FAQ

The Mike Turtur Bikeway is Adelaide's busiest cycling route and is used by over 1000 people daily. The popularity of this Bikeway section has accelerated the wear and tear of the surface and as a result, has made for a bumpy ride. 

The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI), in partnership with the City of Unley have developed concept plans which proposed to upgrade the Mike Turtur Bikeway to improve the safety, amenity and improving access to public transport users. The proposed Bikeway upgrade will deliver the following key elements:

• Wider shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists (typically 4.0m wide)
• New bitumen path to replace the existing aged pavers, with improved surface treatments to protect existing trees
• Upgraded LED path lighting
• Improved accessibility to Tram Stop 2 (Wayville) from Bendall Avenue
• A greener corridor inclusive of new trees and low shrubs

To accommodate the wider path, it will be necessary to remove a number of existing trees along the corridor, including some significant and regulated trees.

Consultation with key stakeholders, local residents and the wider a community for viewing of the Concept Design and comments and feedback will be open for until Monday 15th June (4 weeks). 

The upgrade of the Mike Turtur Bikeway is a State Government initiative. The Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) are funding the construction of this significant project in partnership with the City of Unley.  Council is contributing to consultation, lighting and greening of the corridor and will maintain the asset in the future.

A shared-use path allows both pedestrians and cyclist to safety use the pathway. 

The upgrade to the Mike Turtur Bikeway includes a wider path that will better accommodate for the popularity of the route for cyclists and walkers. This additional pathway width to allow for safer two-way movement and less conflicts. 

An increase from the existing 2.0-3.0m wide path, to a shared 4.0m wide path is a significant improvement along the path length.

The replacement of the pavers with a bitumen surface will improve the stability and safety of the Bikeway for pedestrians and cyclists. 

To achieve a wider shared-use path, a significant amount of vegetation clearance is required including a number of medium and large shrubs, lower storey plantings and 6 significant and 5 regulated trees along the length of the corridor. (As defined by the development Regulations 2008) 

The existing Bikeway corridor reflects an inconsistent mix of native and exotic species. Many clusters of existing trees are reflective of self-seeded development over time and are not the desired planting style for the Bikeway corridor.

Of these 11 trees (6 significant and 5 regulated trees), it is expected that up to 4 significant and 3 regulated trees may be able to be retained if no structural issues with the trees are uncovered during the project.

The shared-path alignment has been designed to maximise the retention of some existing significant and regulated trees. This includes changes to the path alignment for existing trees in the middle of the path and minimising the impact of construction on the trees to be retained. 

To minimise the impact a range of construction methodologies and rehabilitation options will be implemented within the Tree Protection Zones including the following: 

• Permeable surfacing
• Low impact construction methods that minimise the need for heavy machinery and mechanical compaction 
• Directional boring instead of trenching
• Supervision and direction from an on-site arborist if required.

Consideration for the retention of the existing tree canopy was an important part of the concept design, with new tree planting to be incorporated to offset those lost, as well as lower-level shrubs and ground covers to improve the amenity.

Light poles will be retained in thier existing locations where appropriate. In sections where this is not possible, new poles will be installed. Council will be  upgrading the LED light fittings to provide improved lighting for safety and amenity of the bikeway. 

The new path alignment, vegetation clearance and removal of the old rail fence will provide the opportunity to redefine the presentation and amenity of the Bikeway, as well as improve the local biodiversity of the area. This will allow for more tree planting and low shrub vegetation. 

The plant selection will be predominately native tree species along the length of the corridor and reclaimed areas are to be replanted with a palette of hardy, attractive and drought-tolerant species, including grasses, groundcovers and some low shrubs.