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Projects > projects > FEB opposition
A BETTER WAY FOR FREO
RESPONSIBLE TRANSPORT PLANNING FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY
As the residents of Los Angeles know only too well, big roads do not solve traffic problems – they compound them. There will be no freeways or bypasses in Freo! The City of Fremantle knows that there is a better way...
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FREO DESERVES BETTER THAN A BYPASS!
The City of Fremantle has reaffirmed its support of the State Government’s plan to scrap the Fremantle Eastern Bypass.
At its Council meeting on 25th November 2002, the City voted in favour of alternative proposals that would offer a more viable and sustainable approach to addressing the movement of freight to and from Fremantle Port.
We fully support proposals to reduce the growth in road freight and make better use of existing transport infrastructure through the State Government’s Six Point Plan for the southern suburbs.
OUR POSITION
The City of Fremantle is committed to developing a responsible and sustainable transport system designed to meet the economic, social and environmental needs of all members of our community.
We believe that:
· Use of the existing road network, rather than the building of new roads, will significantly reduce the economic, social and environmental impacts on local communities.
· Minimising traffic in residential areas and catering for all road users is a priority. (Initiatives such as traffic calming on Hampton Road, for example, have resulted in 1,500-2,000 vehicles per day travelling on Stock Road instead.)
· Building new roads and widening existing roads has never solved traffic congestion. Greater road capacity only generates more traffic.
· Stock Road is more than adequate as a truck route.
· Moving freight by rail rather than road will reduce pressure on the road system and minimise the adverse impact of trucks on residential areas.
· TravelSmart programs, improved public transport, and safer facilities for pedestrians and cyclists are all initiatives that will serve to reduce car travel and improve the amenity or living environment along all roads.
SEEING BEYOND OUR SUBURBAN BOUNDARIES
The transport requirements of the Fremantle community cannot be considered in isolation of the metropolitan area as a whole, and the broader issues of economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Perth is one of the most car dependent cities in the world. Only Houston, Texas, has a longer stretch of road per person. Travel Surveys have indicated that eighty percent of all trips in Perth are by car. Unless action is taken to reduce transport emissions, Perth could have an air quality problem of similar magnitude to that being faced by Sydney and Melbourne.
Further, Perth is one of the largest sprawling cities in the world and it pays heavily for this, spending more of its wealth on transport than any other city in the developed world.
While freight movement is essential to our economy and living standards, the noise, pollution, and safety hazards caused by increasing volumes of truck traffic have a profound impact on our quality of life.
The City of Fremantle will only support proposals that address all of these concerns.
THE BETTER (AND SUSTAINABLE) TRANSPORT SOLUTION
Last year, the State Government launched the Freight Network Review. This brought together local government, transport industry and community representatives to consider economic, social and environmental priorities and to find a more sustainable way of moving freight in and around the metropolitan area.
The review considered more than 20 road network options for managing freight in Perth’s southern suburbs.
The most highly ranked option involved the construction of Roe Highway Stage 7 (to Kwinana Freeway) and the upgrading of Stock Road and High Street. Another highly ranked option was the upgrading of Leach Highway, but not to freeway standard.
For further information on the Freight Network Review, visit the Department of Planning and Infrastructure’s website www.dpi.wa.gov.au/metro/freight/index.html
THE SIX POINT PLAN
The City of Fremantle commends the State Government for addressing the major transport issues facing the metropolitan area as a whole, for developing sustainable solutions to deal with trucks, and for not inflicting divisive roads where they are not needed or wanted.
The City of Fremantle fully supports the State Government’s Six Point Plan, which is designed to reduce the growth in truck traffic through the southern suburbs, as follows:
1. Extend Roe Highway to Kwinana Freeway
Roe Highway will be extended to cater for the increasing level of traffic heading to the growing industrial areas in Cockburn and Kwinana and will take traffic away from South Street and Leach Highway.
