Council stalls on Causeway bus lane

COUNCIL has baulked at giving Main Roads WA carte blanche to create a bus-priority lane on the Causeway.

It voted unanimously to defer a motion advising Main Roads WA that it supported the Causeway Bus Lane project.

Main Roads wants to develop a bus-priority lane from Teddington Street in Victoria Park across the Causeway to include the Causeway interchange.

Its concept plan indicates a new bus station within the Town of Victoria Park below the Canning Highway Bridge at the eastern end of the causeway.

The project also includes a bus lane in each direction across the Causeway, changes to road alignments, associated traffic

signalling and lane marking.

Space for the bus lanes will be made by converting one traffic lane in each direction to a dedicated bus lane, cutting the number of general traffic lanes each way to two.

Council staff suggested advising Main Roads WA that plans to continue bus priority lanes into Adelaide Terrace, Hay Street and Riverside Drive were not supported.

Lord Mayor Peter Nattrass raised concerns about Main Roads WA’s proposed treatment of the Causeway roundabout.

“I’m bamboozled as to why, when we enter the roundabout, those three lanes become four,” Dr Nattrass said.

“We have a grand opportunity to make this a great entrance to the city and I’d hate to see that give way to bitumen.”

Dr Nattrass had also been an opponent of plans to widen bike paths along Riverside Drive.

“Every time I drive along Riverside Drive I feel sick. It looks like the Hong Kong airport tarmac now,” he said.

Council director services units Garry Dunne said the reason for the four lanes at the causeway was to prevent stacking when vehicles stopped at the lights there.

“The greater space is there to help smooth the traffic flow,” Mr Dunne said.

Councillor Laurance Goodman said he had great reservations about bus lanes in the city.