Before I share news I must again say THANK YOU for your support of residents in southern Mitchell Park and Tonsley. Residents have spent more than a year seeking clarity about the Flinders Link project, and months of trying to have their concerns raised and discussed publicly. It should not take a petition and engagement with the media to get a satisfactory response! This update contains my responses to recent media, details of community meetings and other activities going on to save our access to public transport. PETITION PROGRESS In the past week, the online petition signatures were printed and bundled with the paper petitions, together with all the comments, discussion and personal stories that people have shared with me about their need for the Tonsley railway station. The envelopes are addressed to the Hon Stephen Mullighan, Minister for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure and the Premier of South Australia Jay Weatherill (because some of the issues are relevant to other policy portfolios such as urban renewal, disability, housing etc.). All that is left to do, is to compose the cover letters and deliver those parcels. (The main delays have been due to my health which is unpredictable.) I have had meetings and talks with both sides of government. David Pisoni MP Member for Unley and also Shadow Minister for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure has seen the petition signatures; I presented Annabel Digance MP with the same bundle that Minister Mullighan and the Premier Weatherill will receive, enabling her to personally represent her constituents to the Minister. The current combined tally of online and paper signatures is 1913 and there are still some paper petitions circulating in the community! As they come home, they can be forwarded on. 2018 STATE ELECTION The campaign for the March 21 South Australian State Election is well and truly on and I am extremely pleased that the removal of Tonsley station is on the public agenda. I have been sharing information with various parties and liaising with those that have paid attention to the plight of our neighbourhood and the vulnerable people who live in it. The most active interest has been shown by Annabel Digance MP, State Member for Elder and Carolyn Habib, Liberal Candidate for Elder. Kelly Vincent’s Dignity Party has expressed its support for the petition and equitable access to public transport for people with disabilities. For your information, I am not affiliated with any political party. My goal is to retain independent access to the public transport rail network for the residents who desperately need it (including me!). You can find information about all the candidates who have nominated to stand in the 2018 State Election at the Electoral Commission website (under the “Parties and Candidates” drop-down menu): https://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/ EVERYBODY IS CAMPAIGNING! You know it is an election when candidates come knocking on your door and calling you on the phone! Election or no election, I’m happy that communication channels are open with both sides of Government as they finally recognise the importance of rail access for all residents, especially those who do not drive, can not walk fast or far, can not use buses or afford taxis and who depend on the train for their independence. In a neighbourhood especially chosen to house people with disabilities, taking the Tonsley railway station away without a suitable replacement is a retrograde step. PRESS RELEASES FROM MAJOR PARTIES This week, both Labor and Liberal Candidates released statements about Tonsley station. For full details of their press releases please contact the candidates directly. Both candidates mention Tonsley station on their Facebook pages listed at the end of this update. The State Government's current plan is to build a station adjacent to Alawoona Aveon the south side. This week, Annabel Digance MP showed me a plan which is effectively a ‘new Clovelly Park’ station but renamed Tonsley. It is next to the 600 space Park ’n’ Ride which will serve the Tonsley Innovation Precinct perfectly. Unfortunately it is too far north for easy access by residents in the southern end of Mitchell Park and Tonsley. The replacement Clovelly Park station appears to have been planned for this location for a long time because the disability access car parking that appears on Annabel Digance’s plan was marked out alongside the rail line when the western carpark was laid for the Tonsley TAFE. The southern end of the proposed ‘new Clovelly renamed Tonsley’ station includes a pedestrian crossover which will link to the northern half of Woodland Rd, Mitchell Park. My own observations, supported by feedback from southern residents, suggest that any pedestrian access north of Woodland Rd / Handley Ave, Mitchell Park is too far away. I have asked our local Member for Elder Annabel Digance MP to have the station relocated at least 100 – 200 metres further south. Access via the southern corner of Woodland Rd or via Timothy Court, Mitchell Park and Ash Avenue, Tonsley would be an ideal compromise. Carolyn Habib says a Liberal government “if elected in March, will pursue ongoing access to public transport for local residents along the Tonsley line and will undertake detailed planning for fixing the train stations on the Tonsley line, including options to rebuild the Tonsley train station. We will identify the best locations with rail experts and stakeholders, including local residents, and we will deliver this plan within 12 months of forming government. “ My initial reaction was exasperation – more words! Residents have been frustrated by lots of words with little sign of action on their behalf but words are a good start so we can keep the conversation going so we can work together to find