Commenting on the opinion piece: How car parking limits a city’s growth

What a lot of nonsense! If people can’t park near businesses, they will mostly go elsewhere.

As an older person I am not part of the cycling/e-bike/scooter brigade and I simply avoid places that obviously don’t want me. Goodbye Hutt St, you’ve lost me and probably lots of others. – Jean Cannon

David Mepham seems to miss some fundamental reasons why vehicle parking is essential for a street like Hutt St.

Firstly the traders rely on customers who come from many suburbs, not just from those living or working in the CBD area around Hutt St.

Secondly, the nearest tram and train stops are over one kilometres away from Hutt St. A majority of people will not/can not ride a bicycle (often along main roads) to get to Hutt St, especially in hot or rainy weather. Taxis/Ubers are expensive so not attractive as a regular option either.

So fundamentally the only way that potential patrons of Hutt St businesses can get to Hutt street is by car!  Kill off this form of transportation to Hutt St and watch most businesses decline. – Peter Macdonald

Far be it from me to argue the facts with Mr Mepham, but there is one fact that is abundantly clear. If you don’t live in the CBD we don’t want you to come here and spend your money. You don’t spend as much.

This ignores the fact that businesses in the CBD aren’t to be found in the suburbs, government agencies that still require fact-to-face visits aren’t to be found in the suburbs. I won’t talk about having to come in for medical reasons, either appointments or hospital stays that see visiting relatives on a regular basis.

Until public transport is truly convenient for everyone who lives in the suburbs and close in regional areas like the Adelaide Hills, Mr Mepham’s approach would be exclusionary. The bus system adds significant time to a return trip, even from the inner suburbs, let alone further out locations.

As always these plans require an holistic multi-faceted and practical approach, not the theoretical one that Mr Mepham is proposing. Other cities that have achieved with this approach have most likely a more effective infrastructure to support it. I didn’t see any specific examples named that have purportedly succeeded. – Bob Sibson

Commenting on the story: Car parks and speed limit slashed under Hutt Street upgrade plan 

This is a terrible idea and would kill small businesses like the newsagent.

As a long-term resident I saw the decline caused by the bank’s closure. So many people come for a quick coffee or takeaway, including me on my way home. My coffee group comes only for an hour, not to spend 15 mins walking from elsewhere. – Alison Main

Commenting on the story: Tarzia’s plea for loyalty as Right firms grip on party 

Interesting how there are multiple comments throughout this article about fighting Labor and defeating Malinauskas and Albanese, yet not a single reference to any policy or even a reason why South Australians might consider voting for the Liberal Party. – Matt Kilgariff 

Commenting on the story: Funding boost for city heritage conservation 

The funding boost is a welcome small step for heritage conservation.

Enhancing no cost effective clauses in the planning code would be a championship winning giant leap for cultural heritage protection for the future. – Elbert Brooks, chairperson, North Adelaide Society Inc.