Residents in Perth’s south are calling for better public transport, including direct links to Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Willagee resident Marea Lundgren — who lives in a residential village — says it has been close to a decade since she started campaigning for increased bus routes from the southern suburb to FSH and Fremantle.
“We’re in a very isolated little area,” she said.
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“It’s quite hopeless.”
Ms Lundgren said she has been speaking to local MPs since 2016 about the lack of connectivity between Willagee and Fremantle and FSH.
She said there is a consistent need for people in the village to access the public hospital and many were without cars.
“If a person didn’t have a vehicle they would have to catch the bus (from) here, go to Garden City, change buses at Garden City, go to Bull Creek station, then catch a bus to Murdoch station,” she said.
“And then if they can’t walk from Murdoch, they’d have to catch another bus into Fiona Stanley.”
Last year, a petition signed by dozens of residents was submitted to the City of Melville calling for better public transport options.
Next week, councillors will vote on forwarding the request to the Public Transport Authority.
Councillor Karen Wheatland said she had been speaking with locals about the issue since 2018.
“(There is) an ageing population in Willagee and a reliance on public transport,” she said.
“They deserve a really close look at this.”
Melville city officers conducted “journey plans” showing a bus journey from Willagee to FSH could take up to 38 minutes each way, while travel by car could be as few as 11 minutes.
The officer’s report said it was “strongly supportive” of improved public transport.
The West Australian previously reported on parking “mayhem” at FSH last year, which is set to be exacerbated by State Government plans for a new maternity hospital at the Murdoch site.
Transperth spokesman David Hynes did not confirm if direct bus routes were likely to be implemented between Willagee and the hospital but said the authority did everything it could to provide mass transit.
“In delivering a mass-transit system, the Public Transport Authority does everything it can provide the best transport solutions for the greatest number of people,” he said.
“As is the case with any mass-transit system across the world, providing a perfect transport solution that gets every person from their desired point A to point B is not always possible.”
He said there were several options Willagee residents could take to FSH — none of them being direct routes — which included Route 160 or 502, followed by a transfer option.
“Transperth allocates its available resources across the network to the areas of highest demand,” he said.
“Current bus service frequency in Willagee is consistent with local patronage levels.”
Melville councillors will vote on the petition on February 20, while the Public Transport Authority will have ultimate jurisdiction.