2025 Goodwood Ward Supplementary Election: What do candidates think about walking and cycling?

Candidate

Louisa Esdaile

Responses

1) Will you commit to funding the 2022-2027 Walking and Cycling Strategy to keep Unley as the state’s leader in safe walking and cycling?  

Yes, I am very supportive of the continuation of Unley’s Walking and Cycling Strategy. My daughter and I cycle nearly everywhere, and it is my main mode of transport. I even do my grocery shopping with my bike using my lovely panniers! I’d love for a greater number of Unley residents to feel safe getting around our beautiful city by bike, foot or on wheels. 

2) Would you support giving more space on our streets for walking? 

Absolutely. When my daughter was young and I was taking her everywhere by pram, I noticed how narrow some footpaths are in the city. It made me more aware of how difficult it would be to navigate through some parts of the city using a mobility device. 

Accessibilty is a really important issue for me, particularly since my mother used a wheelie walker, and then a wheelchair to get around. Having good, safe spaces for people to get around can make a huge difference, and enable people to enjoy all spaces in a city.

3) How do you see active travel (walking and cycling) as part of Unley’s community in the future? 

I would hope to see active travel to be a larger part of the unley community’s future. By supporting safe, continuous footpaths and cycle paths, more people will feel comfortable and confident to cycle or walk or wheel around. I love getting around the city on bike and foot – you really do bump into people so much more frequently. I’m sure these connections go a long way to explain why I enjoy the community here so much.

Tony Roach

Will you commit to funding the 2022-2027 Walking and Cycling Strategy to
keep Unley as the state’s leader in safe walking and cycling?

As a commuter cyclist for over 30 years, I am committed to funding the very
comprehensive Unley Walking and Cycling strategy. I am pleased that the Council
has commenced work on the Young St Neighbourhood Bicycle route from Goodwood
Rd to Glen Osmond Rd which is a crucial safe east-west corridor for cyclists. It is
also encouraging to see that the Council is targeting the 60% of Interested but
concerned cyclists who would become more active with safe bicycle routes.
It is also important that proper consultation is undertaken when implement the
Walking and Cycling strategy. This was not evident when proposed changes were
being mooted to the removal of bike lanes from Unley Road.

Would you support giving more space on our streets to for walking?

I would support giving more space for walking on our streets. A common complaint
heard from residents while doorknocking over 1800 residences throughout the
Goodwood ward was the difficulties walking on the pavements due to unevenness
from tree root damage. Residence would be able to walk more comfortably if more
space was provided on our streets.
The provision of increased walking space would need to be done in conjunction with
a reduction in speed limits to 30kmh.

How do you see active travel (walking and cycling as part of Unley’s community in the future?

Walking and cycling needs to be a major priority for Unley’s future. There are
numerous benefits for the community from improved walking and cycling, from health
and well being to sustainability as the Walking and Cycling Plan points out.
Improving walking and cycling as a community is essential if we are serious about
reducing carbon emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Kirsten Potoczky

As you know I work in the walking and cycling advocacy space and have done so now for nearly 20 years whether that’s as a town planner for the Heart Foundation, at Renewal SA or with the SA Active Living Coalition. I commissioned an co-authored a guide called Streets for People which looked at using the Movement and Place method to guide street design here in South Australia (it badly needs an update).  I was on the working party for the new DIT Active Travel Design Guide. 

I also teach urban planning and design for health promotion at UniSA teaching the next generation of post-graduate planners/architects about the importance of the built environment influencing lifestyle choices, and have authored several online modules in age-friendly cities for the Uni.

You can be very sure that I will be keenly interested and supportive of walking and cycling related initiatives.  I have worked with relevant Council staff in the transport/public realm teams – especially as part of the recent Goodwood Overpass working group (which Unley BUG was also on).  I feel that the looming legalisation of e-mobility devices might trigger a different debate than the usual cars vs bikes vs walking that we are used to.  

I also have a lot personally invested in safe walking and cycling:

– I’m married to a MAMIL and we also have a young nurse at home who rides a vintage Malvern Star along Mike Turtur/Frome off-road shared paths to get to work. 

– I’m a mid-life non-Lycra wearer who credits part-time commuter cycling to the CBD with keeping Type-2 diabetes at bay. My experience is women commuters are pretty invisible and cycling is oft viewed as a niche activity for ‘exercise’ rather than a legitimate form of transport by many local govts. Children cycling is only generally considered near a school! 

– Our household of 3 adults and 2 kids has 10 bikes!  And I’m in the process of purchasing a Merida eSpresso e-bike as I refuse to ride up hills under my own steam :-)

– Like most bike owners we also have a car + one for the kidult who has night shift/camping trips. So we pay our rego. But vehicle km’s are well below Adelaide averages whilst quality of life is good.      

– We ride to school at least 3 days a week – when my youngest two hit high school I want them to be able to safely commute by bike .  I do not want to be driving them! 

– Safe design and safe speed matter. My youngest was 4yo when hit by a car crossing a local road.  Our neighbour’s 8yo was crossing Goodwood Rd at the lights when hit by a distracted driver and tossed into the air. Luckily both times it was a small car and relatively slow speeds. My child was left with a nasty broken leg/shock. On the other occasion our neighbour     was lucky to be left with minor injuries. If it had been many of the new SUV/pickups etc that frequent our streets in ever increasing numbers it would have been a lot worse. Another neighbour collided with a car while cycling at a T-junction and was left with 2 broken ankles – poor visibility around a corner contributed to that crash. . 

