Gawler East link road has finally received the green light, Bunnyip Reported

COUNCIL DECIDES: After more than 10 years of planning, the Gawler East link road has finally received the green light, with councillors deciding on a route for the bypass last night. Elected members voted in favour of the revised Eckerman alignment, 5-4, which will divert traffic from Springwood Estate to Potts Road via Eckerman Avenue. Are you happy with the decision? Attach a Photo · Mention Friends Wayne Krollig Potts Road?? Idiots. Absolutely stupid idea. Needs to continue past Potts to Bentley Rd, then the "new" lights at Tiver Rd will actually be useful. Like · 39 people · Reply · Report · 9 hours ago Allana Cruise replied · 3 replies Jodie Exindaris Oh I get it now we do this and it will take the congestion away from the main street and your front doors but we'll just put it somewhere else so you don't have to look at it .WAKE UP YOU MOB OF DUMB ARSES this is the entry into gawler you have three bloody schools and this is where the congestion starts .tell ya what someone take over plz. Like · 5 people · Reply · Report · 9 hours ago Kym Louise Kym Louise Council had 3 options - DPTI, Eastern and Eckerman (none of these went to Tiver). They spent $400,000 to find out that the DPTI was the most efficient, the Eastern the next best option and Eckerman the worst. Council ignored everything (reports, feed back etc) and picked the Eckerman which is the most expensive and will effect the most people. ] Yesterday at 21:56 · Original Kym Louise Council had 3 options - DPTI, Eastern and Eckerman (none of these went to Tiver). They spent $400,000 to find out that the DPTI was the most efficient, the Eastern the next best option and Eckerman the worst. Council went against all recommendations (and community feedback) and picked the Eckerman which is the most expensive and will affect the most people. This isn't whinging this is trying to make the council accountable. Yesterday at 21:58 · Current version Council have not been transparent with the community throughout this process. An extension to Tiver road was never a part of the plan, the funding even stipulated the use of Potts road but council were never clear about this. They instead insinuated to the community that by supporting councils options they were the "Tiver Road options". Council have stated in council meetings that Tiver road may never happen and if it does it won't be for 20 years (after Concordia is completed). They haven't told rate payers that their choice is so far over budget that they have had to strip the road back to cut costs - it will be a lower grade road which will require constant resurfacing, minimal lighting, no footpaths, no parking bays etc (far from the tree lined scenic road Gawler was told they would be getting). By choosing the Eckerman alignment they also went against every recommendation made by the experts and contractors employed to find the best alignment (minimal impacts on environment and people, costs etc) and they neglected to take into account the community feedback from the consultations held (which 75% of respondents favoured the DPTI route). The Eckerman alignment affects the most people, 18 home owners will now face land acquisitions. Gawler Council is a disappointment. Edited · Like · 3 people · Reply · Report · 5 hours ago Howard Hogan Can I encourage everyone who is against this idea and have been vocal on this post, take your concerns direct to council. Don't wait until the work starts. Stop this plan now. Force them to take the diversion to Tiver Road. Like · 1 person · Reply · Report · 1 hour ago Marg Clarke I'm not surprised at all , OTR was asked to move their Gas Tank over further from the corner because Council wanted to expand Potts Rd Corner. But now I'm wondering what happens to the homes on Potts Rd and if they are not effected by the expansion surely the noise of the extra traffic will Like · 2 people · Reply · Report · 10 hours ago Sandra Taylor I give up going through the town on my way home to Hewett from work I hit Gawler at 4.20 - 4.30pm traffic is banked up to the racetrack. If I don't have to stop in town for something I take the bypass. I think this bypass to Gawler east needs to start at least at Tiver Road Like · 8 people · Reply · Report · 9 hours ago Katie Dow Is this gonna create more traffic through the streets of Springwood Estate as we've paid half million dollars to live in an estate to enjoy the serenity, it's bad enough that all the residents are dealing with the weekend yogo road hogs at the reserve and are causing potential car accidents cause they can't park or use their common sense so adding more traffic into the estate is great idea 👎🏼 Like · Reply · Report · 9 hours ago Lyndall Bain Having lived near Potts Road for over 30 years, I can truly say that this decision is crazy and short-sighted. I gather it is the seemingly cheaper alternative, but in the end we will need option B as well. This has confirmed that our choice to move out of the chaos near Potts Road was a very wise decision. Like · Reply · Report · 54 minutes ago Steve Cleland What a bloody joke, this council, how many millions did the state government pay to upgrade the tiver road intersection, this isn't a bypass road this will now just add more issues to an already poorly designed area. I'd like to hear the reasoning for their decision? I'm sure this council pass the bottle around during meetings Like · 6 people · Reply · Report · 9 hours ago David Heintze The decision just goes to show you can't educate stupid.... Bringing the traffic out in the middle of an already congested area. I guess that will be someone else's problem then. Like · 6 people · Reply · Report · 9 hours ago Sue London replied · 1 reply Renae Townley Unfortunately its going to take someone being killed for the council to pull their heads in and fix the congestion around the new Bunnings / Coles / Hungry Jacks / Aldi / OTR area. With all these new shops etc opening plus the schools its just a nightmare trying to get through to Gawler and in and out of these shops. The lights on Tiver Road were put in due to the new housing estates being built near it BUT this would be the perfect intersection to filter the traffic, those heading the Springwood and beyond can take Tiver road, those living in Gawler can then proceed through Gawler with no delays. The intersection at Coles/Aldi should have had lights or at least been a round about to keep the flow of traffic going. Again, the big wigs make the plans but have absolutely no idea how stupid they are! Like · 3 people · Reply · Report · 7 hours ago Penny Williamson State government have not funded any extension from Potts Road to Tiver Road. Why? It was never in their plan. This road is suppose to be for the Springwood community to move further south, originally going through state government land to allow that to also be sold off and developed. The decision by council affects 18 landowners and disrupts people living in rural living property’s. Why? Because Council think that they can then change the state government decision. The decision was based on some pretty shaky “facts” pushed by one or two councillors as being “true” which ignored the multiple reports by actual experts about which route was the safest and most practical. They also ignored the environmental factors (emissions, significant trees lost, etc), road design factors (road gradient of a maximum of 5% - Eckerman is 9%) and many others. There were two community consultation periods (first in May 2016, then again in Sept 2016). Did you miss your opportunity to have a say? Did you chose not to respond? Maybe then you are to blame because you didn’t say anything. The community who did speak up, all 345, demonstrated a large contingent who wanted the DPTI option (over 250 residents or 75%!). I think this decision is a major mistake by the Gawler Council who have not listened to the experts who stated the best option was not Eckerman Ave. I think the fact that most of the comments here state it should continue to Tiver Road demonstrate the lack of feedback the council have provided to the community. The fact that many landholders originally found out about the road going through their property or past their house was via the bunyip, demonstrates that the council is not communicating effectively with their residents. Lastly, all the options provided by council go down Potts Road. There was no escaping that fact. Yet the community still feel that there is this magic option of going to Tiver. It’s not going to happen. Not unless the State government fund it. Gawler Council financial plans for the next ten years don’t even mention it! Gawler Council certainly won’t be able to afford that after spending extra money on a longer, more unsafe road, and having to acquire private property to do so. Traffic in Gawler will always be an issue. Roads are small, and there’s two rivers which flood approximately every 10 years which force a further problem of not having enough bridges. The Gawler East Link Road is not a bypass of Gawler. If you really want a bypass of Gawler, goodluck. Because this road does not meet the specifications for that, nor was it designed for that. And with the reduced quality (to bring it in on budget), the council are providing you with a bunch of crap to deal with. post James Tomlinson This road desperately needs to be built in mind for the next 20 years. Using a new link, not Eckerman. Currently all traffic from Lyndoch surrounds have to use the main Gawler street. And south suburbs going north to Lyndoch and south Barossa have to use the main Gawler street. This link road will become an unofficial Gawler bypass based on geography of surrounding suburbs like it or not. Think back 3 months when Dead mans Pass was closed. Where did all the traffic have to go? That was a image to the future, 20 minutes from Cheek Avenue to Gawler Green. If I had a preference to where it should be built, starting close to Cheek and Calton, going along the water pipeline to Potts and finishing at Tiver road. Unlike · 1 person · Report · Yesterday at 09:46 Penny Williamson Hi James, You state that you want a new link and that it should not be Eckerman. However, your comments about the road going near the water pipeline, is exactly where Eckerman goes. I would also like to make sure you are aware that there is also a high pressure gas pipeline right next to the water pipeline. Not ideal for a road with bridges to go right next to it. And despite the risks, the council wants to try to put the road next to them both, with minimal clearance, on ground which has a hard solid rock (which creates the stability for the gas pipe to be on, but which will vibrate when earthworks are completed for the road). I do understand that wherever the road goes, it will become a "back route" for those who want to travel through. But the objective of the road is not for their specific use. Gawler council argued this with the state government and with legal departments, and were told that it is only defined as a local road, not arterial. This is because it starts in a Gawler suburb, and only travels to another, if it traversed outside of Gawler to another section outside of Gawler, it may then be considered arterial in nature. Please note the road will also only be 50-60 km/h - not the 80km/h that some think. If you have a look over the original