2. Put more freight on rail
Improved rail linkages between Kewdale, Kwinana and Fremantle will help industry transport freight by rail instead of road. In 10 years, 20 per cent of all container traffic will be moved by rail. This will require three extra trains per day, in and out of the Port. Currently, only three per cent of containers are transported by train. A Metropolitan Region Scheme amendment was recently released to finalise the alignment for the rail loop and Fremantle Ports is pursuing Federal funding for its construction. The Toll/Patricks consortium was recently appointed to operate the rail terminal. In the interim, the existing freight rail line through Leighton Marshalling Yards will continue to be used.
3. Build inland container terminals
A container terminal at Kewdale will ensure trucks do not have to drive to and from Fremantle just to pick up or return an empty container.
4. Make better use of our roads
Currently, many trucks going to Fremantle Port are empty. Better scheduling, backloading and a truck booking system at the Port will ensure that the number of trucks entering or leaving the Port empty will be significantly reduced.
5. Plan now for the outer harbour at Kwinana
A new Port will take much of the growth in traffic from Fremantle Port.
6. Improve existing roads
Upgrades of Leach Highway, Stock Road and High Street will improve efficiency and reduce the impact of traffic on local residents. Traffic flows will be improved through better intersection design, signal co-ordination, bus bays and turning lanes.
PROTECTING THE FREO LIFESTYLE
The City of Fremantle has complete confidence in the process currently under way to develop a sustainable transport system for the movement of people and freight in Fremantle and the southern suburbs.
The State Government has established a Local Impacts Committee to examine the impact of freight and traffic on roads in the southern suburbs, and to introduce measures to protect local communities.
The Local Impacts Committee will also work with affected councils and their communities to finalise the route for Roe Highway Stage 7 (through to the Kwinana Freeway), and to improve the existing road network.
It must be stressed that the City of Fremantle does not support the widening of High Street or South Street to six lanes.
The public will be invited to provide input as the work of the Committee progresses.
The Local Impacts Committee is chaired by Riverton MLA Tony McRae. It includes representatives of the six affected local government areas (Fremantle, Canning, Cockburn, East Fremantle, Gosnells and Melville), community representatives, government agency staff and members of Parliament.
The terms of reference of this committee are to:
1. Recommend the preferred alignment for Roe Highway Stage 7, based on a strategic overview of the highly ranked options in the multi criteria analysis.
2. Identify the level of upgrading needed for the major roads in the South West metropolitan corridor, focusing on Leach Highway, South Street, High Street and Stock Road; and prepare a preliminary road development plan for these roads.
3. Determine measures to protect local communities from the impact of freight and general traffic.
WHY THE FEB WAS REJECTED
The City of Fremantle has consistently opposed the Fremantle Eastern Bypass (FEB), which was proposed to be a four lane divided highway between High Street and Rollinson Road, with traffic signal intersections at High Street and South Street.
Here are just some of the reasons why the City of Fremantle rejected the FEB:
· The FEB would have required the acquisition of land from 96 properties between High Street and Rollinson Road.
· Hundreds of other nearby properties would also be affected through increased noise and pollution.
· The FEB would have routed even more traffic through Fremantle, creating traffic congestion rather than easing it.
· The FEB would have led to pressure for other roads to be widened, such as Stirling Highway in North and East Fremantle, South Street and High Street (as feeder roads to the FEB) and the provision of a second Stirling Bridge.
· The FEB would have provided only short-term relief to parallel roads as new traffic was generated and traffic volumes returned to previous levels.
· The FEB would have caused environmental damage to remnant bushland at Clontarf Hill.
· The FEB would have cut Fremantle in two, severing existing east-west local streets and making east-west travel more difficult.
· The FEB would have encouraged more car-based travel and made it more difficult to walk and cycle.
EXPLODING THE MYTHS
The City of Fremantle is concerned about the anxiety and confusion being caused by certain misinformation being circulated in the community. This misinformation is giving rise to concerns that we, too, would share if they were based on real possibilities. But they are not.
Myth: Freeways to be introduced by stealth!
Fact: No-one wants a freeway in Fremantle. There is no proposal to upgrade High Street or South Street to freeways – nor will there be.
The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Alannah McTiernan, has stated that Leach Highway and South Street will not be turned into freeways and that High Street will not be widened to a six-lanes.
Myth: Freo to be overwhelmed by traffic!
Fact: The City of Fremantle will not allow its traffic to hold it to ransom.
