BIBRA LAKE shopkeepers say weeks of confusing road closures have slashed trade, with some businesses reporting their quietest weekends in years as frustrated motorists turn back before ever reaching the shopping centre.

Angie’s Bistro owner Angie Kosse said the disruption began just before the school holidays, but the biggest problem had not simply been the roadworks themselves—it was people not knowing the shops were still open or how to get there.

“It’s open on the weekend, but that’s the reason why it’s a bit complicated, because we have a lot of these signs up that say different dates, different times, and apparently it’s like a few companies involved.

Confusing

Ms Kosse said the traffic management had been confusing from the outset, with road signs changing on an almost daily basis.

Even locals struggled to work out how to reach the shopping centre.

“There was no road signs in the front for detours when it started, so I came back with the shopping and I was stuck,” she said.

“For me, even being local, I didn’t know really where to go.

“Coming from North Lake Road, it was not clear, and a lot of people were turning around at the skate path.”

Bibra Lake resident Felicity Bairstow said she had experienced the same confusion.

“The main problem in my mind has been the signage,” she said.

“Several times I’ve actually come right up to the roadworks before I realised the road was closed and chucking a uey.”

Ms Kosse said traders were now wondering how long the disruption would continue.

“The worry as well, is it really just going to be four weeks, or is this going to go really till August 31?” she said.

“Because some signs say end of July, and some signs say end of August.”

The timing is also unfortunate, with the shopping centre undergoing a facelift and shop owners hoping that would bring in new customers.

“We’re doing our roofing, our walls, our cleaning, all of it,” Ms Kosse said.

“And it’d be sad to see that people start to go somewhere else and saying ‘I’m not actually coming back to Bibra Lake any more because there’s so much confusion about how long this is going to go for?’

Cockburn councillor Phil Eva said he had already taken the concerns to city officers and would be asking for signs letting motorists and pedestrians know how to get to the shops.

“I’ve sent an email yesterday in regards to the signage,” he said.

Cr Eva said he hoped to receive answers quickly.

For Ms Kosse, the financial impact is already being felt.

“It was really quiet on the weekend, like really, unusually quiet,” she said.

“And we had a park run on Saturday.

“I would say we had half the business; I just sent staff home.”

The café owner has since launched a social media campaign.

“I have asked my customers to stay local,” she said.

“I said, ‘look, we have a shopping centre here, we have everything you need. If you need anything that we don’t have, I’m happy to get it in.

“But you can save on your fuel.

“We have the lake here; you can go for walks, runs, take your dogs; you don’t have to really go anywhere else.’

“Support local because we are the ones who are here and need to stay in the long run.”

“But it’s beautiful here.”

Ms Kosse has watched the community grow over the past 11 years after leaving Fremantle to establish her café in Bibra Lake.

“There was not that much of a community going back then,” she said.

“It is an old, old suburb, very family orientated.

“There was no such meeting place as a cafe.

“So we had a lot of laughs, a lot of tears.

“We’ve enjoyed a lot of new people coming in, but we have also seen a lot pass away.

“I have people in during COVID times saying, ‘Oh, you saved our lives.’”

Ms Bairstow said that sense of community was exactly what made the suburb special.

“That’s what I tell people that move in here as new residents,” she said.

“’There’s only one disadvantage to living in Bibra Lake – you might never leave again.

“Once you get here, it’s addictive.

“You will stay here.’”

by STEVE GRANT