a solution. TONSLEY STATION IN THE MEDIA Messenger Newspapers have contacted me for comment and published an item this week which has appeared in the 28 February 2018 issue and online at Adelaide Now (links in reference list). One headline says “Tonsley railway station saved” but the statement in the article refers to the ‘new Clovelly station renamed Tonsley’ plan which is next to Alawoona Ave, Mitchell Park. When there is confirmation of a new station in a more southerly, accessible location, then it will be shared here. MY RESPONSE At the moment, I can not access Flinders Medical Centre without relying on private transport but I can still use the train to access other places independently like the city, shopping centres and other locations along the rail network. If I lose the existing Tonsley station and cannot access the new one, then I lose access to more places than just Flinders Medical Centre. I would rather be able to access lots of places independently than access none. I am all for a rail extension to Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University. It is much needed and welcomed by the community but it must be integrated with the neighbourhood facilities so that ALL members of the community through which it runs can acess it. This is especially important for the many people with disabilities and the ageing population in Mitchell Park and Tonsley. A merger of the existing Clovelly Park and Tonsley stations further south from the proposed plan would be more accessible and acceptable to southern Mitchell Park residents if: - the new station were situated 100 - 200 metres further south than the proposed plan - there are plenty of well-placed pedestrian crossovers to avoid long detours Footpaths and greenways MUST be funded as an integral part of the Flinders Link project and not an afterthought They must be wide enough, smooth (but not slippery) and level enough with rest points and crossing/access points. Mitchell Park is on a false flat and walking/riding/wheeling/pushing uphill to get to the rail line from Mitchell Park can be a struggle for some residents. All in all, the design of the new station looks fantastic and it will be a big improvement to the area - it just needs to be positioned where those who really depend on it can get to it and that includes supporting amenities such as accessible pathways. Now that we have made the decision-makers aware of the needs of this community, I look forward to positive relationships with them. There are many issues to be discussed as a community so the more information we can get about the project, the better informed we can be. I'm sure there will be a solution that can serve ALL the stakeholders in the community. COMMUNITY MEETINGS Last Saturday (24 February) Annabel Digance MP held three ‘community street corner meetings’ in our area. Residents received invitations in their letterboxes and I was able to attend two of those meetings. It was interesting to hear people’s concerns including other rail topics such as the poor timetabling of the Tonsley-Seaford line connection at Woodlands Park station which can leave passengers waiting up to half an hour for a train. This Wednesday (28 February) Carolyn Habib, Liberal Candidate for Elder will be hosting a street corner meeting at the existing Tonsley station from 6:30 - 7:30pm (Lynton Ave, Mitchell Park / Birch Ave, Tonsley). David Pisoni MP, Shadow Minister for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure will also be there and they invite you to, “Come and have your say!” REFERENCES Living Adelaide | The 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide 2017 update, web page, SA Planning Portal, Government of South Australia Department of Transport, Planning and Infrastructure: http://livingadelaide.sa.gov.au/ Digance, Annabel, Annabel Digance MP: • Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DiganceAnnabel/ • Facebook post about community meetings: https://www.facebook.com/DiganceAnnabel/posts/1970080313204898 Etheridge, Michelle, same article, different headlines: • New Station on Track, p. 5, feature section ‘State Election 2018’, CoastCity Weekly 28 February 2018, Messenger Newspapers, Adelaide, South Australia, 27 February 2018. • Tonsley railway station saved after community petition, Adelaide Now, online article, 27 February 2018: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/west-beaches/tonsley-railway-station-saved-after-community-petition/news-story/f0b7815e2f88135dfe9479f1c19f9078 Habib, Carolyn, Carolyn Habib, Liberal for Elder, • Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Carolyn4Elder/ • Facebook post about Tonsley station announcement: https://www.facebook.com/Carolyn4Elder/photos/a.163921930485364.1073741828.162015574009333/767575783453306/?type=3&theater Heart Foundation, Healthy by Design SA website, A guide to planning, designing and developing healthy urban environments in South Australia, An initiative of the South Australian Active Living Coalition, Heart Foundation (SA Division), activeliving.sa@heartfoundation.org.au, (08) 8224 2888, 155 Hutt Street, Adelaide, SA, 5000: https://www.healthybydesignsa.com.au/resources/s4pdocuments/ Public Works Committee, Report 578 Flinders Link Project – Extension of Tonsley Rail Line, Parliament of South Australia http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/Committees/Pages/Committees.aspx?CTId=5&CId=294 • Submission To The Parliamentary Public Works Committee, Department Of Planning, Transport And Infrastructure, August 2017; filename: Agency Submission.pdf • Final Report Flinders Link Project – Extension of Tonsley Rail Line to Flinders Medical Centre, 17 October 2017; filename: Final Report.pdf Walking SA, 118 Richmond Road, Marleston SA 5033; ph 0457 006 620; email: office@walkingsa.org.au: http://www.walkingsa.org.au/