The Wattle Street Neighbourhood Bicycle Route (NBR) is an important east–west corridor for people walking and cycling in the City of Unley. It connects Glen Osmond Road and Unley Road, and, provides links to key north–south routes and business precincts along Fullarton Road and Duthy Street.
The route provides access to local schools and community facilities, including Unley Primary School, Hyde Park Nursery School and Early Learning Centre, and Sunrise Christian School. It also connects to other important cycling routes, including the Rugby–Porter Bikeway, Windsor Trail, Duthy Street Secondary On-Road Bicycle Route and Unley Road Main On-Road Bicycle Route.
The Wattle Street NBR forms part of the broader Wattle-Park–Mitchell Street Neighbourhood Bicycle Route project. To manage the planning and implementation, the route is broken into four key stages, including:
- Stage 1: Park Street
- Stage 2: Mitchell Street
- Stage 3: Wattle Street (Unley Road to Fullarton Road)
- Stage 4: Wattle Street (Fullarton Road to Milton Avenue)
In June 2026, Council endorsed the implementation of minimum-width bicycle lanes for Stages 3 and 4 of the Wattle Street NBR. Details of the endorsed improvements are outlined below.
While separated bicycle lanes are generally preferred on roads carrying higher traffic volumes like Wattle Street, the proposed bicycle lanes will provide an improvement to existing conditions, creating a safer and more connected route for cyclists.
This project builds on recent bicycle lane upgrades delivered between Cootra Avenue and Sunnymeade Avenue as part of the Sunrise Christian School Koala Crossing project, further strengthening cycling connections across the area.
Funding is allocated in the 2026/27 financial year to deliver Stage 3 between Windsor Street and Fullarton Road.
What are minimum width bicycle lanes?
Minimum-width bicycle lanes are on-road bicycle lanes that provide a dedicated space for cyclists where there is limited road width available.
On Wattle Street, the minimum-width bicycle lanes will be created by reducing the width of the existing traffic lanes from approximately 3.2–3.3 metres to 2.7–2.8 metres. The design also includes a 0.5-metre safety buffer between the bicycle lane and parked vehicles to improve safety and reduce the risk of dooring (opening a vehicle door into the path of another road user).
To accommodate the bicycle lanes and safety buffer, a minimum kerb-to-kerb road width of 12.8 metres is required, as shown in Figure below.
Figure: Cross-section demonstrating minimum width bicycle lanes
Stage 3: Wattle Street NBR improvements
Council has allocated funding in the 2026/27 financial year to deliver Stage 3 of the Wattle Street bicycle lane upgrade between Windsor Street and Fullarton Road.
The section between Unley Road and Windsor Street is not included as part of the current Stage 3 works because the road is less than 12.8 metres wide. Council needs more time to investigate alternative options for this section of Wattle Street.
The proposed improvements include:
- Bicycle lanes: Installation of 1.2-metre-wide bicycle lanes with a minimum 0.5-metre safety buffer adjacent to parked vehicles.
- Traffic lanes: Narrowing of traffic lanes to 2.7 metres to accommodate the bicycle lanes, while maintaining access for vehicles.
- Green pavement treatment: Installation of green pavement treatment at intersections to improve the visibility of bicycle lanes and increase awareness of where cyclists and motorists interact.
- Parking changes: Removal of two on-street parking spaces opposite 137 and 138 Wattle Street, adjacent to the existing pedestrian refuge crossing at Windsor Street.
- Tree impacts: Removal of one regulated street tree opposite 82 Wattle Street.
View the proposed design for Stage 3 here(PDF, 11MB).
Stage 4: Wattle Street NBR Improvements
Stage 4 investigations of the project between Fullarton Road and Milton Avenue identified that minimum-width bicycle lanes cannot be achieved within the existing road corridor without significant impacts to on-street parking and street trees. Therefore, rather than retaining the current conditions, Council is proposing green painted bicycle lanes between 1.2 and 1.4 metres wide without a defined buffer adjacent to parked vehicles.
The proposed improvements include:
- Bicycle lanes: Installation of 1.2–1.4-metre-wide bicycle lanes to provide a safer and more comfortable route for cyclists.
- Green pavement treatment: Continuous green pavement treatment to improve visibility and highlight areas where cyclists, parked vehicles and moving vehicles interact. Similar treatments have been successfully used on other cycling routes, such as Pirie Street, Adelaide. Further discussions with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) on this treatment are required before implementation.
- Parking changes: Removal of two on-street parking spaces adjacent to 38 and 67 Wattle Street to provide space for the bicycle lanes.
- Tree treatments: Visibility treatments around four trees adjacent to 19A, 36, 46 and 48A Wattle Street to highlight short ‘pinch points’ where the available space for cyclists is reduced.
The proposed improvements are intended to be supported by a reduction in the speed limit on Wattle Street from 50 km/h to 40 km/h. Council’s application to DIT for the reduced speed limit is currently in progress.
The proposed Stage 4 design, endorsed by Council for further investigation, can be found in the Council Report, 22 June 2026 (Item 4.7, Attachment 2, pages 273–280).
There is currently no funding allocated for Stage 4. Council will seek funding through future annual business plan and budget processes.