Building more roads in an attempt to solve traffic congestion is an approach that has failed all over the world. New roads simply generate more traffic.
We support the State Government’s moves to reduce traffic congestion through the implementation of its Six Point Plan for the southern suburbs.
But our position predates the present State Government. We have consistently worked to keep traffic levels to a minimum. We traffic calmed Hampton Road, we opposed upgrading the status of South Street to a primary regional road; we sought Main Roads WA approval to reduce South Street to one lane each way through Hilton Shopping Centre; and we requested the removal of the road widening reservation from Hines Road through to Curedale Street.
Myth: The State Government has abandoned a 30-year plan for the Fremantle Eastern Bypass and intends to delete the land from the Metropolitan Region Scheme and sell it to prevent the road ever being built.
Fact: We cannot plan for the needs of the 21st century on the basis of a 30-year old plan. The 30-year-old ‘Stephenson Hepburn’ plan is clearly out-of-date. The plan proposes unnecessary and unsustainable roads, such as Stephenson Highway, which would have cut through Bold Park and Wembley Golf Course. Some of the unsustainable elements of the original plan have already been removed. The Metropolitan Regional Scheme has been amended to delete the Fremantle Western Bypass (which cut through Fremantle’s historical West End) and the extension of Stock Road across the Swan River and through Dalkeith.
Myth: The State Government is intent on proceeding with this action without first having a viable alternative.
Fact: The Fremantle Eastern Bypass has been the subject of considerable debate since the early 1990s, and it has been rejected by successive Labor State Governments with good cause.
The FEB is not an option for our community. The City of Fremantle is committed to a more holistic and sustainable approach, which seeks to reduce the growth in traffic and make better use of our existing transport infrastructure (Why the FEB was rejected).
Myth: The Freight Network Congress was established to look at freight transport strategies, but was not permitted to consider the Fremantle Eastern Bypass as an option for road freight.
Fact: The State Government won the February 2001 election with a clear mandate to delete the Fremantle Eastern Bypass. The FEB, therefore, was not considered to be an option in a process that was committed to finding more sustainable solutions to our transport needs.
Myth: The Freight Network Congress’s preferred option does not address east/west car and truck movement efficiently.
Fact: Building Roe Highway Stage 8 would provide short-term relief, but it is not a sustainable long-term solution. East-West movements are already catered for on South Street, Leach Highway and Canning Highway, all of which are and will remain designated primary regional roads. Leach Highway is also a designated primary freight route.
Myth: Total freight traffic through the Fremantle Inner Harbour is predicted to increase by 300% over the next 20 years.
Fact: That is why the State Government’s current holistic approach is essential. This will see 30% of containers on rail and a reduction in the number of empty truck movements from 50% to 35%. That means that Port activity can just about triple over the next 20 years and the number of truck movements will remain at the same level they are today.
Myth: The State Government has set a target to increase rail freight from the current 3% to 30% of all freight within 10 years, but based on their predicted freight increases, this still means a 40% increase on existing levels of truck traffic.
Fact: As outlined above, the State Government’s proposal will see 30% of containers on rail and a reduction in the number of empty truck movements from 50% to 35%. That means that Port activity can just about triple over the next 20 years and the number of truck movements will remain at the same level they are today.
Myth: The State Government states they are committed to having a working port in Fremantle but will not provide the associated road network required to safely and efficiently service it into the future.
Fact: The two ports are not mutually exclusive. Fremantle Port can continue to grow and, at some time in the future, a new Port will be established in Kwinana to handle further growth.
Myth: When Roe Highway Stage 7 connects with South Street, an increase of 30,000 vehicles per day is predicted on an already busy road, according to a Main Roads Western Australia report.
Fact: Roe Highway Stage 7 will connect through to the Kwinana Freeway, not South Street. There will be short-term impacts on South Street between completion of Stages 6 and 7.
Myth: The current upgrade proposal to Leach Highway involves fly-overs – freeway like, even if not called a freeway.