As I see it, there are several issues coming up in the Goodwood Ward and City of Unley generally: 

South Road and other development/roadworks. At a very local level I expect Goodwood Ward on the Everard Park/Forestville side and Clarence Park Ward to be affected by roadworks including T2D/ Morphett Tram/Forestville development. There is likely to be increased traffic including frustrated drivers – there will need to be careful management to ensure local roads are still safe for walking/cycling during these times.  Council may need to slow speed or extra signage to remind non-locals that they are travelling on local roads.  First day back at school was noticeably fraught with drivers being diverted off their usual route and rat running. 

The looming micromobilty revolution.  I’ve been working on this issue with Active Living Coalition partners such as the RAA, Australian Institute of Transport Planners and Managers and Bike Adelaide; we’ve been exploring what could/should/will happen with legalisation of personal e-micromobility (expected around May 2025).  I expect the uptake of personal e-scooters to be popular, especially with young people, and over many years transport folk have been warning that this is a thorny issue as well as an opportunity for more independent and sustainable travel.  E-scooters are too heavy and fast for mixing well with pedestrians on a narrow footpath but are very vulnerable on local roads unless speeds are limited – this is exacerbated by the popularity of larger cars mentioned earlier.  I believe narrow local roads in inner-city areas will need to consider significant changes to how road space is shared, including space dedicated solely for pedestrians. With personal ownership we can expect to see thony issues with hire e-scooters eg being left in the middle of footpaths – go away.  But Council will also need to consider whether current bike parking provision and bike park design is suitable. 

Unley’s ageing population.  Without transport options people are at high risk of becoming socially isolated and cut off from employment. The City of Unley has one of the oldest cohorts in Adelaide and many folk will be transitioning out of holding a licence or restricting their driving.  Many organisations I work with are aware that our population is ageing; that people received licences aged 16 and have driven everywhere since. They are not used to considering other forms of transport for daily living tasks. With this comes an increasing need for better walking/cycling/public transport experience so that when changes in transport mode are made (either voluntarily or forced upon by losing licence) that they are safe and pleasant.  Unley really should be the best Council in Adelaide to age in!

Goodwood Overpass. I was on the working party for Goodwood Train Station overpass – the process which Unley BUG was also involved in. I’m aware of injuries to Goodwood Primary kids from cyclists traversing the underpass. However despite what I feel was a thorough community engagement process no outcome eventuated. I’ll acknowledge that there was no easy answer to be found and if there was it would be built by now.  However, my understanding is that the Federal Government has mandated that all train stations must be brought up to modern accessibility standards  (was supposed to be by 2022) and I feel this is necessary to remove conflict between cyclists and pedestrians and allow people with disability to use PT. It will have to be re-designed in the near future.

Wombat/Zebra crossings – these can help show peds/cyclists where to cross and where cars can expect to see people crossing.  I am focused on crossing roads because I know these make this difference between feeling safe to walk/cycle a route or not bothering. 

Joshua McNally

I’m an avid cyclist and commute regularly between my home in Forestville and work in Hilton, shopping at Drakes or travelling from various points far and wide when weather and choice of clothing allows. And yes, I’m of an age where I can be seen donning the Lycra and killing myself up to Crafers on the old freeway. When I lived there a few years ago I even volunteered at Bicycle Network, a Melbourne-based advocacy group.

Looking at your questions, I’ll pre-empt my responses by saying that if elected I would view any issue through three lenses:

• How does this impact my Ward?
• How does impact the City of Unley?
• How does this impact the wider community?

Now, to the questions!

1) Will you commit to funding the 2022-2027 Walking and Cycling Strategy to keep Unley as the state’s leader in safe walking and cycling?

I think the Strategy is a great piece of work. It is well thought out, well structured, has clear deliverables and timelines mapped out and all supported by data – which is a very good thing, in my opinion. If elected, I would commit to following the Strategy as close as practicable – including funding – unless for some unforeseeable reason another opportunity or priority was presented to the Chamber and I could be convinced to prioritise it over the existing plans, including based on feedback from my Ward, other City residents, and other users of the infrastructure.

2) Would you support giving more space on our streets for walking?

In principle, yes. In order to achieve current health and wellbeing goals identified at council, state and Federal level it is clear we need to increase people’s participation in some kind of exercise, and it doesn’t get any easier than encouraging people to walk to and from their mainstreets, a walk around the neighbourhood in the morning or to access public transport. If issues like narrow paths, poor streetlighting, poor path maintenance etc are a barrier, it would be worth taking a forensic view to any location that is identified.

3) How do you see active travel (walking and cycling) as part of Unley’s community in the future?

Essential. It is a way to unsnarl roads and encourage community-living (shopping, eating, local tourism, commuting). It is an economic stimulator and of positive health benefit. It should be encouraged and supported. I can get from my house to Council Chambers via bike faster than I can drive there!

My final point is more of a request. When you do communicate various candidate’s responses, I would urge you to also encourage your community to vote. In the last election, both candidates in Goodwood Ward were elected on fewer than 500 votes. Participation is essential to ensure that as many different, representative voices are heard in the Chamber. Ours is a diverse community, with an international diaspora that deserves to be heard.

Tori Wade

Firstly, I agree with the 2022-2027 Walking and Cycling Strategy, for these two main reasons:

Walking and cycling reduce emissions and are an essential part of an overall strategy to mitigate and hopefully reverse climate change.

Walking and cycling are good for people’s physical and mental health, well-being, and community connectedness.

In regard to your specific questions:

1. Yes, of course I would want this strategy to be funded.

I would note that when the strategy is implemented, the infrastructure improvements to be undertaken need to be properly supervised. For example, during the Mike Turton bikeway widening, independent contractors removed two trees that they specifically should not have touched.

2. Yes, definitely. I’d be very interested to see specific proposals as to how this could best be achieved. For example, I would not want to see street trees and rain gardens removed.

3. I want to see active travel becoming an even larger part of our community’s everyday activities so that Unley can be a model for other parts of the greater Adelaide area.