traffic report (Gawler Growth Areas Transport Framework 2009), there are multiple options for where roads go. When you read it, you find that the plan consists of creating a North East bypass of Gawler once Concordia is started. At which point, this road will be slower, and take longer than going along that route. I also want to point out that at present, the Gawler Council do not have funds to extend the road beyond Potts (over Bentley) to Tiver. State government have also told Gawler council they will not fund this (several times!). The Gawler council financial planning report for the next 10 years does not mention anything about costs towards this extension. Therefore, for the next ten years (Minimum), this road will come out at Potts Road and direct traffic to Main North (intersection to be upgraded as part of the original plan, with the possibility of Main North to Trinity being upgraded to two lanes each direction). The argument from the residents is that the route the council have decided upon, is not the option that the experts (paid by Gawler Council) found to be optimal. The Eckerman has a higher gradient, which increases emissions from your car, is harder for a mobility scooter, pedestrian, or cyclist to traverse, has a higher crash rate [ie more car/cyclist/pedestrian crashes], etc..... The council went against the recommendation to use the Eastern route (which was safer and had less impact than the Eckerman route), but which is less safe and has more impact that the original DPTI option (which Gawler council still do not see as beneficial - despite all the evidence that is the best option). If you have managed to read all this, might I suggest you actually inform yourself of some of the information (by reading the reports presented in council meetings this year), or by petitioning to your state government representative for an actual Gawler bypass. State government are the ones who create and maintain arterial roads, which means it falls on their responsibility to do something about this, rather than the Gawler council. Like · Report · 11 hours ago James Tomlinson Penny Williamson just to add in. 'Along the pipeline' that runs along Bentley Road. And I hope it is a slow road. Being in local emergency services I am glad that the local roads are cutting speeds. Please don't assume that I haven't read anything as my comments were not of a corporate language nature. It's assumptions like that that annoy everyday people from interjecting their views. The road will be a "back route" it would become quite a busy road, similar to Para Wirra road after being sealed. I would use it daily to go to work. As would most gawler east residents going south to avoid Adelaide road and Murray street. With all the through traffic from East and Lyndoch not using Murray maybe the shops will benefit as you could park without being beeped for slowing for a parallel park. A truck from south Barossa wanting to go south currently has to use Murray and Adelaide road. I understand that this issue is sensitive to many people and the council can't see past an elected term. A united agreement will never be met. I am seeking a chat with Nick Champion about the next 20 years forward thinking of this link road. As the amount of new homes in Concordia and G East per escape road, Murray street, is a disaster in the making Like · Report · 1 hour ago Write a reply... Attach a Photo · Mention Friends Like · 2 people · Reply · Report · 4 hours ago Penny McNicholl Council once again showing they have no planning skills let alone common sense. Tiver rd is already equipt with the required infrastructure at Main North Rd why isnt it being utilised!!?? Like · 1 person · Reply · Report · 9 hours ago Nathan Parks Best decision ever for the specific eckerman avenue route for the bypass as now leaves the amazing beauty of dead mans pass alone and roadway on outskirts of the town not through housing developments! Like · 2 people · Reply · Report · 8 hours ago Howard Hogan I was going to share this because I thought great idea, finally some common sense, but alas poor Yorick....what an absurd idea to bring all the traffic down Potts Road. What are you thinking councillors? Use the lights at Tiver Road for crying out loud. Adelaide Road is so congested now. You need to try to turn right out of Coles or the Homemaker centre to see that. Plus the schools. This is lunacy. Like · Reply · Report · 2 hours ago Jane Lambert morons....they made the traffic lights specifically on Tiver rd ...how many millions did that cost and as if that area at the bottom of Potts rd isn't busy enough......crazy decision Like · 1 person · Reply · Report · 9 hours ago Tracey Hubbard Please please fix the intersection at Gawler Green and Aldi!!! Its a nightmare. Especially at school drop off and pick up! The one way road out front of the primary school should be changed to two way to help with the traffic congestion. Please council do something about it! Like · Reply · Report · 26 minutes ago Kylie Sweet-Dalton Have you tried getting out onto the main road from Potts when it's peak, people have to wait until both lanes are free to turn right cause they don't understand they have a separate lane.. DRIVES ME CRAZY 😜 Like · Reply · Report · 5 hours ago Angela O'Loan I have stopped shopping in gawler due to traffic. Leave work head to Munno Para all my shopping done between Aldi and the main center so much easier. Like · 1 person · Reply · Report · 7 hours ago Laura Cousins Why would the road not divert through springwood and then head to the tiver road intersection that millions have been spent on and avoid Gawler all together ----- Comment on The Bunyip Newspaper's post Matthew Cugley Bring it to Tiver