Arabic version: تراجع حركة المشاة في وسط أديلايد يشعل خلافاً في المجلس

According to ABC News, foot traffic in Adelaide’s CBD declined from 138.8 million visitors in 2023 to 122 million in 2025, according to Adelaide City Council documents citing Kepler Analytics data. The figures have prompted a dispute between the state’s Property Council and the city council over what is affecting visits to the CBD.

The council data recorded 130.6 million foot traffic visitors in 2024. A month-by-month dashboard published by the Adelaide Economic Development Agency showed citywide visits fell from 13.9 million in July 2023 to 10.9 million in July 2024, 10.2 million in July 2025 and 9.6 million in July this year.

Property Council executive director Bruce Djite blamed factors including car parking, saying it was deterring visitors. He said the council was “at war with car parking without an alternative solution” and argued that removing car parks and adding bike lanes made travel into the CBD too inconvenient for people who needed to shop and return home. He also said more underutilised buildings should be converted for residential use.

Adelaide Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith rejected Mr Djite’s criticism, saying she did not want “a discussion about people’s character”. She said working from home, post-COVID recovery and demographic changes were factors in the figures, while the city had more businesses than ever before. Cr Lomax-Smith said Adelaide had a strong record on affordable parking and that the council’s housing strategy was delivering results, with a 3.5 per cent increase in the residential population in the past year.

Rundle Mall tailor Joseph Uzumcu said he had not noticed fewer passers-by and that his business was “doing incredibly well”. He said Adelaide’s population was smaller than Sydney’s or Brisbane’s.