Fact: There is no proposal to turn Leach Highway into a freeway, nor will there be. Traffic flows on Leach Highway and other existing major roads will be improved through better intersection design, signal co-ordination, bus bays and turning lanes. The extent of these works will be decided by the Local Impacts Committee, in consultation with the City of Fremantle, other affected councils and their communities (Protecting the Freo lifestyle).
Myth: Properties/businesses fronting South Street/Leach Highway may have to be purchased/resumed by the State Government and demolished to allow for these roads to be upgraded to freeway status.
Fact: Once again, there is no proposal to turn Leach Highway or South Street into a freeway.
Myth: Traffic congestion will increase.
Fact: Leach Highway and South Street are and will remain primary regional roads carrying long distance through traffic and trucks.
However, the City of Fremantle supports the State Government’s moves to reduce traffic congestion through the implementation of its Six Point Plan for the southern suburbs.
We have consistently worked to keep traffic levels to a minimum. We traffic calmed Hampton Road, we opposed upgrading the status of South Street to a primary regional road; we sought Main Roads WA approval to reduce South Street to one lane each way through Hilton Shopping Centre; and we requested the removal of the road widening reservation from Hines Road through to Curedale Street.
“Taming” traffic (rather than facilitating its movement at all costs) results in a safer and more pleasant environment for abutting landowners and all road users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists.
Myth: Excessive noise and pollution emissions created by trucks and cars travelling on Leach Highway, South Street, Stock Road and High Street could plummet values alongside or near these roads and will lead to the decline of neighbourhood amenity and safety.
Fact: Leach Highway, South Street (east of Stock Road) and Stock Road (south of Leach Highway) are primary regional roads carrying high volumes of traffic, including trucks. The market value of properties on these roads is lower than those on narrower roads with higher levels of residential amenity.
Building another big road would do nothing to improve safety and neighbourhood amenity on these roads because their capacity would not be reduced and traffic would grow back to existing levels.
Myth: ‘Rat-run’ traffic will also increase as motorists seek alternative routes along local roads (ie Marmion Street and Farrington Road) to avoid the congestion during peak traffic times.
Fact: Marmion Street is not a local street, it is in fact a distributor road (a road that is designated to carry more than just local traffic). The City of Melville has recently widened Marmion Street in Booragoon to four lanes to allow it to carry more traffic. Traffic short-cutting along local or residential streets will not be prevented by widening main roads.
Myth: Incidences of accidents will increase as volumes of traffic increase on main and local roads.
Fact: Reducing traffic speeds and volume is an effective way of reducing road crashes. Road crash statistics, for example, have shown that the traffic calming of Hampton Road reduced road crashes.
Myth: Cyclists and pedestrians will have difficulty crossing these roads and will have to use only separated crossings at signalised intersections.
Fact: Additional facilities can and should be provided for pedestrians and cyclists on main roads.
Myth: Extensive road works/closures will cause major delays and inconvenience for local and through traffic during long construction periods.
Fact: The inconvenience caused by any road construction projects is unavoidable, but is only temporary.
Myth: Completing Roe Highway Stage 8 and the Fremantle Eastern Bypass would have allowed for:
· Freight to move from industrial regions to the east, particularly the Welshpool/Kewdale industrial areas and south of the Fremantle Port without disruption to residential and commercial businesses.
· Continuation of the regional highway links already completed or under construction, facilitating a convenient, high standard, low impact traffic route.
· An efficient movement of heavy freight (including trucks transporting hazardous goods) to travel through the south-west metropolitan region away from commercial and residential areas, with ideal grading and without the inefficient stop/start traffic flow created by traffic signals along existing routes.
Fact:
Construction of the Fremantle Eastern Bypass and Roe Highway Stage 8 is not a sustainable transport solution because it would:
· Do irreparable damage to environmentally sensitive areas at North Lake, Bibra Lake and Clontarf Hill.
· Require demolition of many homes and create new barriers in Fremantle, White Gum Valley, Beaconsfield, Hamilton Hill and Coolbellup.
· Route even more traffic through Fremantle causing more traffic congestion.
· Lead to pressure for widening of other roads, such as Stirling Highway in North and East Fremantle, South Street and High Street and provision of a second Stirling Bridge.
· Provide only short-term relief to parallel roads as new traffic is generated and traffic volumes return to previous levels.
