Why does the Rundle Road need to be closed?
The closure of Rundle Road will enable the Gluttony, and the Garden of Unearthly Delights events to include additional venues (and associated supporting amenities) in their event spaces, one being an 800-seater and the second being a 1,000-seater purpose built.
These venues would house unique national and international performances, which event organisers advise would not be possible without the road closure due to the space limitations and engineering challenges with topography of the current Park Land sites.
It will also enable the Adelaide Fringe Corner Box Office to relocate to a central road position which will enable greater accessibility for audiences, including collaborating with SA Care to deliver a quiet space and change facility for those with mobility access needs and neuro-divergent audiences, which is otherwise not available in the Park Land sites.
The Adelaide Fringe and the venues within the festival are constantly looking at ways to bring new and exciting works to the Adelaide Fringe, and to find new ways to house shows at the festival. With an emphasis on fostering local talent and encourage large scale touring shows to the Adelaide Fringe, the additional flat surface of Rundle Road will allow new venues and spaces for audiences to engage. The growth is inevitable in a festival of this size and the proposed expanded footprints of the Garden of Unearthly Delights and Gluttony events is a direct result of the millions of people that attend these venues annually.
Currently there are limitations within the Park Lands with undulating surfaces making it hard to accommodate certain venues and so reimagining the use of Rundle Road and turning it into a pedestrian and cycle path for the duration of Fringe will create a healthier and safer environment for locals and visitors alike when attending the Adelaide Fringe.
Will pedestrian and cyclists have access to Rundle Road during the road closure?
Yes, whilst Rundle Road is closed to vehicular traffic, pedestrian and bicycle access in both directions will be maintained on Rundle Road.
Pedestrian and cyclist access will be maintained via a temporary shared use path linking the east-west thoroughfare. The shared use path will wide enough to maintain two-way traffic.
This is shown on the map with the pathway running between the two central red lines.
How many car parking spaces will be temporarily removed from Rundle Road?
A total of 201 car parking spaces on Rundle Road, and 17 motorcycle parking spaces will be temporally removed from Rundle Road to facilitate this proposed event. However, the 4 x disabled parking spaces at the eastern end of Rundle Road will be retained during this period.
Will the closure of Rundle Road cause some level of congestion/traffic impacts?
The closure of Rundle Road will have a reasonable impact on traffic. However, based on observations during a similar event held in 2022 in the same location, these impacts can be effectively managed via the use of advanced warning signs and media campaigns notifying the public of the closure well in advanced.
If the closure of Rundle Road is approved, the Department for Infrastructure and Transport’s Traffic Management Centre will adjust the precinct’s traffic signal operations to keep congestion and delays down to a minimum.
Will there be additional road closures in the East End during this period?
The Adelaide Motorsport Festival have applied to hold their event in a section of Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) this includes a closure of Wakefield Road between the Britannia Roundabout and East Terrace from 6:00am Friday 15 March 2024 to 11:59pm Sunday 17 March 2024.
This event and road closure would coincide with the final weekend of the 2024 Adelaide Fringe.
The organisers of the Adelaide Motorsport Festival have submitted an application to the South Australian Government to have their event declared a Major Event under the Major Events Act 2013.
The City of Adelaide is intending to close Rundle Street, Ebenezer Place, Vardon Avenue, the Frome Street and East Terrace intersections, and a small section of Union Street for the annual East End Unleashed event. This event is to be held each Friday night and on the weekends during Adelaide Fringe event period.
The closure of these roads in the East End is to provide a safe pedestrian thoroughfare to Fringe venues in the East End and enables over 40 businesses in the area to attract additional visitation and provide support through measures such as outdoor dining and live performances on the closed roads.
