enjoy the city (although perhaps not the same things as the younger scribes). It would be better to focus on what’s good for all of us, rather than polarise the community.
Would it be fair to say that the main reason Rundle Mall has lost some of its appeal is the anti-social behaviour of some of the younger members of our community, rather than the traffic hazards posed by the walking frames of the grey set?  Let’s keep an even perspective.

I don’t believe Adelaide is at risk of falling behind, I think it is far worse than that, I feel that Adelaide is at risk of going backwards.

Let’s take one of the recent Adelaide projects for example, the tram line extension to nowhere. Firstly before bagging the Stage Government’s $120M spend of our tax dollars, I should probably give credit where due, those travelling from Glenelg, no longer have to endure the long painful 5 minute walk from Victoria square to Rundle Mall or worse, the 6 minute work to the Adelaide Train station if transferring to another form of public transport.

But now, let’s step back and take a look at the reality of the situation. Horse drawn trams have been operating in Adelaide as early as 1883. By the early 1900’s Trams covered a vast area of Adelaide, including the length of King William Street where the new extension has recently been laid. By the year 1958 all tram lines in Adelaide were closed except the Adelaide to Glenelg tram. The tram line running all the way up King William Street to North Terrace was apparently a traffic nuisance… this is of course prior to 1958, but I suppose politicians who are transported by chauffeured vehicles may not have realised traffic numbers may have slightly increased between 1958 and 2007.

As a person who has worked and lived in Adelaide for a number of years, I know that driving through Adelaide CBD during peak hour is a painful experience, traffic is slow, you cannot make a right turn along King William Street… our one main street really has trouble coping with the traffic. But at least whilst stuck in heavy Adelaide traffic you could enjoy the picturesque views down the beautiful wide median strip the ran down the centre of King William Street. I have a strong feeling that tram line extension is going to make driving through the city at any time of the day feel like peak hour traffic… well, except that they dug up our lovely median strip and replaced it with a bunch of ugly overhead cables, furthermore throw a tram or two into the mix just to disrupt traffic flow even further!

My fear is that if we allow old hobb-knobs with their walking frames to run the city, we run the risk of them bringing back horse drawn trams in the next step backwards for Adelaide.

Adelaide’s got a lot going for it, but the ACC seems to get distracted by the little things, rather than promoting and implementing a vision for the city that will emphasise its natural advantages.

Needless infighting with the SA Govt. doesn’t help either.

Since beginning GLAM Adelaide I have discovered a huge community of people who live and work in Adelaide, are under 30, and absolutely love it here. Like you, I am trying to highlight all the amazing things that Adelaide has to offer, and I completely support anything that you’re doing to help grow what is unique and sustainable about this great city. Good luck in your campaign!

Totally agree dude, I think we HAVE to build on our own brand, a mate and I just got back from Brisbane which we believe is behind Adelaide in culture, style and nightlife, and even has LESS of a clear brand image.

It took an article in the JetStar magazine from the latest edition to make BOTH of us realise that Adelaide is funky, stylish, cultural. We summed it up as Funky Boutique, from Elysium lounge and Lotus to Rhino or Esco, or super funky Croydon to Henley Square, there is sooo much to offer.

Oh, yea, and there are people like Kelly from Glam Adelaide who are really making a massive difference in creating a brand and direction for the young and bold of Adelaide. http://www.glamadelaide.com