Interlocking Concrete Block Pavements In Adelaide (Jun 1978)

The Adelaide City Council has recently made extensive use of concrete interlocking block paving in several projects. Landscape design principles were applied in the improvement of several inner-city, largely-residential streets where the aims were to improve their appearance and to make them safer for pedestrians. The two major projects were Ward Street (North Adelaide) and Angas Street, where through-traffic was inhibited by reducing the width of the carriageways. The irregular kerb lines adopted not only improve the scale of the street but also provide safe parking areas (where the carriageway is relatively wide) and crossing places for pedestrians (where it is narrowest). While still on the footpath, pedestrians have an unobstructed view of the traffic, and then have to negotiate only an eight and a half metre width of carriageway. Both the visual and safety aspects are further improved by the use of concrete interlocking block paving on the footpaths as well as on these narrowed parts of the carriageway. The width of the Angas Street carriageway is also reduced (and a landscaped, median provident ) at its intersection with the heavily-trafficked Hutt Street. The carriageway both here and for a short length of several minor roads off Angas Street, are also paved in interlocking blocks.