Years ago Perths traffic was made up of a smattering of surfboard laden green and white Holden cars weaving their way to Scarborough Beach. Occasionally merging amongst them were utes endowed with paint pots, ladders and salt and pepper kelpie dogs. Now however the roads are teaming with an assortment of large and small diesel, petrol, and electric cars, trucks, motorbikes, scooters and cyclists. Is it any wondered that the keepers of the roads are exhausted.
Over the past few years there have been a myriad of Think Tanks, Summits, and Alliances set up to solve Perth’s traffic problems … I’ve even been involved in one or two. The most recent solution heralds the arrival of light rail. While I quite like the idea of travelling along in a modern day tram, something I saw recently had me pondering its merits.
The other day I was on my regular commute to Subiaco when a sideways glance made me realise that all these committees had failed to garner the support of one significant stakeholder. A group that without whom, the whole transport grid would grind to a halt. Clearly they’d had enough of being ignored, and had decided to take action.
And so it was that on Saturday September 1, the first day of spring, they pulled up stumps, wondered off to a shady spot and settled in for a week long Stop Work meeting. Even the neighbouring trees were in agreement, deciding to stop growing half way through until their friends had been heard …
© The Ponder Room
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At the moment the dissention appears to be contained to one area in Wembley. Here’s hoping their union bosses don’t catch on or it will be a case of ‘one out all out’, and no amount of light rail or tram system will help us.
© The Ponder Room
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Perhaps, I also pondered, I’d sat on one too many transport planning committee meetings.
Perhaps it was time for me to wonder off to the side of the boardroom and let someone else ponder the possibilities.