· Encourage more car-based travel rather than use of other more sustainable transport modes, contrary to the State Government’s Metropolitan Transport Strategy.
Myth: The abandonment of Roe Highway Stage 8 will involve extensive and costly upgrades to existing roads to cope with the increased traffic volumes passing through areas that have established residential properties and commercial businesses.
Fact: The funds saved by not building Roe Highway Stage 8 can be re-directed to the creation of a more sustainable transport system in the Fremantle/Cockburn/Melville region.
Myth: The proposal fails to reflect the genuine long-term transport needs of the City of Melville community and the rest of the region.
Fact: The State Government’s proposal provides a more holistic and sustainable approach, which is designed to reduce the growth in road freight and make better use of existing transport infrastructure in the interests of the whole community (Six Point Plan).
Since the 1950s, cities all over the world have attempted to solve traffic congestion by building more and more roads, and they have failed on every occasion. The evidence confirms that building roads will not solve traffic congestion, but will increase it.
Myth: The increase in freight trains will impact on the West End and South Fremantle.
Fact: There are very few residences directly abutting the rail line and the line is already used for the transport of containers between Fremantle Port and Kewdale.
Even with the proposed level of increased usage (3% to 30% of all freight within 10 years), the daily volume of rail traffic (four trains each way) would be less than when the line was used for the transport of grain to the former silos at North Quay.
Myth: There will be no room for pedestrians and bicyclists
Fact: “Taming” traffic (rather than facilitating its movement at all costs) results in a safer and more pleasant environment for abutting landowners and all road users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists.
The traffic calming of Hampton Road has resulted in a transfer of 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles per day to Stock Road, with no increases on local roads.
Myth: Property values will drop on South Street, Stock Road and Leach Highway
Fact: Leach Highway, South Street (east of Stock Road) and Stock Road (south of Leach Highway) are primary regional roads carrying high volumes of traffic, including trucks. The market value of properties on these roads is lower than those on narrower roads with higher levels of residential amenity.
Building a new big road will do nothing to improve safety and neighbourhood amenity on these roads because their capacity will not be reduced and traffic will grow back to existing levels.
Myth: There will be increasing noise and fumes from heavy trucks using Stock Road and South Street
Fact: Both Stock Road and South Street (east of Stock Road) are classified as ‘Primary Regional Roads’ and are designated ‘Primary Freight Roads’ in the Metropolitan Freight Transport Strategy. There is no proposal to change this status.
Myth: Fremantle Port will be taken over by Kwinana
Fact: The State Government is committed to having a working port in Fremantle, which can continue to grow and, in time, a new Port will be established in Kwinana to handle further growth.
VIEWS
OF COMMUNITY LEADERS
Peter Tagliaferri, Mayor of Fremantle
“I have consistently opposed the construction of the Fremantle Eastern Bypass and rejected any road network option that splits the community of Fremantle, whether it is in Samson, White Gum Valley or High Street.
I was very pleased, therefore, when the overwhelming majority of my colleagues on the Council voted at our last meeting to support the State Government’s plan to delete the bypass in favour of a better, more sustainable alternative.
It is entirely appropriate that we should devote our energies to addressing the major transport issues facing us in a responsible and sustainable manner, rather than inflicting divisive roads where they are not needed or wanted.
I believe the State Government’s transport strategy will bring many benefits to the Fremantle community, including:
• No future division of established urban areas by new highways.
• Sensible future planning of traffic and freight movement in and around Fremantle.
• Commitment by the State Government to use proceeds from the sale of the bypass land on more sustainable transport options.
• Commitment by the State Government to transport more freight by rail rather than road.
I have every confidence in the current planning process and believe that, with input from the City of Fremantle and its residents, the State Government will arrive at a positive solution for our transport needs.
Alannah McTiernan MLA,
Minister for Planning and Infrastructure
“The environmental, economic and social cost of building the Fremantle Eastern Bypass is so high that it is simply no longer an option.
We cannot continue to rip up existing suburbs to expand the bitumen to accommodate the ever-growing number of freight trucks travelling to and from Fremantle Port. Neither can we allow congestion on existing roads to increase with abandon.
