Labor has pledged to introduce a free bus service for people living in Stirling to get to Scarborough Beach. Meanwhile, 40km south in the premier’s electorate, school children cross treacherous roads to get to class.
Labor has pledged to introduce a free bus service for people living in Stirling to get to Scarborough Beach. Meanwhile, 40km south in the premier’s electorate, school children cross treacherous roads to get to class.
By Sarah Brookes
February 26, 2025 — 4.00am
Hundreds of students are crossing treacherous roads and dodging trucks to get to school as new housing estates spring up, exposing a dearth of pedestrian paths and a lack of public transport in Perth’s southern suburbs.
On the same day residents living in new estates in the southern growth corridor suburbs of Aubin Grove, Mandogalup and Hammond Park protested the lack of public transport in their area, their local member for Kwinana – Premier Roger Cook – spruiked free bus services for northern suburbs residents to get to the beach.
Cook said a re-elected Labor government would spend $14 million to introduce a free Surf CAT bus service to alleviate parking pressure and traffic at Scarborough Beach.
The Surf CAT would operate every 10 minutes during peak periods, running from Stirling Train Station direct to Scarborough Beach in less than 15 minutes.
It comes on top of Labor’s $90 million upgrade of Stirling Bus Interchange, including constructing a new pedestrian bridge between Stirling Station and the southern car park.
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But further down the coast, Apsley Estate resident Zoe-marie Masters has led the charge to prompt Transperth to extend bus services south of Hammond Park following an explosion in residential and commercial developments in the area.
Masters said safe travel to school should be prioritised over convenience for beachgoers.
“It’s absolutely disgusting,” she said.
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“The number of trucks that drive down Rowley Road every hour is of great concern to parents, as their children navigate crossing that busy thoroughfare before and after school.
“Given this affects residents in Roger Cook’s electorate of Kwinana, the ignorance from his office is unacceptable.”
She said many residents, including herself, drove their children to Hammond Park Secondary College, which was creating traffic congestion.
Masters, who met with Transport Minister Rita Saffioti in September, said there had been multiple reports of near misses with students, bikes and cars, including one incident involving a young boy last week.
“It’s just a matter of time before there is a serious accident and then whose hands are dirty?” she said.
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In response to questions from this masthead, Cook said he would support any new bus links to keep the community connected.
“We know that in growing communities, especially in new developments, there is always demand for more services,” he said.
A Public Transport Authority spokeswoman said Transperth was constantly assessing the public transport network for future expansion, including in new housing estates.
“Transperth is reviewing its bus service network priorities in the Mandogalup area, including in Apsley Estate,” she said.
“As always, Transperth assesses a wide range of factors in considering how to best support the needs of the community, including what will deliver the greatest benefit.”
The state government committed $1 million to upgrade the roundabout at Rowley Road and Lyon Road, which was identified by Main Roads as a black spot.
However, the City of Cockburn withdrew the project from the program and did not receive the funding allocation.
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Sarah Brookes is a journalist with WAtoday, specialising in property and government and is the winner of four WA Media Awards.Connect via email.
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