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Fix the Morphett Road Tram Crossing Petition

I acknowledge and thank the 1332 people who have signed my petition so far that calls on the State Government to:

work with the Federal Government to fully fund and construct a much-needed overpass or underpass at the Morphett Road tram crossing while the Glenelg tram line is closed, fixing a major traffic bottleneck in our community.

Whether it is during the morning peak when traffic is travelling towards the city along Morphett Rd. Or in the afternoon starting at school pickup and lasting until commuters have come from the city. Even on the weekends, especially on race days.

Whichever it is, the red lights flashing, the bells ringing and the boom-gates down means only one thing and that is delay – a delay that has only got worse as urban infill in Glengowrie, Morphettville and Camden Park and other suburbs has increased substantially over the years.

The number of responses to the petition shows that there is massive community frustration at the congestion and delays that are caused at this major traffic bottle-neck.

I would like to highlight some of the responses to the petition which gives great insights as to why people want a solution.

An emergency services worker said

"As a firefighter responding to emergency incidents we get stopped endlessly on the way to fire calls at the crossing and have to wait for the tram and traffic to clear, this has time issues for people needing an emergency response. Potentially causing greater injuries or death."

Another says:

I was a member of the SES and was constantly impeded from responding to urgent incidents when a tram was crossing due to the light cycle at Anzac Hwy and delays due to residual traffic. It’s negligent to not fix this problem intersection whilst the tram is shut down and less travelled intersections are given priority.

This from a teacher:

I work at Immanuel Primary School in Novar Gardens. I avoid this route because of this crossing and would use this to go to and from work if it were fixed. I also see the significant bank up traffic that occurs from the end of the school day for around 3 hours. I have concerns also about children’s safety with accessing the tram and crossing the intersection with impatient drivers. The whole area needs to be fixed urgently.

A frustrated parent wrote

I have kids at Immanuel and often drive through this intersection. I have seen so many near misses, it’s a death waiting to happen. I’ve also been a parent volunteer with kids and had to walk school kids across Anzac Hwy to that tram stop. Both the Anzac highway crossing and navigating the traffic is dangerous.

I’ll finish off with a simple one which we can all empathise with

It’s a nightmare, you can be stuck there for way too long.

The responses from the Morphett community reinforces to me why I have been advocating for a solution since before I was elected as the Member for Morphett in 2018 and I will continue to fight for a solution to this bottleneck to reduce congestion and improve road safety at this intersection.

I understand that the intersection is a complicated one with the tram crossing being so close to the Anzac Highway Intersection and the Sturt Creek and Tram Barn also nearby.

These complications require a detailed design and that’s why in March 2022, I worked with my Federal Liberal colleagues to secure funding to undertake a design for this intersection.

I'm pleased that design work commenced in 2023.

As we move towards 2025 the Glenelg tram line will be closed between Glenelg and the City to allow construction of an overpass over Marion Road and Cross Road which is a perfect opportunity to also fix the Morphett Road tram crossing while the tram line is closed.

Recently, we have just had both the Federal and State Government’s hand down their Budgets.

In a bitter blow neither of the Federal or State budgets had any funding for the Morphett Road Tram crossing.

While disappointing it just makes me more determined to redouble my efforts until the Government commits to a solution at this bottleneck.

I again thank everyone who has signed my petition to fix the Morphett Road tram crossing. I’ll continue to get more signatures for the petition to hammer home to the Government that there is overwhelming support to fix the Morphett Road Tram Crossing.

Fix the Morphett Road Tram Crossing Petition