ROAD2RAIL organiser Sam Wainwright says he’s not surprised Main Roads is reconsidering a tunnel under Fremantle as part of its Perth Freight Link (“It’s back,” Herald, April 11, 2015).
The Fremantle councillor says the Stock Road route has plenty of obstacles, not the least of which would be a pretty hairy corner for trucks heading down the steep gradient towards Leach Highway and then having to gun up another steep incline.
He also suspects heavyweight retailers such as Harvey Norman and Officeworks (and possibly Ikea) have been kicking up a stink at the prospect of huge walls being built across their O’Connor frontages.
More of the same
“But from Road2Rail’s point of view, the prospect of it being a tunnel under Fremantle is more of the same,” he says.
Last weekend R2R organised a forum with other opponents, including the WA Labor opposition and Greens, to co-ordinate a campaign against the freight link.
Cr Wainwright says four key groups will spearhead the campaign: R2R, Save Beeliar Wetlands, 350.org and Rethink the Link. He says they hope to have about a dozen other groups affiliated, such as the Friends of Clontarf Hill.
• Simone McGurk and Ken Travers from Labor, the Socialist Alliance’s Sam Wainwright and the Greens’ Scott Ludlam are amongst the community coalition opposing the Perth Freight Link. Photo supplied | by Alex Bainbridge
Raising local awareness is their first task, which they started late last year with a letter-drop to 26,000 homes, while Save Beeliar Wetlands is already examining possible legal challenges to the link.
He says they also have to convince Melville residents their council’s slavish devotion to the project will not result in reduced traffic. He says Main Roads’ own data predicts at best a slight easing in the short term.
Cr Wainwright says a sleeper cell of opposition could also come from North Fremantle, Mosman Park and even Cottesloe residents, as he says the proposed link will create a bottleneck heading into Fremantle port which could jam traffic further up Stirling Highway.
Main Roads has confirmed the falling price of tunneling makes the project viable, but says it’s just looking at options and there’s nothing wrong with the Stock Road proposal.
“The government is considering all options to deliver the best possible project outcomes,” the department replied via anonymous email to the Herald’s questions.
“Once established the options will be evaluated against social, economic and environmental concerns.”
The department says funding won’t come from selling land above the tunnel, and says it won’t tunnel under the Beeliar wetlands: “It was considered during the planning phase of this section however the current route along the existing transition line provides the best outcomes from a social, environmental and economic perspective,” the statement said.
by STEVE GRANT
