The co-founder of town planning firm Hatch says government should shift its focus away from Metronet and towards mid-tier transport.
Mid-tier transport is key to the long-term viability and affordability of Perth’s suburbs, according to a leader in urban planning.
Mike Day, who co-founded town planning firm Hatch Urban Solutions (formerly Hatch RobertsDay), spoke at an Urban Development Institute of Australia WA event today.
He said while Metronet played a crucial role in connectivity between suburbs, mid-tier transport, in the form of light rail or trackless trams, could plug the gaps where rail didn’t service.
“This is what’s going to transform the suburbs,” he said.
“Connected to those Metronet stations, we could put trackless trams in … we could have this east-west connection that mid-tier transit connects with (Metronet), which will eliminate the need for … [some] … cars.”
Speaking at the lunch, which outlined the Federal Government’s urban policy for Australia’s cities, Mr Day pointed to the high costs associated with car ownership.
He referred to recent data from Automobile Association of Australia, which says in Perth it costs $21,000 a year to own and run two cars.
“The cost of the cars is almost equivalent to the cost of the housing, so it’s almost a myth now that it’s just affordable housing, it’s affordable living,” he said.
Mr Day also pointed to the rapid growth in e-bikes, which form a key part of future mobility, as well as a continued need to promote walking as a transport means.
“We need to invert the focus of the cars to the preferred mode(s) of walking [and] cycling,” he said.
“That’s going to be the most effective way that we will create a more affordable environment for people to live in.
“The piece meal nature of it is always going to be difficult, but if we have got those alternative modes of transit it’s going to make it a lot easier for people to live in an urban fabric.”
UDIA WA chief executive Tanya Steinbeck pointed out the mid-tier transport strategy had not yet been adopted by the state government.
The UDIA has been widely supportive of the strategy, which maps out potential routes a trackless tram network that plugs the gaps of Metronet.
Mr Day spoke about Western Australia’s attitude to Metronet being akin to the way the Victorian Government is approaching its suburban railway network.
“A similar sort of thing is happening in Melbourne, where the total focus is on the suburban railway,” Mr Day said.
“[It’s] consuming everything – there’s no ability to build anything else in Melbourne.
“Obviously a lot of effort has been put into Metronet, but we need to complement that now.”
Mr Day was instrumental in establishing Ellenbrook in the early 1990s.
He outlined the key role public transport played in that area and criticised government for taking so long to build railway infrastructure to the suburb.
“We put a 20-metre-wide transit corridor embedded in the structure plan in 1993, thinking [it would take] 10 years maybe … to get some transit, and what would that do in terms of reducing the need for car ownership,” he said.
“Three governments promised it and three reneged on it.
“Finally we’ve got Metronet and it’s under construction, but we shouldn’t have to wait 30 years.”
Policy platform
The UDIA WA today launched its state election campaign, calling for action to be taken to address WA’s housing crisis.
The industry body is asking the government to take a “practical, solutions-based approach” to addressing the current housing shortage, including unlocking critical infrastructure.
"One of the biggest road blocks to getting new housing to the market, is getting crucial infrastructure approved and delivered to facilitate development," UDIA WA chief executive Tanya Steinbeck said.
“Our recommendations in this area focus on ensuring adequate funding for approval and infrastructure service agencies to be able to process applications and deliver required infrastructure.
“We also need a much more streamlined approach to planning and environmental approvals processes, so systems are efficient and don't bog down development applications in unnecessary red and green tape.”
The UDIA is also calling for a freeze on putting a freeze on new property related fees, taxes and charges, and avoiding near-term policy changes that could impact supply.
"We also want to see, in the longer term, wider property tax reform that considers settings in relation to Stamp Duty in particular,” Ms Steinbeck added.
“For improved housing choice in existing areas, we need to look seriously at how we can support the viability of more medium and higher density development.”
Ms Steinbeck added that the government should expand its $80 million infrastructure fund, which reduces the cost of utility connections for new apartments for developers.
The industry body also made a range of recommendations around growing the state’s construction workforce and around responding to climate change.