This review recommends a six-part strategy to absorb the growth in demand.
These include:
• Increase from 3% to 30% the number of containers carried in an out of Fremantle by rail.
• Better logistics to reduce number of trucks going empty in an out of port.
• Build an inland container terminal in Kewdale.
This will mean a drastic reduction in the number of trucks on metropolitan roads and almost halve heavy vehicle movements through Fremantle each day, within eight years.
We have set up a Local Impacts Committee to work with the community to determine what type of road improvements will be needed to meet their needs and to introduce measures to minimise any negative impacts.
These proposals have been achieved through consensus and the recognition that neither industry nor the community benefits from large numbers of heavy trucks mixing with cars and commercial traffic on roads unsuitable for the purpose.
John Longley AM,
Executive Director, Fremantle Chamber of Commerce
“The Fremantle Chamber of Commerce is pleased the State Government has taken a decision once and for all on the Fremantle Eastern Bypass.
This issue has been going on for far too long. The State Government is to be congratulated for resolving the matter and for getting on with the task at hand, namely addressing the Port’s chronic transport needs.
The Port is struggling for a proper transport network to keep pace with its growth. In order to meet the Port’s needs, the State Government will need, first, to develop the rail loop and, second, to undertake whatever work is needed to develop an adequate road system to connect to Stock Road, even if that means widening stretches of certain roads.
There is no easy solution to this issue. Neither is there one that will be pleasing to everyone. However, in all this debate, we must not lose sight of the fact that Fremantle is not a boutique harbour. Fremantle is a working port with all that that entails and it requires trucks, trains, cranes, containers and big ships to function. That is the commercial and economic reality that Fremantle has to face up to.”
Craig Hennessy,
Fremantle Manager, Patrick’s
“Patrick and Toll have formed a joint venture Company called Fremantle Link Services (F.L.S.), which has been awarded the tender by the Port Authority to manage and operate the rail terminal at North Quay.
That company’s aim is to entice as much business as possible onto rail and it has every intention of meeting the Government’s 30% quota in the time frame specified in the tender agreement.
Rail is the obvious answer to the question of how the Port is going to cope with the projected increase in throughput and as a support to the road industry.
Doing nothing or leaving all the cargo to be transported by road would not be accepted by the community or the Government.
Quite frankly, the long-term viability of North Quay as a working port and the benefits it brings to the local community depends upon both road and rail being as efficient as possible in the transport of the cargo.”
David Clarke,
Chairman, Port Operations Task Force
“The Port Operations Task Force supports the State Government’s endeavours to increase the volume of container cargo carried in and out of Fremantle by rail from three per cent to 30 per cent within 10 years.
We believe that this target is attainable as part of the proposed integrated system of road and rail links between regional and metropolitan industries, commercial areas and port facilities”.
Professor Peter Newman,
architect of the State Government’s draft State Sustainability Strategy
“I conducted an extensive study five years ago into the proposal to build the Fremantle Eastern Bypass. The study’s findings were unequivocal. The Bypass would not only fail to solve the City’s traffic problems, but would compound them. More roads just mean more traffic.
So, my research team looked at what other cities were doing to reduce traffic. We found their approach to be compelling. It was inherently more sustainable than the road building approach and, moreover, it was viable.
The so-called ‘sustainable future’ option, which is now standard practice in cities around the world, is designed not to accommodate increases in traffic but to reduce traffic.
It does this by seeking to reduce car dependence through an integrated approach of:
• Traffic calming – to slow down traffic and create more attractive urban environments
• Quality public transport, especially rail – to provide a genuine option to the car, and
• Urban villages – to minimise the need for travel and to make non-car options more viable.
Perth is one of the most car dependent cities in the world. We have very high car use, poor public transport and the second longest stretch of road per person. Perth simply cannot afford more roads. Sustainable transport planning designed to reduce traffic, not increase it, is an economic, social and environmental imperative.
Since that study I have only become more convinced of the viability of this approach. The Freight Summit showed we can manage trucks better, we have a chance to look again at public transport in an east-west direction from Fremantle, traffic calming is creating better urban environments wherever it is done seriously and in the FEB land we have the chance to build some urban villages.”
