Many cities around the world are working towards creating more liveable areas. Here’s a few examples.

Poynton
Poynton in the UK arrived at an innovative solution to their nightmare High Street. They went from 4 to 2 lanes, removed traffic lights and measured a reduction in travel times due to the continuous flow. They also got back valuable public space allowing the High Street to become a community place rather than a thoroughfare for cars and trucks. It is a compelling story.

Watch this video, to see an example of what can be achieved with commitment and imagination.
https://youtu.be/-vzDDMzq7d0

Aurora
Aurora is a road corridor in Seattle, Washington. A group of local residents and businesses have formed a group called the Aurora Reimagined Coalition.
Visit their website here… https://www.got99problems.org/

Le Plessis-Robinson
A suburb of Paris, this town of 30,000 people went through an extensive re-generation from 1989.
Watch this short video to discover more. https://youtu.be/XfonhlM6I7w

Image: AI generated by PIXLR – Architect rendering of a pedestrian friendly urban streetscape 

Our Vision for a New Brighton Village

Imagine you are in 2035. Brighton village is unrecognisable. It has EV charging stations, autonomous vehicles, a new beachy vibe Brighton Road streetscape lined with shade trees. Interesting shops keep popping up alongside places to meet friends. And it will only get better.

Imagine riding your bike or your e-scooter safely down a dedicated cycleway on Brighton Road.

You’re on your way to the shops and roof top gym with views to Adelaide Hills and the Gulf of St Vincent. But first you stop to meet a friend for coffee at one of the new streetside cafes.

The breeze in your hair. Not a care in the world because the cycleway is separated from Brighton Road and is lined by trees.

A boulevard of beach living dreams come true.

The gym you’re going to is on the eastern side of Brighton Rd. As you approach Woolies, where you will do some food shopping after gym, you turn right and down a ramp into the active transport tunnel. On the other side you emerge in front of the new independent cinema before turning left to the apartment block where you park and lock your bike before catching the lift to the Foster Fitness indoor roof top gym and spa.

As the lift takes you to the fourth floor you think it was only last night you were watching a movie with friends and having a beer after on the cinema terrace. Only six years prior you couldn’t even contemplate sipping your drink, laughing with friends while looking out to sea from Brighton Rd. The moon shining across the water was mesmerising.

And on Wednesday night you will meet friends for dinner in a brand new three story building where the old post office used to be with its lonely tree growing out of a neglected patch of grass. Across the road the chicken shop is an apartment building with shops below. One of your friends lives there in a lovely new apartment. She doesn’t have a car because she is in walking distance to everything she needs including the new transport shelters which tell her when the next electric people mover arrives to whisk her quietly to Marion Shopping Centre and beyond.

How will this happen you say? Well with vision and commitment by all of us including Federal, State and Local Government and the community to change Brighton Road from a road that divides the community to one that no longer dominates but safely links the public to places along the way. A design change that allows people and vehicles to have joint ownership of the places they inhabit which in turn attract new economic and social development; whilst still enabling access for all.

Some quick facts about Brighton Rd from Department of Infrastructure and Transport.

1. Average vehicle movements/day 35,000

2. Low level of heavy vehicles and through traffic

3. Mostly local and commuter traffic

4. Average speed 26 kph to maximum of 48 kph.

5. Six soon to be seven sets of traffic lights in one kilometre from Hove Crossing to Foodland.

6. Majors Road off ramp will reduce traffic numbers in 2026

7. North South freeway upgrades will further reduce traffic numbers from 2030.

8. Single lane roads in both directions can move up to 25,000 to 28,000 vehicles a day.