Ressurect Roe 8
MY first introduction to Russell Aubrey was when my wife and I attended several open-air meetings at a Melville reserve.
The year was 2002 or thereabouts, and the purpose of the meetings was to promote the building of the Fremantle Eastern Bypass.
The state Labor party was in office, and they were threatening to delete it.
Thousands of submissions were written and submitted by the people of Canning and Melville, but it was all in vain, as the FEB was deleted and the land sold.
After this, the fight was on to save Roe 8.
I personally have written hundreds of letters to the local papers since then, and most people supported it.
Then transport minister Alannah MacTiernan put forward the idea that the land on which Roe 8 was to be built had special importance, and the road should not be built.
Since then, many “Greenies” have jumped on the bandwagon, and amazingly, Roe 8 has become a dirty word.
The Liberal party left its effort far too late, this term of office, and due to many other unpopular decisions, were driven out.
It is obvious that the present and near future traffic load cannot be taken on Leach Highway, so without Roe 8 there will be massive traffic problems, and the only way to alleviate them will be to widen Leach Highway at enormous cost.
Even then, there are so many junctions that it can never compete with Roe Highway.  This is what Mayor Aubrey and I plus a few others fought for 15 years, and I do not even live in Melville.
Jim Reddyhough
Burren Gate, Willetton     

Do the math
WELL I haven’t read the Sunday Times, however I did read mayor Pettitt’s lyrical response to Sunday’s article, where it states Perth has 950 shops with 16 per cent, or 150 of those lying empty.
Rokeby Road has only 15 per cent and Fremantle has only 10 per cent of its 541 shops lying empty.
The implication — wow, how lucky are we.
In numbers, now many people have lost their dreams and no doubt their life savings? Hello, every one!
This is really, really bad.
How many landlords have gone broke?
How many have recognised that retail from bricks and mortar is not what it used to be and the, still, high rent structure can not be sustained?
You could do it in the 1970s and even the 1980s but now, you the shop keeper, are just that and the last to get paid.
I digress.
I don’t understand the data supplied in the article.
First, Fremantle with 541 shops has more than half of Perth’s 950.
Yet the Fremantle council wants more.
Let’s fill the 10 per cent first and smarten them up (that’s not modernising them).
With regard to the 90 per cent of filled shops, how many are paying full rent and are happy?
How many have been able to negotiate reduced rent and have long-term contracts?
How many are on subsidised rent?
How many are pop-ups, or charity or recycled shops?
I would be pleased to have our well-paid Economic Development department fill us in.
Lastly, how many landlords have become members of Business Improvement District and has council or the Chamber of Commerce ever tried to get more participation in restoring Fremantle to its former glory and helping their tenants’ bottom line?
Robert Bodkin,
Bodkins Bootery
High St, Fremantle

Cycle rage
CYCLISTS continue to moan that they are being hard done by, riding on the road.
They do not have any right to be on the road until; there is a law that a bike rider has third party insurance, the same as all motor vehicles that are on the road.
If a cyclist must ride on the road, when you get to a roundabout, stop and walk across the road, you may live a little longer.
Frank Granger,
Melville Beach Rd,
Applecross

Advertising splurge
AS a Cockburn City rate payer, I sincerely fail to see any useful purpose to help improving our city, of the large expensive hoardings (with their political overtones!) which have recently appeared on the roadsides within our city limits.
Wouldn’t the thousands of ratepayer dollars these eyesores cost, be more carefully used to help maintaining our lovely parks, playgrounds, and providing more fenced dog walking areas?
State and federal election propaganda should be left in the hands where it rightfully belongs, and not subsided in any form by our often-hard-earned rate payments.
Furthermore, I wish to express my dismay to the fact that my council is opting to spend (waste) $10,000 of our money on a report (from whom?) regarding the ridiculous matter of possibly changing the date of Australia day.
Whatever you do, historically it will always be January 26, nobody can change that!
Why would Cockburn City Council change from being a progressive modern place to live, by trying to follow Fremantle city in any way or form, when you see how that city is going!!
Warwick, South Lake