SA road speed tripled - but it's ok

There's a street in Adelaide where the speed limit has just been tripled - but don't panic it hasn't been turned into a racetrack.

Hindley Street, in the city's east end, has been a source of some controversy lately ever since the Adelaide City Council ripped up a large section of bitumen and replaced it with pavers.

The idea was to create a "pedestrian-friendly, innovative mixed-traffic environment" in the city's growing education and health precinct.

The problem was when the pavers got wet the road resembled an ice skating rink, so slippery that the speed limit was cut to just 10km/h.

But now, several months later, a special coating has been applied to the pavers to provide more grip, and the council has just lifted the speed limit to 30km/h.

Infrastructure manager Phillip Burton said the improved traction was a good outcome for all the road's users.

"This section of Hindley Street was designed to achieve a traffic speed of 30km/h to allow for the safe integration of bikes and motor vehicles, with increased safety for pedestrians," he said.

"We have also received positive feedback from some traders, stating that they support a speed limit lower than the default 50km/h."

But traders weren't so happy at the height of the debacle last year, calling for the problem to be fixed quickly.

Other road users took to social media to describe the initial $4 million road project as "half-arsed".