South Australia’s Chief Justice Chris Kourakis has called on Adelaide City Council to push ahead with plans for a zebra crossing on Gouger Street, saying he feels “guilty” for not following up on earlier safety warnings before a barrister was struck by a car at the exact location he raised concerns about in 2021.
Speaking at Tuesday night’s council meeting, Kourakis said he first wrote to the council two years ago about the need for a formal crossing between the Samuel Way District Court and the Supreme Court.
“About two years later I was told a barrister had been hit by a car… and it was suspected he had suffered head injuries,” he said.
“I can’t describe to you the sickening feeling… and describe how guilty I felt that for two years I had not followed up on that letter.
“I want to be able to say I did everything I possibly could to ensure the safety of pedestrians on Gouger St.”
The proposed crossing is part of a $15 million Gouger Street revitalisation project, which includes widened footpaths, additional trees and a new median strip.
A 145-signature petition lodged this week opposes the crossing and median, arguing they would block right turns from Gouger St into Mill St.
Kourakis said the informal crossing currently used by roughly 700 court staff created a “false sense of security,” and compared the risk to legal tests used in negligence cases.
“The level of risk in a car hitting a pedestrian is obvious and is great. It appears to me that the burden is just a few seconds, or at most a few minutes delay,” he said.
City infrastructure director Tom McCready previously told the council the number of people crossing at peak times supports installing a zebra crossing.
The street design is 70 per cent complete, with the final plan expected early next year and construction scheduled for 2025–26.
Source: The Advertiser.
