THE mayors of Melville, Fremantle and Cockburn are divided over the Barnett government’s new long-term transport plan.
Designed to cater for a population of 3.5 million in 2050, the plan predicts public transport trips will increase by 250 per cent, cycling trips by 400 per cent, but car trips by just 75 per cent. It features tunnels under the Swan River, an inner-city subway, a cycle bridge from Pt.Walter, and an airport train.
Melville mayor Russell Aubrey is all smiles about a traffic tunnel taking Stock Road across the Swan River, and a rail tunnel from Booragoon connecting Melville to the northern suburbs under the river.
• Hassell Architects’ plan for a three-way cycling bridge stopping at Point Walter.
Melville also gets the three-points cycle bridge connecting Point Walter with Mosman Park and Dalkeith, a rail line connecting Murdoch to Booragoon, and the long-debated Perth Freight Link into Fremantle.
“It’s a big plan and it’s been long-awaited, Mr Aubrey told the Herald.
“They’re taking a significant amount of traffic off Canning and Leach…Canning Highway is a massive issue at the moment.
“It’s not been done for political gain or political cycles, but based around linking population and employment centres.”
Mr Aubrey said the works can be fitted into the existing transport budget.
Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt likes the public transport and cycling focus of the plan, but reckons cost-effective light rail should be prioritised over dramatic, but expensive, tunnels and bridges.
• Bike-mad Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt is happy with the plan’s cycling and public transport focus, but says dramatic bridges and tunnels are “more icing than cake”.
“This strong vision is somewhat let down by projects that are sometimes more icing than cake,” Dr Pettitt said.
“Unfortunately the draft plan serves the southern coastal suburbs particularly badly. There is no new public transport investment for the greater Fremantle area planned for the next 40 years which is ridiculous.”
Freo does get a tunnel connecting Roe 8 to Stirling Highway as part of the PFL, as well as a freight rail link from the port to the South-West, and some light rail connections which will not be delivered until after 2050.
Two minds
Cockburn mayor Logan Howlett is also in two minds about the plan.
Mayor Howlett welcomes a train extension from Thornlie to Cockburn, a bridge connecting Armadale Road with North Lake Road, and upgrades to east-west routes such as Russell and Rowley roads to ease congestion in Cockburn Central.
• Melville Mayor Russell Aubrey on Canning Highway – he hopes congestion will ease as the transport plan is implemented. Photo by Trilokesh Chanmugam
However, he’s concerned about the absence of any funding plan, and hopes projects in Cockburn won’t be given the slip if tough decisions have to be made in the future.
Mayor Howlett is also frustrated that money is still being invested in connecting freight to the port of Fremantle rather than developing the outer harbour.
“Funding for the third stage of the PFL (the last mile) and the dedicated rail freight bridge means that the true cost of transport upgrades to keep Fremantle as the primary port must now be close to $3 billion,” Mayor Howlett says.
“When do we stop throwing money at servicing the inner harbour and instead invest in a freight solution that will transform Perth well into the future?”
by TRILOKESH CHANMUGAM