Wilberforce Walk Stage 4 passes council – with changes
It’s with mixed feelings that we report the news that the design for the Wilberforce Walk Stage 4 Improvements has been endorsed by council in the recent July council meeting.
Unley BUG were generally big fans of the original design, particularly the slow points on Nichols St Street (a design which has been proven elsewhere in Unley to increase safety by reducing car speeds and volumes) and the visionary continuous footpaths at the Ethel Street Intersection which rebalance the street away from cars and towards people on foot. You can read our submission to council on the project here.
Unfortunately, the two elements mentioned above were nixed from the design that was ultimately approved by council due to opposition from local residents, despite having majority support from respondents overall. Why? Because of concerns over street parking loss and a perceived difficulty in access they would create. As ever, people are willing to trade away the safety of others for the ease of parking their own cars.
It’s not all doom and gloom though – some significant improvements did manage to survive the consultation process. Notably, there will be a new wombat crossing installed on Leah St which, combined with a new raised continuous footpath across Nichols St at the Leah St intersection, should make entering and exiting the shared use path section of Wilberforce Walk that much safer. You can see the design of the approved improvements in the image above.
Young Street needs your help
Back in April we reported on the exciting planned improvements to Young St between Unley Rd and Glen Osmond Rd. Young St is an important east-west connection in our cycling network, linking Glen Osmond Rd, Unley Rd, George St, King William Rd, the Rugby-Porter Bikeway and the Mike Turtur Bikeway. Essentially, what is being proposed is a replication of the design implemented on the Wood-Weller bikeway, which has been proven in practice to make a street safer for walking and cycling by reducing the speed and volume of car traffic.
Consultation has since closed, and it’s been all quiet on the council front as to what council’s next moves are. Rest assured that Unley BUG will continue to advocate for the best outcome possible on this important east-west route. If you would like to see it become a reality, we encourage you to contact your local councillors to let them know! Write them an email, or better yet apply to make a deputation before council at the meeting the fate of the bikeway is decided. We will, and hope to see you there!
Mike Turtur Bikeway closed until January 2026
Significant disruptions to the Mike Turtur Bikeway are now in effect as works on new (car) road projects have begun at several locations along the Glenelg tram line. In Unley, these disruptions occur around Forestville Reserve and at South Rd. There are also disruptions further along the bikeway towards Glenelg.
Detours are in place and signage showing alternate routes has been rolled out. These alternate routes are, however, circuitous. We’ve also had early reports from our members that not all alternate paths are 100% online.
If you want to ride to Glenelg, we suggest finding an alternative route for simplicity’s sake, eg the Westside Bikeway or the Marino Rocks Greenway, the latter of which you can hop on where it intersects the Mike Turtur Bikeway at Goodwood.
Disruptions in place until at least January 2026. Latest details on the closures can be found here.
If only for the Goodwood Station Overpass!
Attendees of the Community Cabinet at the end of June were horrified to hear the story of a local resident who found themselves trapped in the underpass of Goodwood Station late at night, unable to escape.
Members of the Unley BUG committee who attended the Cabinet relayed the story of this resident who entered the underpass in their wheelchair, seeking to catch a train home. However, the ramps in the 140-year-old station are far too steep to navigate unassisted in a wheelchair, and so this unfortunate resident found themselves stuck down below! Luckily for them, after a considerable wait they were helped out of the depths of their predicament by a kind stranger – thank goodness.
We understand the resident in question gave the Premier of our state and the head of the Department of Infrastructure and Transport shining red faces when he asked them what they were going to do about it. And red they should be, as their government recently cancelled the overpass project that would have provided equitable access to all platforms at Goodwood Station (along with being a great way to cross the train lines by bike!).
We’ve said it before: the Goodwood Station Overpass project was a fantastically efficient solution to the two problems of providing equitable access to Goodwood Station and a safe and convenient way to cross the train lines. It would have increased the green space in the current Forestville Reserve (by removing some car parking) and increased public space in the area by the additional park that would have been created on the eastern side.
Goodwood Station will have to be made accessible in the near future – and when that times comes, it will be of benefit to everyone in the community.
A new event for Unley BUG: Coffee Outside!
Coffee. Bikes. Nature. Good company. High caffeine, low stakes. Break up your working week and join us for Adelaide’s first* Coffee Outside event!
Coffee Outside is an international movement that started around a decade ago in California with the aim of bringing the cycling community together to talk bikes, coffee and adventure. Since then, it has spread around the globe, and in 2025, reached Adelaide!
The premise is simple. Bring yourself, your bike, and a beverage of choice to the designated meeting spot at the designated time. Hang out with other people and their bikes and drink said beverages together. That’s it.
Coffee’s in the name and we encourage people to go nuts. Want to bring your camp stove, grinder and moka pot and make everything there? How about hot water and an aeropress? Instant coffee? A thermos of batch you made at home? Tea? Fruit juice? Whatever it is, we don’t care, so long as you like it.
We’re planning to host this event monthly, on the second Thursday of every month, beginning on Thursday the 11th of September. Meeting time is 7:30am to allow ample opportunity to hang before we all have to drag ourselves to work. Place? The benches overlooking the water at the Pakapanthi Wetlands in the Adelaide Parklands (click here for the exact spot).
We look forwards to sharing in this new event with you and hope to see you there!
*as far as we are aware after a 15-second online search.
Want to get involved?
The Unley BUG Committee is always looking for people that are interested and willing to making Unley a better place to walk and cycle. If you’re interested in helping out, please reach out!
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