CHARLES STREET PLANNING STUDY
723. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to Main Roads'
proposed radical redesign of Charles Street—a design that was a complete
surprise to the community and could see a hundred
properties negatively impacted. Given the City of Vincent has strongly opposed
the works, describing them as ''frankly shocking'' and suggesting
that the plans should never have seen the light of day, will the minister ask
or order Main Roads to cease the progression of this plan?
Ms R.
SAFFIOTI replied:
I thank the member for the
question.
In
dealing with the future, we have to start planning now. In relation to roads
and rail across the state, we are constantly looking at how to plan for the future. For some of our roads, in
particular Canning Highway, Charles Street and other areas where we have
a lot of built form, we have to look at how we can ensure that those areas are
not gridlocked in 20 to 30 years. Planning has been underway to look at
alternatives for Charles Street. We could build significant overpasses, but we
know that that would not be well supported.
As part of any future planning, we undertake a planning
study, whereby we put out an option to the public and the public gets to have
its say, and that is what is happening. We are not building it tomorrow; it is
the first stage of a planning study. We will seek feedback and make some
decisions from that. That is what we are doing. It is called a planning study. It would inform future
reservations if we were to adopt it, but we are not making any commitments
on it yet because it is currently a planning study with which we go and seek
feedback. There is the idea that people are shocked by it, but it is a first
stage. It is what planners do. They present a plan and then seek feedback.
The member wants us to do nothing.
This is the opposition of do nothing. When this opposition was in government,
it did bumper stickers, and that is all it did. Royalties for regions bumper
stickers was its biggest achievement in eight and a half years. As I said,
these are always challenging projects. I always say that they are challenging,
and we will put out some ideas, see how they go and make some decisions. If
people do not want these types of plans, that is fine. There will be gridlock
there for decades, and that is fine for another incoming government to deal with.
I am happy about that. If I do not need to make any more tough decisions, I am
happy about that, too, but we have to test concepts and we have to test new
technology and see what we can do. We are constantly testing ideas and testing
concepts. Yes, we challenge things all the time. We challenge ideas, but this
is what we are all about. Like I said, we could do nothing—just sit
there and watch all these roads become gridlocked. That is what the opposition
did. Members opposite did no work on the freeways. Remember how the Kwinana
Freeway was when we got into government? There had been no work done on it.
There was gridlock everywhere. We had to go and invest and retrofit
infrastructure. It was the same with the Mitchell Freeway. The former
government did nothing on those freeways—nothing.
We are testing ideas. I know there
is community concern. A current reservation is in place, but in relation to
this proposal, we are testing the ideas, and
we are seeking feedback. We have gone to council to get its views. As I said,
if people do not want it, we will take that
into account. If people want alternative views explored, like elevated roads
or flyovers, I do not mind. We will test all
those ideas. The whole concept of planning is that you put ideas out, people
provide feedback, and then you make decisions.