Dr Carmen Lawrence,
Federal Member for Fremantle
“Many of you will remember a survey I undertook five years ago seeking the opinion of the Fremantle electorate about various development issues affecting the Southwest Metropolitan Region.
The survey included a question about the Fremantle Eastern Bypass. This found that almost two thirds (62%) of the Fremantle electorate opposed the Bypass. Less than a third (31%) supported it and eight per cent were undecided.
“Many of you will remember a survey I undertook five years ago seeking the opinion of the Fremantle electorate about various development issues affecting the Southwest Metropolitan Region.
The survey included a question about the Fremantle Eastern Bypass. This found that almost two thirds (62%) of the Fremantle electorate opposed the Bypass. Less than a third (31%) supported it and eight per cent were undecided.
The Labor Party went to the election in 2001 with a commitment to uphold the majority view of Fremantle residents to delete the bypass. It was given a clear mandate to do just that.
However, the Liberal Party is determined to resurrect the Bypass, as it did in 1993.
We do not need a bypass. It is well documented that traffic volume only increases with the provision of more roads. Leach Highway and Stock Road provide adequate truck routes. We do not need any more.
The State Government, through the Metropolitan Freight Review Network, is offering visionary alternatives for the management of traffic flows in and around Fremantle. We should be debating and refining these alternatives, not wasting time discussing 30-year-old proposals that have proven to be without merit. It’s time to move on to addressing the needs of the 21st century.”
Jim McGinty, MLA, Member for Fremantle
“Despite the Liberal Party’s endeavours to resurrect the Fremantle Eastern Bypass, the proposal is dead and buried for all time.
Almost two thirds of the Fremantle community rejected the Bypass with good cause five years ago, and the Labor State Government was elected in 2001 with the mandate to delete the road from the planning books.
The State Government is now considering a range of alternative proposals that offer viable and sustainable traffic solutions for Fremantle.
These are designed to reduce the growth in road freight and make better use of existing transport infrastructure.
A Local Impacts Committee has been established to work in consultation with the community. It will be inviting public comment on any proposals under consideration and I would encourage everyone to participate fully in this process.
Fremantle doesn’t need any more highways. More highways mean more traffic, more noise, more pollution and more division within the community.”
Jim Scott, MLC
“The Fremantle Eastern Bypass is an outdated planning concept. Originally the Bypass, which is actually a segment of the Western Suburbs Highway, had no connection to the Fremantle Inner Harbour. It ran from Innaloo, through Dalkeith and Stock Road to Rockingham providing a strategic connection between Swanbourne Barracks and the naval base at Garden Island.
This plan was radically changed to avoid severing Dalkeith (then home of prominent Liberal Sir Charles Court) with a major highway. The new plan did not link to the Fremantle Inner Harbour and was more focused on the outer harbour in Cockburn Sound.
In 1992, the bypass was removed from the Metropolitan Region Scheme by a Labor State Government. Then in 1993 a Liberal State Government changed the plan again. The claims that the bypass was designed to link Roe Highway to the Inner Harbour are wrong. The original Roe Highway plan linked to the port via a road through Wilson Park and a widened Marine Terrace. We are very lucky this section has never been built, as it would have been a planning disaster for Fremantle.
The proponents of the coastal highway are failing to come to grips with sustainable planning objectives, which demand a reduction in road building and car use. It should be noted that Perth has more road space per capita than all other cities in the world bar Houston Texas. We spend the greatest amount of our earnings on cars and roads than any other citizens on the planet. It is little wonder that we experience smog levels expected of much larger cities and are individually the world’s worst producers of greenhouse gas.
Perth is a very inefficient city. It sprawls over a greater area than London and has a lower population density than rural Java. As fuel supplies dwindle and prices go up, increasing transport costs will make us less competitive with other parts of the world. This will be bad for our economy and socially because less wealthy people tend to live on the fringes of the metro area where public transport is not as available or frequent.
Roads like the Western Suburbs Highway/Eastern Bypass were conceived before greenhouse, photochemical smog and the depletion of energy reserves became an issue. They represent planning from a different era and are inappropriate for the 21st century.”
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