Final report
Committee recommendations
The Local Impacts Committee Final Report focuses on 67 planning/capital works projects and the need for two new strategies - all recommended for adoption by government.
Most of the projects are on the Leach Highway/High Street/Stirling Highway route, or on South Street. The projects are either short-term (within the next five years), or long-term (within the next 15 years).
The committee has recommended that action be taken quickly to implement the short term projects - most of which are minor capital works projects. A few of the short-term projects involve major works in the High Street precinct, for which early planning is recommended.
In addition to these projects, two new strategies are recommended. These have the potential to make road transport more socially and environmentally sustainable while continuing to recognise economic priorities.
Congestion management strategy
Even if all the recommended projects are implemented, there will still be congestion. It is not practical to build ourselves out of congestion. Rather than just building or widening roads, or simply letting congestion increase, a more sophisticated, comprehensive congestion management strategy is needed. The starting point is better data about road operating conditions and wide debate about a suitable congestion management strategy for the south west metropolitan corridor and, implicitly, the whole of the Perth Metropolitan area.
Enhancement strategy
The second strategy involves retrofitting social and environmental improvements to better protect local communities from the impact of heavy traffic. The Committee recommended 23 such projects, having found substantial community support for this work. Typical projects are traffic noise mitigation, removing pollutants from water draining off roads into wetlands, and improved pedestrian and cyclist facilities. These projects will still leave a shortfall. To address this, the Committee has recommended an enhancement strategy requiring a new program of funding for such retrofits.
