The Bridgewater Pedestrian Crossing - Our Submission
What did Activating Bridgewater say about the officially released design of the proposed pedestrian?
On the 3rd of September 2026 the South Australian Government released a concept design for a pedestrian crossing to the public. This crossing is an election commitment made by the Labor Party prior to the March 2026 State Election. This official release of information is the first formal step made publicly, regarding the fulfilment of this commitment.
The location of the proposed crossing is at the current site of the uncontrolled road crossing, adjacent to Mount Barker Road Bus Stop 46, and the oval public toilets. According to the information on the State Department of Infrastructure and Transport web page regarding the project, this will be:
"A raised pedestrian crossing (wombat crossing) is the preferred option currently being considered for this location. The proposed crossing type and location have been identified following detailed technical assessments, including pedestrian movement patterns and sight distance requirements to ensure drivers and pedestrians can see each other clearly.
Proposed improvements:
A new raised pedestrian (wombat) crossing.
A safer 40km/h speed reduction on sections of Mount Barker Road and Carey Gully Road
Improved footpath connections to the crossing.
New road lighting adjacent the new wombat crossing.
Flashing pedestrian crossing lights.
Relocation of the existing bus stop and construction of an indented bus bay.
Associated stormwater infrastructure upgrades.
A 40 km/h speed zone will also be introduced around the wombat crossing to improve safety for all road users. Lower vehicle speeds help create a safer environment for people walking and riding, while improving visibility and reaction times for drivers. This supports safer connections to local destinations and public transport."
At the time of this official release of information the department opened a period of community engagement, which concluded on the 21st of September 2026. On behalf of the broader Bridgewater community Activating Bridgewater sent a submission to the State Department of Infrastructure and Transport regarding the project, drawing attention to particular issues that we have discovered in our own community consultations.
Here is the submission we sent:
Engagement Team Department for Infrastructure and Transport
83 Pirie Street Adelaide SA 5000
Via email: dit.engagement@sa.gov.au Cc: Minister.Szakacs@sa.gov.au; heysen@parliament.sa.gov.au; ndaniell@ahc.sa.gov.au
21 September 2026
Dear DIT Engagement Team,
RE: Submission on the Bridgewater Pedestrian Crossing
Activating Bridgewater is an incorporated community progress association that endeavours to represent residents, community groups and businesses that are active in Bridgewater and Mount George. We are strictly non-partisan and not politically-aligned.
Our organisation’s purpose is to connect, facilitate and champion the shared aspirations for a thriving community in Bridgewater and Mount George within the Adelaide Hills, and our goal is to elevate and to realise the collective ambitions of our community whilst delivering on our core values of authenticity, collaboration, leadership, openness, and sustainability.
Off the back of our election questionnaire to all candidates – itself reflective of a survey that received 80 responses from within our community – the Bridgewater and Mount George community were very pleased to see an election commitment for up to $1.5 million for a pedestrian crossing in the Bridgewater town centre.
Our key recommendation is the Government complements the pedestrian crossing commitment with designs for the most appropriate upgrade of the Carey Gully Road – Mount Barker Road intersection.
The need for an integrated design for the intersection
Bridgewater’s town centre is centred upon the key intersection of Carey Gully Road and Mount Barker Road – both State roads – and suffers from regular, significant traffic bottlenecks during peak hours, with traffic regularly backing up to the train line on Carey Gully Road a full 200 metres up the hill towards the South Eastern Freeway Bridgewater Interchange. With the coming completion of the South Eastern Freeway Verdun Interchange upgrade, significant additional traffic can be expected to flow into this intersection and cause even worse traffic bottlenecks. The proposed pedestrian crossing in the town centre is integral to future plans for this central intersection.
This issue of the intersection was rated as the most pressing issue facing our town, with a more than 80% response rate to our community survey (with 80 responses) raising it as a key concern. Most respondents believed that a roundabout would likely be the best solution.
On these bases, we would strongly but kindly request that the planning by the Department of Infrastructure (DIT) for the proposed pedestrian crossing within the town centre be integrated into investigating the most appropriate design to upgrade the intersection of Carey Gully Road and Mount Barker Road.
This approach would:
integrate and optimise pedestrian and vehicle safety in Bridgewater’s town centre; and
future-proof the positioning of any pedestrian crossing in anticipation of any future intersection upgrade (the need for which will only increase due to the traffic that will result from the Verdun Interchange upgrade when it is completed).
Once an integrated intersection and pedestrian crossing design is finalised, the pedestrian crossing commitment can be placed appropriately, and the case for proceeding with the upgrade of the intersection itself can be assessed and decided separately by the Government at a later time.
We do not want to see a pedestrian crossing delivered without this broader planning – the worst possible outcome would be that the crossing does not integrate with a holistic design for the intersection, and must be moved or removed when the Government proceeds to address the key issue of redesigning the intersection itself.
Thus, returning to our key recommendation, we kindly but strongly request that the Government complements the pedestrian crossing commitment with designs for the most appropriate upgrade of the Carey Gully Road – Mount Barker Road intersection (again noting that any decision on the intersection upgrade itself would of course be taken separately).
Bridgewater Oval Masterplan
We would like to bring to DIT’s attention that the Bridgewater Oval – adjacent to the proposed crossing and the central intersection – is expected to undergo a ‘masterplanning’ process in the next few years, including likely relocation of the clubrooms. The Bridgewater Oval Masterplan 2017 – which will help inform decisions but may not be the exact final redesign – can be found at p121 of the Adelaide Hills Council minutes from July 2018. It may be that this masterplan process could impact upon the intersection and proposed pedestrian crossing, and vice-versa – the Adelaide Hills Council should be consulted on this issue as part of DIT’s deliberations.
Additional, specific design considerations
On the specific design being proposed, there is a wide range of views within the community; however, two issues appear to have general consensus:
Based on the presumption that it will lead to significant improvements in pedestrian and road safety, residents generally support a 40 km/hr zone near the central Mount Barker Road – Carey Gully Road intersection and proposed pedestrian crossing;
‘Always on’ flashing lights are generally not supported, for a range of reasons, but with particular regard for:
not fitting the visual amenity of the town; and
the impacts from flashing lights upon wildlife (noting Bridgewater is within the Adelaide Hills, South Australia’s most environmentally biodiverse part of the state).
Options that lead to lower visual / light and environmental impacts are preferred.
Thank you again for your kind consideration of our submission – we look forward to continuing to engage with the Department and Government.
Yours sincerely,
Michael Cornish, Treasurer, Activating Bridgewater.
