A group of Matilda Bay-based clubs has gone public with its opposition to proposed locations for a ferry terminal in the western suburbs, warning of potentially fatal consequences.
A group of Matilda Bay-based clubs has gone public with its opposition to several proposed locations for a ferry terminal in the Western Suburbs, warning of potentially fatal consequences.
The Safety on Swan coalition has sensationally slammed four of the five locations proposed by the state government for a ferry terminal site servicing The University of Western Australia and called decisionmakers out for a lack of transparency on risk profile.
The group, which lays claim to more than 7,000 members across 10 member clubs which use the Matilda Bay waters, claims a ferry route stopping at Matilda Bay would have a significant and potentially dangerous impact on the waters in the area.
Its members have likened four of the five sites proposed for a terminal servicing UWA to “building a busport on a football oval and saying the two can safely co-exist”, and “building a busport in Kings Park”.
The state government has proposed five sites as potential locations for a terminal – part of its vision for an expanded ferry network on the Swan River – which includes three points of arrival in the bay, a fourth at Pelican Point and a fifth at JoJo’s Cafe in Nedlands.
The sites are pictured below.
The Safety on Swan group believes only the JoJo’s site at Broadway – which previously serviced an ultimately abandoned UWA-run ferry in the 1990s – is the only logical site for the proposed four-berth, 140-metre terminal.
The group pressed the state government to locate the ferry terminal at the site, which it said would “provide more community benefit than delivering students to the UWA Guild and Tavern”.
Safety on Swan spokesperson and UWA Boat Club president Megan Bagworth said the proposal to build a ferry terminal at any of the other proposed locations on Matilda Bay would lead to on-water congestion, where large vessels would mix with “children, swimmers, disabled, inexperienced paddlers, rowers, sailors and everyday recreational users” at significant and potentially fatal risk.
But the JoJo’s site is the furthest of the options from the university campus.
Ms Bagworth said the government had not been forthcoming with risk data relating to its proposed sites at a recent stakeholder workshop that Safety on Swan attended, and that no new safety measures had been proposed for the area other than the current river rules.
“What we were shown was worrying,” she said.
“There’s no indication that on-water risk is being properly understood, let alone meaningfully addressed. They rated the risk of collision in Matilda Bay as unlikely.”
The group claims its own projections indicate there was a likelihood of “one or more” fatalities per year based on current water usage patterns in Matilda Bay, and has concluded that restricted access to the river from Matilda Bay will be the only path of risk management once a terminal is built – an outcome it deemed “completely unacceptable”.
“We’re not anti-ferry, we’re pro-community,” Ms Bagworth said.
A state government spokesperson said coexistence was possible, and that all sites were in consideration for the UWA service - but pointed out that ease of access to the UWA campus was among its criteria list.
“The government continues to assess a number of sites within the UWA area for a new ferry terminal,” they said.
“The assessment of these sites is taking into consideration a range of criteria, including ease of access to UWA for students.
“Numerous recreation groups who utilise this area have been engaged as part of the ongoing consultation process and have provided feedback on potential locations.
“The government understands change can be difficult, but we remain confident a new ferry service can operate safely in the area, alongside recreational users.
“There are numerous examples across Australia and the world where ferry services operate safely alongside recreational users, and there’s no reason we cannot achieve the same outcomes here.”
The spokesperson also hit back at the group’s use of a doctored render, pictured above, showing a ferry on the water at a crowded North Matilda Bay site.
“These doctored images don’t benefit the community, nor do they represent the true outcomes of the project, and it’s disappointing they’re being distributed,” they said.
Sailability WA is a group which facilitates water access for people with disability, and a member of Safety on Swan.
Its founder and deputy president Graham White said the coexistence of ferries and water users would be impossible at Matilda Bay.
“With four ferries coming in and out every eight to fifteen minutes and in different directions; for our blind sailors, it would be like crossing Stirling Highway just to get on the water,” he said.
Safety on Swan expects a call to be made on the location of the ferry terminal next week.
Safety on Swan’s membership includes Royal Perth Yacht Club, Mounts Bay Sailing Club, UWA Boat Club, UWA Outdoor Club, Sailability WA, Fishability WA, Swim Thru Perth, Rowing WA and Rowing Australia.
