SOUTHERN ACCESS TO FIONA STANLEY
ANSWERING MELVILLE
MAYOR RUSSEL AUBREY
During last weeks informative Public Forum hosted by North Freo comedian and author Ben Elton at a packed house at Fremantle Town hall, Melville Mayor Russel Aubrey addressed the crowd sharing 3 questions he said needed answering in regards to the Roe 8 Highway / Perth Freight Link - these questions are apparently the main reasons why Melville Council endorses the controversial highway. While it can be said that his efforts to join the Forum panel were commendable (ballsy!), his reasons behind why he was there became more clear as the night progressed - particularly when you consider that while his attendance that night was apparently to "support" the opposition to Roe 8 / PFL, the Council in which he overseas was voting in favour of allocating $50,000 of taxpayers money to be used in a campaign PROMOTING the "Road To Nowhere". (see HERE)
Putting aside his embarrassing body language and overall demeanor, the impression he left was nothing short of infuriating. Not because of his obvious "pro" stance on the subject, but from his resorting to the use of cheap tactics similar to those in which Mainroads have recently been flogging (nice use of istock images btw) in the Gazette and on their glossy brochures - using the "safety of our children" (among other things) as a reason for the destructive super highway. Regardless of his antics and general buffoonery that night, it was one of those three rather short-sighted questions he raised which stuck in the mind of this amateur blogger.
According to Melville, southern access to Fiona Stanley is one of the major concerns which would be solved by the Roe 8 extension. Unless you haven't noticed or are unfamiliar with the area, Fiona Stanley couldn't be located any closer to the Kwinana Freeway. It would be fair to say the southern access "issue" could have been planned for and included in the 2 billion dollar budget before planning left the concept stage - come on now - how could this hospital even get built without considering southern access? Well, it was considered as you will see, but now it seems the Pro-Roe 8 club wants to forget about it so they can use the hospital as reason for a multi-billion dollar highway to hell - do you feel them pulling on your heart strings again? It's inclusion as a point in argument for this 6 Lane toll road is laughable at best, and here's why:
Along the stretch of Murdoch Road between the Fiona Stanley Hospital and Ferrington Road is Melville's Operations Centre, the Dog Pound and Challenger Institute's Murdoch Campus; however it is the area sitting between these locations and the Kwinana Freeway which is the answer to one of Mayor Aubrey's burning questions. This subject first came to my attention a few months ago during an information session held in of the affected suburbs, and while the issue was briefly touched on last week during the panel portion of Forum in Fremantle, I felt compelled to respond more in-depth and visually.
Now I may be lacking a few of the details (as you may have guessed) however it has been said that this stretch of land has been allocated for southern access to Fiona Stanley for quite some time, with the area apparently even being 'off limits' for use by Challenger for even the most minor of academic purposes.
A closer look at the photo shows that Fiona Wood Rd (which runs behind Fiona Stanley) ends just past Jennalup St. Again, if you are unfamiliar with this area, as about 99% of the population most likely are, you would assume that Google Maps got it wrong and it's not really how the road looks in real life. Guess again!
I might be naive, but I don't think this is just a cheap place to park.... It sure looks like the start of a road to me, and a PERFECT spot for southern access to the hospital that Mayor Aubrey and Melville Council claims is so desperately needed. Okay, so there's got to be a reason behind why the road would just stop here, with the answer having at least something to do with our beloved Mainroads. But regardless of the answer, can we really let "The Fiona Stanley access" issue be a reason to have the Roe 8 highway plow through our wetlands and communities? Whatever the answer; if it's politics, or just the fact that someone, somewhere doesn't want to use the access that is already allocated, this is a question that needs to be removed from the equation.
Mayor Aubrey, your attendance at the Fremantle Forum was, in part, commendable - even if your demeanor was embarrassing and your ramblings almost nonsensical. However joining in with Mainroads by trying to use sensitive issues like the "safety of our children" and "thinking about the person stuck in traffic trying to get to Fiona Stanley" is just going too far. Do you really think that for ONE second that the Roe 8 Highway is a solution to the access issue when the hospital is almost SITTING ON THE KWINANA FREEWAY? Does all the horrible and destructive aftermath that awaits our communities and sensitive bush lands really have to happen so people can have reasonable access to a major hospital?
What unrelenting ignorance is driving this boat? If you could see the look on my face....well, actually it looks something like this.
A closer look at the photo shows that Fiona Wood Rd (which runs behind Fiona Stanley) ends just past Jennalup St. Again, if you are unfamiliar with this area, as about 99% of the population most likely are, you would assume that Google Maps got it wrong and it's not really how the road looks in real life. Guess again!
