Link soon redundant, say locals

source: community news

Link soon redundant, say locals

COTTESLOE residents have been told the proposed $1.6 billion Perth Freight Link (PFL) that may send more trucks through their town would be redundant soon after its proposed 2019 finish.

“The date of completion of the PFL is only 24 months before the Fremantle inner harbour reaches its capacity in 2021,” Cottesloe Residents and Ratepayers Association chair John Hammond said.

A summary of the Federal Government’s PFL business case estimates the port will handle about 1.1 million containers that year.

Last Tuesday, about 270 residents at a Cottesloe Civic Centre PFL meeting were told a 13km toll clearway of up to six lanes was proposed for trucks from Bibra Lake to East Fremantle, contracts were to be signed by December, but it was unknown how to get the PFL a further 3km to the port, costing a mooted $900 million.

Concerns include trucks using Cottesloe to avoid the PFL’s toll, pollution, and pressure to widen Curtin Avenue and Stirling Highway for a long-mooted coastal highway.

Since the mid-1990s, Liberal and Labor State governments have planned trucks using the Latitude 32 transfer yard near a new Kwinana port but the PFL, untested by Infrastructure Australia, was announced after the State Government got $925 million from Canberra last year.

Curtin University sustainability professor Peter Newman said Premier Colin Barnett was PFL opponents’ “only real hope” because State Cabinet was split over the project and Mr Barnett said recently the route may not get built in North Fremantle if there was no “elegant solution”.

The State Opposition has been blamed for the PFL conundrum by removing land for the Fremantle Eastern Bypass for port trucks, but Opposition leader Mark McGowan told the Western Suburbs Weekly the bypass was not needed after Kwinana port tenders started in 2007.

Mr McGowan said a Kwinana port costing a mooted $4 billion and a claimed $2.5 billion bill for a revised Metronet public transport plan could be afforded because they were a “tiny” part of future infrastructure spending.

“I think there’s hasn’t been real effort to work with the Commonwealth on a funding option for rail and a new port in Kwinana, and there should have been far more effort gone to work with the Commonwealth in terms of getting Federal assistance,” he said.

There will be a PFL rally at Stirling Bridge, 10am this Sunday.

Read the original story HERE from Community News

WA Premier Colin Barnett declines Perth Freight Link forum invite

WA Premier Colin Barnett declines
Perth Freight Link forum invite

source: joe spagnolop perth now

WA Premier Colin Barnett will not speak at a forum on the Perth Freight Link in his Cottesloe electorate.

• INFRASTRUCTURE: Doubts cast over Government’s decision to build Freight Link
• DIVISIONS EMERGE: Perth Freight Link causes cracks in Barnett Government

PREMIER Colin Barnett says he won’t be attending a Perth Freight Link forum in his electorate of Cottesloe on Tuesday night because he spoke at a community forum in North Fremantle.

But an email from his electorate office to Perth lawyer John Hammond suggests there are other reasons for his absence.

“The area in my electorate that is most affected by Perth Freight Link is North Fremantle,” Mr Barnett told PerthNow.

“I spoke at a community forum there, which was attended by more than 200 people and at which all of the issues were canvassed.”

But an email, from Mr Barnett’s electoral office to Mr Hammond — who heads SOS Cottesloe Inc (a residents and ratepayers association) — sent on August 11 paints another picture.

It says: “It was understood that the invitation to Mr Barnett was as local member, to join local speakers, including the Town of Cottesloe, and a local audience and as such he was prepared to attend.

“The material distributed by SOS Cottesloe is now under the banner of Rethink the Link and advertising what appears to be a political debate, mentioning the Premier, The Leader of the Opposition etc and with the main contact being Rethink the Link.

“This being the case, the invitation to take part is declined.”

Liberal sources say Mr Barnett is getting cold feet on proceeding with section two of the PFL, which will see a freight route from Stock Road to the Fremantle Port.

Mr Hammond has hit back at Mr Barnett, saying it was ‘disappointing that the Premier is not attending a meeting held in how own electorate over such an important issue”.

“To say that he is not attending because it appears to be a political debate is difficult to comprehend given the Premier engages in political debate every day as a politician.”

Tuesday night’s forum starts at 6pm at the Cottesloe Civic Centre.

See the original store HERE

New port a good idea, says Barnett

New port a good idea, says Barnett

source: western suburbs community news

COTTESLOE MLA Colin Barnett has indicated faster planning for a new Kwinana container port following community opposition to the Perth Freight Link (PFL).

“It might be a good idea to make a decision on a new outer harbour very soon, but even if we started today it wouldn’t be operating for 10 years,” Mr Barnett told a North Fremantle Community Association PFL meeting last Tuesday.

The new port had a claimed cost-benefit ratio of about $8.76 generated for each dollar spent when the Labor Opposition approved the concept design in 2007. Mr Barnett said a report he had read indicated the PFL had a cost-benefit ratio of “about 2.5”, and he said a new port could cost “about $4 billion”.

He said cost could also prevent the not-yet-designed section of the PFL from South Lake to North Fremantle, but the Roe 8 component through Beeliar wetlands to Stock Road, costing “less than $500 million”, would be built, taking a claimed 2000 trucks off Leach Highway daily.

Some of Mr Barnett’s western suburbs’ electors fear the PFL will funnel more trucks and cars to Curtin Avenue and Stirling Highway, after the Fremantle Port Authority estimated trucks using its wharves would quadruple to 13,200 daily by 2030.

