The PTA’s Natasha Guerinoni addresses the community meeting last week.
Camera IconThe PTA’s Natasha Guerinoni addresses the community meeting last week. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Warning on new station

Staff ReporterFremantle Gazette

Mr Howlett expressed his concerns at a community meeting hosted by the Public Transport Authority last Tuesday night.

The PTA used the meeting, held at the Aubin Grove Community Facility and attended by about 50 people, to detail how the project was progressing. It also offered the community the chance to air their concerns about the project.

Mr Howlett said the station, which will feature 2000 parking bays, would bring traffic movements to a level that would overwhelm local roads. He said further talks were needed to ensure congestion problems like those seen at the Cockburn Central station were not repeated.

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‘The City is concerned that the operation of the train station will have undesirable impacts on the adjacent roads and community if a whole-of-government approach is not adopted for this project by the State Government,’ he said.

‘It would be reckless of the PTA to build the new station without working with Main Roads WA and the City to ensure that the surrounding road network can handle the more than 5000 vehicle trips that the station and its car parks will generate daily.’

PTA project communications manager and meeting co-ordinator Natasha Guerinoni said the final car park design ‘had not been set in stone’ and that the PTA was in talks with Main Roads.

‘We’re now able to go to market with this information and it’s good to get feedback at this early stage,’ she said.

‘It’s more fodder for us to consider.’

Jandakot MLA Joe Francis disagreed with Mr Howlett.

‘I don’t accept it’s all doom and gloom,’ he said. ‘I think it will be a hit on day one, but that’s what these meetings are for.

‘We need to hear concerns early on. I’ve been lobbied hard for this station. I don’t think the concerns are a reflection of the overwhelming feeling in the community.’