Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The famous City-to-Glenelg tram cuts through my electorate of Boothby, and within Boothby there are three major tram crossings on major roads. Each of these tram crossings is also near a major road intersection, on busy commuter routes into and out of the city. These intersections are a nightmare. The boom gates can be down up to 20 minutes an hour. The traffic stops and starts, and stops and starts, and stops and starts, between traffic lights, boom gates and then more traffic lights, all within 100 or so metres of each other. In rush hour, traffic can be backed up over two or three kilometres, and drivers queue across intersections and undertake really risky manoeuvres to try and get around the traffic queues.

When I'm doorknocking in these areas, I find whole suburbs doing rat runs through the back streets to try and avoid these terrible intersections, pushing traffic onto small residential streets. But the commuter traffic from further south has no choice. The previous Liberal-National government promised to remove them at the 2016, 2018 and 2019 state and federal elections but did nothing. So, at the last state and federal elections, Labor committed to removing the Marion and Cross Road tram intersections. After lobbying by me and state members Jayne Stinson and Sarah Andrews, with support from a community petition, Minister Tom Koutsantonis included the Morphett Road tram intersection as a possibility in the tender in March 2023.

So I was very pleased to have Minister Catherine King in town a couple of weeks ago for the announcement that the third tram intersection would indeed be included in the project. These plans also incorporate safer pathways for cyclists and pedestrians, who are currently also having to cross these major roads. The new designs incorporate additional open space for local community, with potential for tree plantings and recreational facilities, all of which are currently being consulted on with the local residents.

I am pleased to advise that the minor prep works have already begun and the major works will commence later this year and into next year. There will be a six-month tram shutdown in the middle of 2025, and additional bus services will be provided to assist commuters who normally use the tram during this period. The removal of all three tram intersections, as well as the upgrade of the existing South Road tram overpass, will be completed by the end of 2025. Because most of the work—the building of the ramps for the overpass—will occur on either side of the roads, the impact on commuter traffic through these intersections will be minimised.

I have talked in this place about the importance of the North-South Corridor to traffic in Boothby. However, when the works begin on this project, we know a lot of the traffic currently using South Road to commute will want to use these other roads for their journey. The removal of the three tram intersections will enable traffic from Boothby and Kingston, all of southern Adelaide, to flow more freely. It's a really great outcome for Boothby.