Members of the Save Beeliar Wetlands Campaign group met outside Main Roads offices today to flag their opposition to a pre-emptive meeting for contractors to build a controversial 6 lane tollway through Perth’s southern suburbs from Muchea to Fremantle Port before the formal environmental approvals are announced. The Roe 8 extension is part of a planned tollway, the 1.6 billion dollar Perth Freight Link which is looming as a divisive project for the state Liberal government whose financial management of the state’s finances has recently been widely criticised.
Campaign Convenor Dr Nandi Chinna said that : “despite the fact that we still haven’t seen the business case costings, and that there are no final state or federal environmental approvals, Main Roads WA is holding preliminary meetings to discuss awarding contracts for work to begin on the Roe 8 highway extension.”
“The WA Govt is blindly pushing ahead with its out-dated, and excessively expensive transport freight route which its own modelling shows will not solve congestion. There won’t be any noticeable gains to Leach Highway by 2021, by 2031 truck numbers will actually increase and there will be terrible congestion on Roe 8 and Leach Highway”
Community Campaigner Kate Kelly added that “Ministers Nalder, Jacobs and their Premier Colin Barnett do not have a mandate to force Western Australians into an obsolete infrastructure scenario which is looking more and more like a financial black hole. What we actually need is less trucks on our built up roads and better access to Ports for industry. This money could be used to build an outer harbour in Kwinana or a fraction of it could upgrade the railway line that already exists to the Port. On the other hand the Roe 8 proposal is risky, expensive and would drag the state into more debt. Roe 8 will not solve congestion and would destroy nearly 100 ha of local wetland and bushland instead …this does not add up as a sensible project”
“this toll road will never be fully paid off. The trucking companies will be forced to pass on the toll costs to consumers. We will pay and keep on paying in terms of higher costs for food, licences, tolls, health costs and the costs of living. Where is the full business case for this project? Where are the exact figures and why won’t they release all the information including traffic and business case modelling? Is it because the Feds will only give this state money for roads?”
“There are smarter and more efficient ways to deal with Perth’s planning issues but it will take more vision than we’ve seen from this Liberal Government. This money could and should be used for hospitals, teachers, schools, public transport, rail options and essential services ”
Community Campaigner Kate Kelly 0424497653