Mr Barnett said he could not guarantee Cottesloe and Mosman Park residents would have fewer trucks from the PFL, but there could be “a string of financial incentives” and “a compulsion” for trucks to use the PFL south to Roe Highway.

No decisions had yet been made about the interchanges and flyovers needed for the PFL.

He said even if the 14 per cent of port containers now carried by rail was increased to 30 per cent, an eventual doubling of Fremantle Port containers would still mean 70 per cent were moved on trucks.

Please read the original article HERE from Community News

Residents told to dig in for best cutting

Residents told to dig in for best cutting

Jon Bassett | August 31, 2015, 3:00 PM | FREMANTLE GAZETTE

Cole Hendrigan’s impression of a 30m PFL trench, or cutting, past Royal Fremantle Golf Course.

SWANBOURNE residents living next to a truck highway cutting say East Fremantle residents facing Perth Freight Link (PFL) road cuttings and flyovers should dig in and argue for the best and expensive designs for the road works.

“Just don’t let them bull-ride over you, and have a say on the final product,” Swanbourne resident Sylvia Peterson said.

The State Government estimates PFL cuttings and flyovers that eliminate traffic lights will shorten Fremantle Port container truck trips by nine minutes.

Most Swanbourne residents who spoke to Community said they now liked the 1.5km West Coast Highway cutting that cost |$29.7 million in 1999, including sound-deadening bricks and 2.8m private boundary walls that were installed after they lobbied Cottesloe MLA and Premier Colin Barnett.

“But we’re up high, and look over the cutting, and it’s not that bad, but if you were further down the hill or right close to it, it would be awful,” Swanbourne resident Patrick Gillespie said.

Neighbouring Cottesloe residents fought against the cutting’s dual carriageway going south on to Curtin Avenue, where there are now bottlenecks.

The Government has now allocated $40 million to realign the southern end of Curtin Avenue, 3.5km farther south, potentially leaving Cottesloe between upgraded sections of a long-mooted coastal highway, which critics fear could be completed if trucks rat-run to the northern suburbs to avoid the PFL’s toll.

“People along the PFL from Fremantle may not realise just how deep a cutting can go, how ugly it is, how it cut a suburb in half, and while the material and engineering for the Swanbourne project were top-end, they can’t expect that again with a cash-strapped Government,” Cottesloe resident and councillor Sally Pyvis said.

Curtin University transport researcher Cole Hendrigan said by using “basic engineering” he estimated the PFL would be 20m-30m deep through Royal Fremantle Golf Course, in East Fre-|mantle, after being 6.5m deep under nearby Marmion Street, East Fremantle.

“Now, this may seem alarmist, but without some sort of public disclosure we are all left to guess how they will engineer their trench in a complex urban and topographical setting,” Mr Hendrigan said.

Main Roads WA did not reply to questions before deadline.

A PFL Forum will be held at Tricolore Community Centre, Wauhope Road, East Fremantle, at 6.30pm on Wednesday, September 2.

IMPORTANT***‘ RETHINK PERTH FREIGHT LINK’ PUBLIC FORUM

‘RETHINK PERTH FREIGHT LINK’ PUBLIC FORUM

‘Rethink Perth Freight Link’ Public Forum. Doors open 5.30 pm. Cottesloe Civic Centre. Speakers include Greens Senator Scott Ludlam and Leader of the Opposition Mark McGowan. Organised by SOS Cottesloe Inc (Residents and Ratepayers Association). For more information visit www.rethinkthelink.com.au .

Event Date and Time: 

Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Location / Address: 

Cottesloe Civic Centre

source: community news
Jon Bassett | August 25, 2015, 12:00 AM 

Cuttings considered

SWANBOURNE residents next to a highway cutting carrying trucks say southern suburbs’ residents facing Perth Freight Link (PFL) cuttings and flyovers should insist on suitable designs.

“Just don’t let them bull-ride over you and have a say on the final product,” Servetus Street resident Sylvia Peterson said.

The State Government estimates cuttings and flyovers to eliminate stop lights will shorten Fremantle Port container truck trips by nine minutes on the mooted $2.5 billion toll route.

Most Swanbourne residents who spoke to the Western Suburbs Weekly said they now liked the 1.5km West Coast Highway cutting that cost $29.7 million in 1999, including sound-deadening bricks and 2.8m boundary walls that were installed after they lobbied Cottesloe MLA Colin Barnett, who is not expected to attend a Cottesloe PFL forum next Tuesday.

“But we’re up high and look over the cutting and it’s not that bad, but if you were further down the hill or right close to it, it would be awful,” Servetus Street resident Patrick Gillespie said.

Cottesloe residents fought against the cutting’s dual carriageway going south into their suburb through Curtin Avenue, where it now bottlenecks.

The Government has allocated $40 million to move the avenue 3.5km further south to near the port, potentially leaving Cottesloe between upgraded sections of a long-mooted coastal highway that critics fear could be built for trucks avoiding the PFL’s toll.

PFL opponent and Cottesloe councillor Sally Pyvis said while the “costly” Swanbourne cutting had improved some amenity, Curtin Avenue’s upgrade could be “cheap and cheerless” with tilt-up concrete sound barriers.

The route is used by 1121 trucks daily and could increase to 3363 2030.

The FULL story can be read HERE from Community News

COTTESLOE RESIDENTS SAY NO TO FREIGHT LINK - Freo View

source: Freo View 

COTTESLOE RESIDENTS SAY NO TO FREIGHT LINK

Cottesloe Councillor Sally Pyvis is going to try to get Cottesloe Council to join the protest against the PERTH FREIGHT LINK by putting a motion up at the next council meeting. Read the full story HERE