Our President Helen Wilmore attended the Lord Mayor’s Light Rail Summit on 21st April.  From a community perspective the Summit focussed on:

• The aim of the Government’s proposed light rail, or tram, network in ‘city building’, bringing increased commercial and residential densities
• The importance of ‘public domain improvements’ (eg street furniture, artworks, rejuvenation etc) occurring alongside the creation of light rail routes
• Funding needing to come from all three tiers of government
• The need for ‘value capture’ ie an annual levy on ratepayers in a designated ‘benefiting area’
• Criticism of the State Government’s rezoning of the areas for increased densities without ‘value capture’ mechanisms in place
• The importance of bringing people along – engagement with and commitment from stakeholders are critical early on in the process, to get the best outcomes and mitigate problems such as local access issues, amenity, loss of trees, right turns and traffic congestion

News reports on the Summit:

Channel Nine News – New tram lines may finally branch out across Adelaide but ratepayers may pick up the tab

InDaily – Councils place a bet every way on trams funding

InDaily – No free ride: Govt flags “community” contribution to SA tram extensions

Advertiser – AdeLINK: State Government, councils, transport experts meet to discuss Adelaide tram network

The Blobfish prefers trams to buses