road! Isn't that what the huge traffic light intersection was built for?! Like · 5 people · Report · Monday at 10:55 Adam Scott I thought that was built so when Orleana waters is finished it will join up and to help traffic from the new development off Tiver Rd filter into main north rd Like · Report · Monday at 10:58 Matthew Cugley Makes sense for both purposes I would've thought.. Evanston is a complete road block and accidents are happening on the regular. I live on krieg road and there is no avoiding it. Adding a main road right in the middle of the chaos is surely not going to help.. Like · 1 person · Report · Monday at 11:00 Penny Williamson Hi Matthew and Adam, at present council does not have money to fund the road between Potts and Tiver. This means all options for the road actually end up at the corner of Potts/Main North Road (even the DPTI route). The residents have a legitimate claim due to the council ignoring the expert opinion they sought to decide the most appropriate route. All expert opinion stated that Eastern alignment was more appropriate (and safer!) than the Eckerman alignment. The Gawler East Link Road is only meant to move residents from Springwood further south in Gawler. Like · Report · Monday at 11:03 Matthew Cugley Thanks for the info Penny, I still cannot see how it will be safer or make more sense to direct all that traffic to the busiest part of Gawler but time will tell I guess. Fingers crossed no one gets seriously hurt in the meantime. Like · Report · Monday at 11:07 David Heintze No the traffic lights were installed, at public expense for the benefit of the nearby developers..... Like · Report · Monday at 11:54 Rebecca Jachmann-Evans Perhaps the council should just save the money until there is enough to do the road to tiver and not do an intermittent road. I also know for a fact that within the council you have an extremely experienced road worker who has helped run main highway jobs (digging, ordering and laying asphalt) all over Australia who has a lot of ideas at how this road can be achieved at tiver road, by cutting back on unnecessary expenditures (such as getting private companies to do parts of roads he is more than capable of doing) within the roadworks division. Like · 1 person · Report · Monday at 11:58 Penny Williamson Hi Rebecca, the state government have allocated the money to be spent in a certain timeframe. If council do not use it for this road, they will miss out and have to pay for the entire thing themselves. Also, Council do not have the money to extend the road from Potts to Tiver and haven't even put that in their next 10 yr financial plan. State government have told the council several times they will not fund an extension from Potts to Tiver (it seems they have other plans). Like · Report · Monday at 13:09 Write a reply... Attach a Photo · Mention Friends =============================== Not over yet: residents object to Link Road decision Featured General 1 day ago nov16_8285 RESIDENTS outraged over Gawler Council’s decision to build a major road near their homes have banded together to voice their objection against the project. The residents, who live on Eckerman Avenue, are still fighting to protect their properties, after Gawler Council decided to construct the Gawler East link road past their homes last week. Speaking on behalf of the affected residents, Graeme Williamson said their lives have been in limbo after discovering their properties were in the path of council’s multi-million dollar project. “We were all looking for a quiet, peaceful life on the edge of town with a rural aspect,” he said. “The announcement, last year, that our properties were affected by one or more alignments put many aspects of our future plans in limbo. “This road development will have a huge impact on our lives and yet the council pay scant acknowledgment of this impact. “We have suffered stress and anxiety for the past 17 months, and there is the prospect of it continuing for another 30 months before we can take control of our lives.” The residents are now threatening court action to ensure they are fairly compensated for their land. “Council will now have to deal with up to 18 landowners along Eckerman Avenue taking any land acquisition process through the court system,” Mr Williamson said. “This will be a long, drawn out and costly process for council and the State Government. “Land acquisition law means that the land owners will not bear these costs.” The residents remain bemused as to why the original route recommended by the State Government, or the eastern alternative, were not endorsed, despite 75 per cent of community members supporting the Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) option. “Why have the elected members disregarded the input from the community?,” Mr Williamson said. “So far council has wasted $400,000 on specialist advice, consultants and contractors to provide evidence, which proved that the eastern alternative was the best GELR alignment. “Five council members chose to ignore that advice, wasting ratepayers’ money. “After cost concerns with the link road, the community’s main concerns were with regard to current community impact, land acquisition, travel times and crash risk. “In all of these aspects, both the DPTI and the eastern alternative alignments were proven to be superior to the Eckerman alignment, yet these responses to the community consultation have been ignored in favour of some councillor’s personal preference and unsubstantiated comments. “Why have the elected members placed the importance of flora well above the impact on residents?” Eckerman Avenue, Gawler Council, Gawler East link road Laura Tilley Laura Tilley @ ====================