Buswell firm over Roe 8

29/May/2012

By Lyndsey Wetton, Fremantle-Cockburn Gazette

Comments: 3 readers have left a comment

TRANSPORT Minister Troy Buswell has maintained the Government’s commitment to building Roe 8, amid Opposition claims of a broken election promise and no funding allocated in the 2012-13 State Budget for the embattled road.

Riverton Labor candidate Hannah Beazley last week said that the Government had committed to building the Roe 8 extension during its 2008 election campaign.

“This was a major election commitment back in 2008… that bulldozers would be turning up the ground before the next election,” she said.

“But with no funding in this budget or in the forward estimates, this won’t happen.”

Despite highlighting the lack of funding, Ms Beazley said she was still opposed to the development.

Mr Buswell said the Government was waiting on the outcome of an Environment Protection Authority assessment, expected later this year or early 2013, before funding the project.

“The cost of the project will be dependent on the outcomes of this process, as design changes may be required.

“Once approvals have been obtained, government will work through the investment decision,” he said.

South Metropolitan MLC Lynn MacLaren said she was relieved to see no money had been set aside, but that she would not “rest easy” until the road had been removed from the Metropolitan Regional Scheme.

“There are other avenues for them to come up with the money, such as the mid-year review,” she said.

Ms MacLaren said she “wouldn’t mind” if the Government did break an election promise in reneging on the road.

“They may have made a promise – but I wouldn’t mind if they updated their world view to respond to challenges in our transport network and take into account our fragile environment.”

What everyone else is thinking

Imogen

05/06/2012

Roe Hwy Stage 8 needs to be completed.
Have you noticed how congested and crazy Leach Hwy is, due to all of the massive trucks in the left and middle lanes? Combined with family cars trying to get to school, work and just attempting to get on the freeway. Quite frankly it is a nightmare. The number of trucks I've seen go through red lights in Leach Hwy is frightening.
There must be a compromise that considers the environment, the wetlands and the welfare of people and the community. Stage 8 was planned decades ago and should go ahead with our modern knowledge of local ecosystems so that we make any necessary adjustments. Surely there are ways to channel any possible spilled fuels, water run off and cater for the environment.
Those people who purchased property in the vicinity of Stage 8 knew what they were getting into, the proposed Roe Hwy route has been in the road maps for years, and they should consider what is the best solution for everyone, to our traffic problems.

Stanley

29/05/2012

Oh how wounderful it is how so much traffic is congesting the Cockburn area. Cockburn and Fremantle wanted more traffic to buildup the area now they are moaning they have too much along Armadale road and Beeliar drive. That is what they wanted, that is why they blocked the Fremantle Eastern Bypass and are trying to stop the Roe highway being finished. Not just to Stock road but all the way through to Carrington street at Rockingham road and on to the ends of Cockburn and Hampton roads sometime in the future. Naturaly some people wont mind if the State Liberal government reneged on it's election promise because there are obviously so many people out there that have a conflict of interest in the road reserve land for there own personal interests not for the greater state wide comminity needs.