Connect - 16 July 2021

SAPTA Executive Director

This week the appointment of Scott White as Executive Director of the South Australian Public Transport Authority was announced, taking over from Anne Alford, who will retire at the end of July.

Anne has made a significant contribution to the broader public sector over a career spanning more than 30 years.  She has made an exceptional contribution in setting up our integrated public transport authority (SAPTA), as well as building the commercial foundations of our new operating model. Her leadership has set the direction for public transport in the coming decade. She has also been a valued member of the wider leadership team setting the overall direction for DIT, and has been an inspirational role model for many women in transport.

Scott is a versatile senior executive with global experience managing various aspects of public transport service delivery in the United Kingdom, North America and Australia.  His appointment comes after a rigorous national search for the right candidate. Scott will commence with us on Monday, 19 July.  His skills and experience stand us in good stead in leading the next phase of delivering better, more customer-focused public transport.

Please give Anne a fond farewell, Scott a warm welcome and pitch in where needed to help make for a seamless transition.

E-scooters go east

On the back of some close collaboration between the Department, SAPOL and local government, a new trial of e-scooters is under way in the eastern suburbs.

Discussions to introduce the trials ran from November last year through to March, working out all of the details to ensure safety and resolve how the compliance and enforcement would work before the final proposal went to the Minister for approval. The trial is being monitored and managed by the City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters and has been approved until 31 October 2022.

This phase of the trials is particularly interested in e-scooter use adjacent to major arterial roads such as Payneham Road, Portrush Road and Stephens Terrace. While the speed limit is generally 15 km/h, 10 km/h applies along these and other state-controlled roads within the council area.

Safety first, accessing the scooter’s helmet before take-off

Delivering an important brief

Teams across the department have again done a stellar job in preparing Estimates Briefings to support Ministers at the Parliamentary Estimates Committee.

Once briefings from business areas are provided, they go to our finance team, who add the current budget figures and financial commentary that also cross-references previous budgets. Then they land in the Office of the Chief Executive for review and finalisation in conjunction with each of the directorates and in coordination with the Ministers’ Offices.

This task requires everyone across the department to work together as one team. To all of those involved, we appreciate the huge amount of work that was done to deliver on schedule, and your taking ownership and following up on all of the questions and queries that came your way.

Kicking goals with THINK! Road Safety

The state’s top male and female country footballers represented their regions in the SANFL 2021 THINK! Road Safety Country Championships at Victor Harbor last weekend. Our Road Safety Partnerships program is the major naming rights partner for the annual event, which saw Southern Districts taking the men’s title and Northern winning the women’s competition in a four-point thriller.

Partnering with the SANFL as a major supporter of the country championships provides opportunities to raise awareness of key road safety issues across regional South Australia. This is especially valuable given the exposure to males aged 16-49, novice road users and regional South Australians: all key road safety target audiences.

Some of our team at the Championships.

Sharing good ideas

I was recently honoured to be appointed as the new Chair of the International Association of Public Transport for Australia and New Zealand.  This industry association plays an  important role in bringing the public transport sector together to share knowledge, address industry issues, develop skills and foster learning and innovation.

The association has focused recently on forums on zero emissions buses and on the COVID-19 response.  It runs knowledge-sharing round tables, including customer experience, public affairs and ticketing.  It also provides a range of training and development opportunities for public transport professionals.

I am looking forward to working with fellow members of the Board to foster greater knowledge sharing that will bring benefits to members across our sector, including our own team.

Granite Island Causeway

Ngarrindjeri-Ramindjeri cultural significance has been front and centre from the earliest planning stages of the Granite Island Causeway project.

Traditional Owners provided their knowledge to protect the cultural and heritage aspects of the area, which will be celebrated by one of the largest art-pieces in Australia, integrated into the causeway’s architecture.

The video below captures the artists’ pride in their work which will provide a cultural legacy for generations. This element of the project is a true highpoint and a credit to all involved.

Go Gary!

Honesty has its own rewards. After finding a wallet on the bus going home, one of our Security Compliance Officers, Gary Mullighan, contacted the Adelaide Metro InfoLine.

It was an easy trace given the wallet contained a registered metroCARD. The wallet also contained the owner’s rent money, so having it all returned was an enormous relief and our customer struggled to contain his gratitude.

Living our values brings credit to us all. Gary’s actions are exemplary, both for honesty and for the application of the “TOFU principle” (Taking Ownership, Following Up).  Thanks Gary and the SAPTA Customer Care Team!

NAIDOC Week Award

I am very proud of the way the Department is progressing reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, highlighted by a recent 2021 Intract NAIDOC Week Award recognising DIT’s outstanding commitment to indigenous engagement and closing the gap for Indigenous Australians.

This is a great honour, coincidentally coming at the same time as we work with Reconciliation Australia on drafting our new Reconciliation Action Plan 2021-2024.

The award acknowledges the great progress made since our first RAP in 2014 and I look forward to the new one, when ratified, guiding us much further along the important reconciliation journey.

Staff spotlight is on …

Tim Wilson started as a technical graduate with the Department in 2005, spending the first two years with Road Design and Civil and Bridge Construction in Adelaide before accepting a one-year placement to Naracoorte, which soon became a fulltime position.

As he says, the rest is history, as he’s continued making a contribution to road safety in the South East as Senior Technical Officer, Rural (and, based on the photo below, an occasional pirate).

When not swashbuckling, Tim covers the entire spectrum of roles associated with road projects: community engagement; project development and planning; traffic safety; project delivery and asset handover.

Friday Flashback

Today’s Friday Flashback shows flooding in Victoria Square after a summer downpour in 1925.

SLSA B 60616