The City of Unley is an inspiring host of this year’s conference, in quite a literal sense.
Like many of the older Australian suburban areas it has a grid road pattern, with all the advantages and disadvantages that this entails.
Many years ago, Unley Council chose to create a road network of filtered permeability. It used carefully located landscaped road closures to restrict vehicles access, and over the years has actively been upgrading these spaces to facilitate safe and convenient access for people walking and bike riding, as well as creating spaces for people to engage and play in the form of pocket parks.
Unley is also a pioneer in the adoption of a 40kmh local residential street speed limit, starting over thirty years ago, and completing the transition in 1999. These two measures alone created the best environment for walking and cycling of any council area in Adelaide.
The Council recognises the importance of creating safe and connected bicycle and walking routes, as well as the need to balance engineering outcomes with amenity and greening outcomes, which has resulted in some of the most popular bicycle routes in South Australia.
No wonder it has the highest levels of cycling and walking outside the CBD.
Come to Unley and learn how practical, often quite inexpensive, steps can be taken to make your suburb more walkable and safer for people riding bicycles.
