13 Aug, 2015

City of Adelaide Creating Safer Paths Through the City

City of Adelaide is rolling out a series of creative projects to improve safety in the city and North Adelaide while helping pedestrians navigate the city’s laneways.

The Safer Paths project uses light-inspired art installations, CCTV, lighting, and wayfinding signage to connect city places along pedestrian paths to attract people to these areas and increase safety.

City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese said that the projects are a collaboration between Council, the State Government and community organisations.

“The Safer Paths initiative takes a holistic and collaborative approach to creating attractive pathways that make it easier for people to find their way safely from one place to another and to bring more people to these locations, day and night.

“The Oval to Market link will guide people from the Adelaide Oval to the Central Market with plenty to see and do along the way, such as dining, visiting a small bar or enjoying artworks and creative lighting.

“The Oval to Melbourne Street path works to encourage people to walk from the Adelaide Oval to Melbourne Street along a safe and attractive route to enjoy post-event entertainment and dining.

“We’ve also been working with our placemaking team to encourage private and public partnerships to maximise opportunities to draw people and activity to the Topham, Bentham St and Pitt St locations, making the areas safer and more vibrant.”

The Oval to Market link was started in January 2014 and is due for completion in December this year. The path incorporates two major public art pieces – the interactive Sensing with Light installation which will be installed above Topham Mall’s Currie Street entrance, and the Moonta Street Entrance Dragon.

In addition to these two exciting public art pieces, CCTV cameras have been installed along the pathway, lighting has been improved and new wayfinding signage has been put up.

Forming part of this link is Topham Mall which has seen a recent revival with the opening of several food and beverage businesses as well as businesses through Renew Adelaide, repaving and new seating, all inviting people to stay and enjoy the area.

New wayfinding signage, funded by the Commonwealth Government through the Safer Streets programme, has also been installed along the Oval to Melbourne Street route, complemented by feature-lit significant trees, with the lights due to be turned on in September.

The Green Room safer paths project in the West End aims to improve safety through the development of safer walking and congregation areas with the installation of lighting, a light box gallery, murals and demolishing the existing toilet block to create a smaller, safer public toilet site.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Safer Paths projects have improved safety and vibrancy in the project areas, the spaces are being used more frequently and that north-south pedestrian movement has been enhanced.

The next safer path project will be selected based on the proposed 2016 Laneway Master Plan and is planned to be delivered in 2016/17.

Paula Stevens