Mike Turtur Bikeway: Works start TOMORROW + info on detours
Unley council have advised that works on the much-anticipated improvements to the Mike Turtur Bikeway near Greenhill Rd are commencing tomorrow, February 16th. The comprehensive nature of the works including full reconstruction of the roadway and extension of the western shared path mean that there will be some disruption to this busy cycling route for the three to four months this project is anticipated to be in construction.
Detours will be in place for the duration of the works. By their nature detours will add time and complexity to a journey, which is why our first recommendation is to find a different route to and from the city. More on that in a minute. But if you find yourself riding along the bikeway and reaching the works area, we understand the immediate signed detour will take cyclists around the works via Young St on the western side of the tram line:
The proposed detour is relatively direct and uses a quiet street rather than forcing people onto a busy main road, which is good. However, care will need to be taken when crossing the tram line on either side of the detour. People with larger bikes such as cargo bikes may find the rail crossing mazes difficult to navigate. For this reason, if you can, we recommend using a different route into or out of the city for the duration of the works:
If you are heading to/from the west of the city, swing onto the Marino Rocks Greenway via one of the fancy new archways at Forestville and follow the path along West Tce. If you are heading to the city’s east, turn off the Mike Turtur Bikeway at Albert St and make your way to the Rugby-Porter Bikeway via Weller St and Charles Walk.
We acknowledge that these works are going to cause disruption to people’s commutes – there’s no getting around that. However, while you’re taking in the view of a different part of the area on your detour, it’s worth remembering why these works are happening: it’s all for a wider shared use path, wider on-road bike lanes and TWO pedestrian refuge crossings. You can read more about the details of the project in our March 2025 newsletter.
More wins for Young St
In surprising but welcome news, council has recently voted to proceed with further improvements to the burgeoning Young St neighbourhood bicycle route. Voracious readers of council minutes would have spotted the decision in January’s council meeting to proceed with some significant improvements to the section of Young St between King William Rd and Unley Rd.
The interesting thing about these works is that they aren’t a bikeway project at all. No, they are a routine replacement of three roundabouts on this stretch of road, each of which is well-known to locals as being far beyond their use-by dates. But because Young St is a designated cycling route (thank you, Walking and Cycling Plan!), council isn’t just replacing these roundabouts with like-for-like. Instead, they’ll be replaced with state-of-the-art (for SA) roundabout designs that prioritise the safety of people walking and cycling, fresh from the State Government’s recent Active Travel Design Guide.
Key features of these new designs include:
• Radial design to slow down approaching motor vehicles (think the newer roundabouts on Rugby-Porter or Cambridge streets)
• Enlarged central island with a concrete perimeter to further reduce vehicle speeds while still accommodating larger vehicles, such as waste collection vehicles, without kerb damage.
• Landscaped kerb extensions with rain gardens, along with landscaped splitter islands, to channel vehicles directly toward the central island and encourage slower speeds.
• Bicycle awareness zones on each approach to alert drivers that cyclists may use the full traffic lane when travelling through the roundabout.
• Zebra crossings on each approach to provide safer and more convenient crossing opportunities.
• Upgraded street lighting to improve visibility and safety
This project shows the power of considering walking and cycling at the policy level. What could have been a routine asset replacement project will instead benefit the many people walking and cycling in the area, all because Young St is recognised as a bikeway in Unley’s Walking and Cycling Plan and because there is a State-level Active Transport Design Guide with a ready-made design for how to design roundabouts that are safer for everyone. Win, win, win.
We can see how setting up these important documents allows positive changes to multiply exponentially by influencing the processes of everyday council business, even when there isn’t much funding for walking and cycling projects overall. It’s a lesson for all councils and for the state in general. When they invest something in cycling (even if it’s a pittance!!) the results can be very meaningful. We look forward to seeing this project made a reality in the coming year or two.
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