I might be naive, but I don't think this is just a cheap place to park.... It sure looks like the start of a road to me, and a PERFECT spot for southern access to the hospital that Mayor Aubrey and Melville Council claims is so desperately needed. Okay, so there's got to be a reason behind why the road would just stop here, with the answer having at least something to do with our beloved Mainroads. But regardless of the answer, can we really let "The Fiona Stanley access" issue be a reason to have the Roe 8 highway plow through our wetlands and communities? Whatever the answer; if it's politics, or just the fact that someone, somewhere doesn't want to use the access that is already allocated, this is a question that needs to be removed from the equation.
Mayor Aubrey, your attendance at the Fremantle Forum was, in part, commendable - even if your demeanor was embarrassing and your ramblings almost nonsensical. However joining in with Mainroads by trying to use sensitive issues like the "safety of our children" and "thinking about the person stuck in traffic trying to get to Fiona Stanley" is just going too far. Do you really think that for ONE second that the Roe 8 Highway is a solution to the access issue when the hospital is almost SITTING ON THE KWINANA FREEWAY? Does all the horrible and destructive aftermath that awaits our communities and sensitive bush lands really have to happen so people can have reasonable access to a major hospital?
What unrelenting ignorance is driving this boat? If you could see the look on my face....well, actually it looks something like this.
I think this is fantastic. You might just get a plant person to run their eye over your photos. There is a few nasty weeds in there!
ReplyDeleteA bit more info on alternate access to FSH. https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Documents/Murdoch Drive CRG 3 Minutes 130812.u_4047750r_1n_D12^23333935.PDF
ReplyDeleteand this, https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Documents/Project%20Overview%20Kwinana%20Freeway%20Widening%20-%20August%202011%282%29.u_3302392r_1n_D11%5E23190844.PDF
DeleteI have another doc re northbound freeway exit onto Farrington road that seems to have been taken down from the Main Roads site. Let me know how to get you a copy if you would like it.
Hi Flic Bairstow, if you could please send that through I would appreciate it. Chris.noeroe8@gmail.com - Thanks for sharing your information!
DeleteI lecture at Challenger and am devastated to see this strip of bushland go.... The road comes to a stop because there is a mature Jarrah tree in its way that was recognized as culturally significant to local Aboriginal groups. If you go have a look at the road again, a few meters in front is a beautiful majestic old Jarrah... so sad to think this will be lost as it is the last of its size in the area. Please don't misunderstand my comments, I am completely opposed to Roe8, just devastated at ALL of the bushland we are losing
ReplyDeletetaking in consideration the whole Roe 8 story, it's amazing to think this much much smaller road could be stopped because of one Jarrah Tree. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making a joke here, it's just ironic if true that this particular road was stopped for the reasons you are saying while they are planning Roe 8 which cuts through MANY aboriginal heritage sites.
DeletePlease don't get me wrong, all of this is just bad news, and while I did write this particular post, I should have included it to say that Southern Access to Ferrington St along would be enough without the need for yet another road, traffic could just as easily continue down and use Murdoch Drive to get to the hospital
BTW Liz I have seen the tree, and it certainly is a thing of beauty!
DeleteWhile I think this is great and I agree with everything this blog says about Russel Aubrey and the City of Melville's rubbish justification for supporting Roe 8, I don't agree with clearing more remnant bushland to build an access road there. There was already a southern access point into Murdoch train station off the Kwinana Fwy, basically an extension of the Farrington Rd on-ramp, which was blocked off when the hospital was built. Perhaps they can reinstate something similar utilising the freeway ramp and entering the hospital site at either Jennalup or Robin Warren Dr. This would allow access into the hospital from Fwy south and Farrington Road (east and west). It would also allow access to the train station without having to drive through the hospital carpark or main entrance. Don't know why they closed it off to start with.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that they are planning the way they are, it's like they have never done this stuff before! Thanks for sharing Clare, and I agree it would be much more suitable to have to not clear any more land at all! However it's one of those situations where if it has to happen, I'm afraid I'd have to say I'd rather see a small section go in favour of an incredible sensitive wetlands. I mean no insensitivity whatsoever, I'm on the same page and so happy to see others feel the same way. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteHi - I am searching for something I remember seeing in the media somewhere, that the actual CEO of Fiona Stanley Hospital said, about the road access to Fiona Stanley being absolutely fine, and that it is not an excuse to justify building Roe 8 - do you know about that, I thought you may remember if you had also come across it somewhere? Cheers, Emma Anda.
ReplyDelete