Now or never

TO counter what Mario Nardi wrote in his letter in last week’s edition headlined ‘Roe 8 is not a solution’, it stands to reason that building more roads will alleviate congestion.

This is proved whenever a road is closed for whatever reason.

I do not dispute what he says about the traffic jams at the corner of Stock Road and Leach Highway, however.

I know that they are horrendous, but the building of Roe 8 will paradoxically relieve the congestion because a big part of the overall plan is to widen upper Stock Road, between the end of the now-proposed Roe 8 and Leach Highway.

Moreover, Leach Highway up to and including Stirling Highway will also be widened, and the huge trucks that are causing the present problem will be routed along this widened way, leaving the normal traffic to and from Fremantle undisturbed.

An equally important aspect of the plan will be the greatly improved access to Fiona Stanley Hospital and the expanded St John of God Hospital.

South Street is already congested, but it will get far worse without Roe 8.

I agree with Daryl Binning that the Fremantle Eastern Bypass would have been better, but a previous State Government thought otherwise and sold off the land. Therefore, the present plan is the best we can do now, as the cost of buying back the land with houses on it would be prohibitive.

It is now or never.

JIM REDDYHOUGH, Willetton