Coast Park shared-use pathway

Coast Park is a State Government initiative which aims to establish a continuous 70 km coastal shared use path (for pedestrians and cyclists) along the metropolitan coastline. The aim is to improve community access and enjoyment of our beautiful beaches.

Coast Park has been progressively implemented by State Government and local councils since 1992 and the section between Grange and Semaphore Park is one of the few remaining links still to complete.

You can view the Coast Park progress in our Project visuals tab.

Currently, an informal walking track, formed by wear from regular traffic, crosses the cleared land between the dunes and seafront properties. As this area is a combination of gravel, sand, dirt and lawn grass, it is only accessible to a narrow range of users.

Proposed design

Coast Park seeks to provide a continuous public cycling and walking link along the Adelaide metropolitan coastline to enhance public use and enjoyment of the coast. To meet this objective it must be publically accessible; a shared use path at least three metres wide and constructed of a smooth surface that supports prams, bicycle riders, wheeled toys and wheelchair users.

The design of this section of Coast Park will be based on the following principles:

• ensure shared-use path outcomes are achieved;
• promote the use and enjoyment of linear parks by the community;
• facilitate the use of linear parks for exercise and outdoor activities
• provide opportunities for the enhancement of environmental values
• ensure the best environmental and community outcome will be achieved;
• provide connectivity to beach access paths and to the local road network and
• establish, maintain and preserve the area as a world-class asset to be used and enjoyed as a public park for the benefit of present and future generations.

An investigation was undertaken of the proposed Linear Park area to identify the best location for a Coast Park shared-use pathway. It is proposed that the alignment with the most benefits would be located within the cleared area adjacent the dunes, furthest away from the adjacent houses as possible. This is in terms of:

• enabling the path to be constructed with minimal impact on the native vegetation and fauna habitat within the dunes;
• mitigating the risk to exposure of the Coast Park path infrastructure to coastal erosion hazard by maximising the sand buffer;
• it not resulting in the fragmentation of the dune system;
• providing clear demarcation of public land from private; and
• minimising the impacts on residential amenity.

Delivery of the Coast Park section will be constructed in an environmentally sensitive manner with consideration of the sensitive nature of the dunes. Construction will be in line with relevant EPA guidelines and other state environmental regulations.