Tram network the big idea of our past
A tram network radiating from the city into the suburbs must be considered as a solution to Adelaide’s transport problems, the state’s latest thinker in residence believes.
Fred Hansen is one of the world’s leading transport minds and arrived in Adelaide last Thursday to begin his tenure.
Mr Hansen – general manager of public transport provider TriMet in the U.S. city of Portland, Oregon – said there were clear similarities between Adelaide and his home town.
“Portland had an extensive tram system that was all torn out in the 1950s because people thought the car would dominate,” he said.
“We opened the first new light rail service in Portland in 1986, now have 52 miles of light rail and we’re planning more.”
Adelaide also had an extensive tram network spanning most of the suburban area, until increasing car traffic and an expanding bus fleet saw lines progressively shut down through the 1950s, leaving the Glenelg tram to stand alone from 1963.
Mr Hansen said the extension of the Glenelg tram through the city was a “wonderful investment” that helped “transform the downtown area”.
“It takes into consideration carbon (emissions) and global climate change and that people don’t want to be stuck in cars – they want to have choices,” he said.
During his initial three-week residency, Mr Hansen will focus on issues underpinned by the Government’s Draft 30-year Plan for Greater Adelaide.
He said a well-connected system of light rail, train and bus networks and a focus on transit-oriented development – a key ingredient in the Government’s plan – were important transport options for a city like Adelaide.
“The population is going to be growing here so it’s a question of how to develop those choices,” he said.
Mr Hansen will remain in Adelaide for two more weeks and return for a second visit late next year.
