Perth Voice Interactive

PERTH state Liberal MP Eleni Evangel says “it’s impossible to see any logic” in Vincent city council rejecting an offer of bus lanes up Fitzgerald Street.

The Barnett government proposed the lanes as an “interim measure” but councillors voted against it because they had no certainty about what it was an interim measure for.

Before the election North Perth voters were promised light rail. After the election that was downgraded to a rapid-transit bus system. Last week that became a bog-standard bus lane.

We hear the Liberals are furious with the Voice’s front page mockery last week that a donkey and cart transit system might be the next downgrade on offer.

Ms Evangel says the council’s own expert administration recommended that councillors take up the bus offer, which would “facilitate more efficient people movement” in the congested area.

“The council sadly elected to ignore their own administration and deny our local community good public transport improvements,” she says.

“There seems to be some confusion… this is an interim measure, one that will provide immediate relief for public transport users in our local community.

“It will not replace light rail, in fact it will condition traffic to accommodating lanes for future permanent public transport infrastructure.”

Mayor John Carey describes the government’s conduct as “classic old school bully boy tactics”.

He says it feels like anything short of total submission to their offer “will be punished”.

“What is the end game for North Perth?” he asks. “Is it light rail? Is it a bus rapid transit system? Or is it, as a lot of people fear, interim bus lanes that aren’t even asphalted.”

Ms Evangel stresses light rail is not off the table entirely and it makes sense to check out advances in bus rapid transit systems to see if savings stack up.

by DAVID BELL