GHD helps deliver first shared street in South Australia

One of the world’s leading engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services companies, GHD, has helped deliver a first-of-its-kind shared street in South Australia (SA).

GHD and its client, the City of Marion, have received the Excellence in Road Safety Engineering award for a shared pedestrian and car space on Ragamuffin Drive in the new community of Hallett Cove. The prestigious award was presented at a special dinner function in Adelaide hosted by the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA), SA Division.

Ragamuffin Drive has been transformed into the first streetscape in South Australia where pedestrians, cyclists and motorists can safely share the road, creating a public space that connects two churches and the new library and community centre.

Chris Dunn, GHD’s Manager, Transportation and Civil Engineering in Adelaide, says, “Ragamuffin Drive has been redesigned so it does not look like a traditional road. This is a place where motorists travel at a lower speed as determined by the design of the street and the landscaping elements, rather than by signposted speed limits. The design aims to build communities not separate them, as many roads do.”

Chris adds, “This is a new and exciting development for South Australia. While shared streets are becoming more popular around the world, the take-up in South Australia has been slow due to legal and perceived safety issues. The innovative design of Ragamuffin Drive has been informed by examples of shared spaces in Europe and Bendigo, Victoria.”

GHD and the City of Marion worked with the SA Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, architects, consultants and community groups to meet the requirements of key stakeholders without compromising on safety.

GHD also assisted in the design of the Southport Boardwalk in Port Noarlunga, which earned an IPWEA Excellence in Design and/or Construction of a Public Works Project award for the City of Onkaparinga.

The new elevated boardwalk provides Disability Discrimination Act compliant access to the Southport beach and Surf Life Saving Club, while ensuring protection for local flora and fauna in the adjacent sand dunes. The project was delivered on time and on budget with minimal inconvenience to the club members and the public.