My apologies for the late notice on this one but Main Roads Western Australia is forming a community working group called the Mitchell Freeway Extension Community Working Group to provide input into the “options to combat the congestion issues faced by commuters, community and businesses in the northern metropolitan corridor. The focus is on the extension of the Mitchell Freeway north of Burns Beach Road.”
Main Roads WA Mitchell Freeway Extension Community Working Group*
If you do not wish to nominate or if you missed the nomination deadline there is still an opportunity to provide feedback to the Mitchell Freeway Extension Community Working Group via a one page survey form. The feedback form allows for written submission to the working group.
Full details of the Mitchell Freeway Extension Community Working Group can be found here. Details of how to nominate for the community working group can also be found at this website.
Mitchell Freeway Extension Community Working Group terms of reference
The terms of reference for the Mitchell Freeway Extension Community Working Group provide the general work program for the group and hence could be used frame at least in part any submissions one makes. The terms of reference are:
- Identifying current and anticipated specific regional, social, environmental and economic issues affecting, or likely to affect, the growth of the north metropolitan Perth area in the next 20 years.
- Identifying current and anticipated factors that may impact overall travel times in the northern metropolitan corridor in the next 20 years.
- Researching improved methods and governance models for delivering transport improvements to the network within the northern metropolitan corridor to meet community expectations, including:
- Analysis of increasing congestion in the northern metropolitan corridor, drawing on national and international experience (and by inviting community representation and feedback).
- Preparing options to establish the most effective plans and governance models that allow strategic partnerships and enhanced community engagement, taking into account the desires of private and other sector involvement, recognising patterns of demographic change, regional and state growth and ways to prioritise these options for government in a constrained budget environment.
- Identifying new opportunities to extend the Mitchell Freeway and enhance reduction in overall travel times in the northern metropolitan corridor to better meet the needs of the community.
- Presenting a limited list of achievable improvement options together with a recommendation on the preferred option to not only extend the Mitchell Freeway north to met the demands of growth in the corridor, but to improve overall travel times in the northern metropolitan corridor.
- Submission of a set of recommendations by the Mitchell Freeway Extension Community Working Group to the Minister for Transport by the end of 2012.
Whilst in my view the terms of reference do have a strong focus on the motor vehicle and extension of the Mitchell Freeway (see terms of reference points four and five for example), there is room for the Mitchell Freeway Extension Community Working Group to look wider, to consider alternate transport options. The working group also has the scope to consider public transport options and to take a more holistic approach to the transport issues facing the northern suburbs.
The Mitchell Freeway Extension Community Working Group is has the ability to consider the implications of transport choices and public health including chronic disease issues and how they can either work against each other or work together for the well being of ourselves and our children into the future.
This is a re-published abbreviated copy of a post made by the author at Aushiker.com. Andrew’s personal views and submission can be found here.
Your Turn To Talk
Please do stop by the comment section below and share your thoughts on the Mitchell Freeway Extension Community Working Group and its deliberations with the rest of us.
What are you thoughts on how we might make progress on our northern suburbs traffic congestion problems? Please share your thoughts by leave a comment below 
* The photo used in this post has been sourced from news.com.au
Hang on…they want to discuss extending the freeway further north (thereby increasing its catchment area and encouraging more people to drive) and in the same breath consider how to reduce congestion on the rest of the freeway? How do these people get up in the morning without their heads exploding?
It has nothing to do with relieving congestion, it has everything to do with perception. The northern suburbs residents seem to perceive a need for more freeway and they are probably right for the first few kilometres until the traffic flows build-up.
Of course the same argument in sense can be applied to cycling infrastructure. If you build good infrastructure you get more cyclists and guess what less cars on the freeway
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Well the core of the working group’s purpose is relieving congestion, but upon re-reading it seems they want to relieve congestion above Burns Beach Rd by transferring it to an extension of the freeway. Hoorah.
The problem Perth is yet to have to deal with is congestion on bike paths, when everyone (mainly the lycra yobbos, of which I’m one) actually have to stop being cowboys and ride sensibly because there’s too many cyclists to get away with it any more. That’s going to be a painful transition.
I applied to be on this working group. Received the thank you letter yesterday, and I was not successful.
Sorry to hear that Roland. At least you gave it shot but. I see it made the Community group newspapers yesterday as well.