State government out of touch with northern suburbs residents

Mayor Tracey Roberts said while she was pleased the plan recognised current transport problems experienced by residents in the northern suburbs, it was disappointing that the plan did not include timeframes which does not provide certainty for community or developers.

“The plan highlights the significant role the City of Wanneroo plays in the Western Australian economy, and with Wanneroo having the most growth needs we deserve infrastructure to support our population,” she said.

“As WA’s largest growing local government it is absolutely right that the City of Wanneroo should feature highly in the state’s new transport plan,” Mayor Roberts said.

“Residents in the northern corridor already suffer through congestion because of the inefficiency of the current transport system. We can’t keep waiting, we already need rail to Yanchep and the Mitchell Freeway extension to Romeo Road.

“The longer we wait the worse the congestion gets and the more it impacts on our community’s lifestyle so people have less time to spend with their families and friends.

“This critical infrastructure will also help unlock the employment potential in our region and enable us to meet the state government’s employment self-sufficiency target of 60 per cent or 50,000 jobs by 2031. “The Neerabup Strategic Link will accelerate the development of Neerabup, which is projected to employ more than 20,000 people.

“Increasing local employment opportunities is beneficial to our residents and region as it supports the decongestion of roads and creates a work life balance for our community. 

“Our current population of 195,000 is expected to reach 550,000 by 2070 so it is imperative that solid plans for investment be put in place now to ensure our community will not continue to suffer in the future.” “We are pleased that the state government has released the plan for public comment because that gives everybody the opportunity to provide their own thoughts and feedback.”

The City will be formally responding to the plan before the public comment period closes on 28 October 2016.

The City will continue to campaign on behalf of its residents to get solid timeframes and early delivery of rail to Yanchep and the extension of the Mitchell Freeway.