Community News - providing readers with the very latest in local news, sport, entertainment and more.
Camera IconCommunity News - providing readers with the very latest in local news, sport, entertainment and more. Credit: Community News

Four lane ‘ruin’ says mayor

Staff ReporterEastern Reporter

The comments come after the City of Perth last year started a feasibility study looking at the potential of Newcastle Street being opened to two lanes of traffic in each direction during peak hours.

Mr Carey said this would necessitate tree removal and increase traffic resulting in a loss of amenity on the street, marking the northern border between Perth and Vincent.

‘It is a 1950s way of looking at the traffic problem to simply widen the roads,’ he said.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

‘There is no doubt that we have traffic problems in Perth. The last thing we want to do is widen roads, a quick solution.’

But Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the feasibility study was started in response to the State Government’s Perth Central Business District Transport Plan 2012, to look at alternatives to the Graham Farmer Freeway, if there are works or problems in the tunnel.

The plan outlines the consideration in the medium term for Newcastle Street to have two lanes of traffic in each direction during peak hours, with kerbside lanes used for parking in off-peak times.

‘As part of this study, the City is also investigating alternate options which could facilitate the required movement of private vehicles, buses, cyclists and pedestrians,’ Ms Scaffidi said.

Perth and Vincent officers met earlier this year to discuss the issue and the process of public consultation.

Mr Carey said Newcastle Street was made a two-lane road in the early 2000s as a part of the East Perth Redevelopment Authority’s (now the MRA) Northbridge Urban Renewal Project, to improve the amenity of the area.

He said reverting the east-west link road to four-lanes wide was contradictory to this original objective.