Employees of a popular inner-city Thai cafe located at a notorious intersection are calling on the City of Vincent to install kerbside bollards to protect the eatery from car crashes.
Meet You There cafe at the Fitzgerald and Newcastle street intersection in West Perth has fallen victim to several instances of vehicles crashing into the heritage-listed building.
Locals believe the crashes are a result of the intersection’s tight corners.
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READ NOWThe busy intersection has long been a headache for drivers and pedestrians, with Main Roads WA ranking the hotspot as 201 across the State for “crash frequency”.
Main Roads WA confirmed there had been seven reported crashes at this intersection between December 2022 and December 2023.
Meet You There employee Ben Hodsdon — who is a City of Nedlands councillor and whose partner owns the cafe — says the intersection is too tight for vehicles to turn left off Newcastle Street on to Fitzgerald Street, causing large vehicles such as trucks to become stuck or crash into the cafe.
“There’s been once where a bus got stuck there for 10 minutes in peak hour, so that was a bit of a mess,” Mr Hodsdon said.
“It cost about $10,000 to fix the damage ... but to fix the actual facade of the heritage building is where the big cost is.
“There’s been another time where a car has actually drove on the footpath and hit the bottom of the building and destroyed one of our pots that we put out to try to discourage people from cutting the corner.”
Mr Hodsdon said three bollards would protect the cafe from being damaged if a vehicle lost control at the intersection.
“We paid somebody (to fix the damage) but that came through insurance, so I went up there on a ladder and spray painted it (the damage),” he said.
“It looks rubbish but at least it’s sort of hidden, but we get hit maybe once every three months so I have to keep going up and doing little paint jobs.
“We can’t afford to keep claiming (insurance) because our insurance will just get more expensive, so there needs to be a solution.”
But City of Vincent CEO David MacLennan said bollards would be “ineffective”.
“We have investigated installing a bollard or visual deterrent to offer a pedestrian refuge and protection of the heritage-listed building at this intersection, similar to what exists on the City of Perth side of the intersection,” he said.
“We found that bollards would be ineffective as they would not protect the awning which currently extrudes out to the kerb.”
A Main Roads WA spokesperson told PerthNow Main Roads had collaborated with the cities of Vincent and Perth to improve the safety of the intersection.
“Main Roads has completed a video survey and is currently progressing with traffic modelling and concept design for potential safety improvements for all motorists and pedestrians,” the spokesperson said.
“This will be followed by investigating funding options for construction by both local governments.”
Given the tight intersection, Mr Hodsdon also wants trucks to no longer be able to turn left from Newcastle Street on to Fitzgerald Street.
Mr Hodsdon says he also wants an additional pedestrian light installed as a visual aid for drivers — who may be obscured by the tight corner — to see when pedestrians may be crossing.
“So many times I’ve seen people being too scared to walk across the road ... but I’ve also seen pedestrians cross, but then a car comes around the corner and starts tooting their horn because the car thinks they’ve got the right of way,” he said.
“I’m not saying it’s always the driver’s fault, the drivers just don’t see the pedestrians until they’re coming around the corner ... and there might be someone that the driver can’t see.
“It won’t affect the traffic, the traffic will flow exactly the same, but I just want a light so as the car comes around, they can see a green walking man so they can see who’s got priority.
“Maybe once a week I’ll take people who are mainly tourists or backpackers across the road, because they’re not sure what to do because cars are coming around.”
Mr Hodsdon said he had emailed Vincent councillors over the past two years but there had been no action.
“The mayor did come out before the last election and said she could see the issues, but it just seems like nothing has happened,” he said.
“I’ve sent lots and lots and lots of emails over the two years .. I’ve sent emails to City of Vincent councillors, the mayor and the CEO in the hope I can push this along a little bit and get something happen, but two (councillors) said that they would pursue it.”
Mr MacLennan confirmed the city had been contacted by “several” residents and businesses about the intersection.
“The intersection can be busy, like many in the inner-city suburbs, particularly due to its proximity to Kwinana Freeway and the Perth CBD,” he said.
“In response to concerns raised by the community, we completed a road safety audit at the intersection in February 2023.
“Plantar boxes were installed on the verge as a visual deterrent to vehicles cutting the corner of Newcastle and Fitzgerald streets in 2023.”
A City of Perth spokesperson confirmed the city had been working with Main Roads WA and the City of Vincent to “progress improvements” of the intersection.
“The City of Perth, City of Vincent and Main Roads WA are working together to make the following improvements; installation of pedestrian walk/don’t walk lanterns, the removal of the northbound and southbound filter right turn movements and to increase the level of pedestrian protection for the parallel walk crossings.”