The City of Armadale will bring up the issues of Denny Avenue, Kelmscott when cabinet visits on March 30 but it was not their number one priority according to Armadale chief executive Ray Tame.
Mr Tame said other major projects that required state government funding including the civic precinct and an entire dual carriageway on Armadale Road were the biggest issues impacting Armadale residents.
“Armadale probably has 10 projects essential to development of the district,” he said.
“The railway line is a boon in one way but a barrier to mobility and accessibility in other ways.
“Armadale Road and access to the freeways affects not only a high proportion of our population but also freight, commerce and land values of a broad area.
“The court house and police station and civic precinct are essential steps to the Armadale strategic centre being set up to serve the district for the next 30 to 40 years.
“We know that both the rail crossing and Armadale Road to the freeway will have increased accident ratings as our population continues to grow.
“We need all of these issues addressed in the medium term.”
Mr Tame said they would raise the Denny Avenue issues with the Minister for Transport Dean Nalder on March 30 after the Armadale Road discussion.
Despite crash statistics suggesting Denny Avenue was one of the worst roads of its size in Perth Mr Tame questioned whether it would be the subject of a grade separation.
“I know the metropolitan redevelopment authority are still working on an alternative but the reality is Denny Avenue carries 10,000 vehicles per day while Armadale Road carries 22,000 per day (with a higher proportion of heavy freight) across the same busy railway line,” he said.
“I wonder which crossing is most likely to be grade-separated first?”
Mr Tame said the city was doing what it could by upgrading the Streich and Denny intersection with a set of traffic lights to be completed later this year.
Public calls for another level crossing to be opened up elsewhere in Kelmscott had hit a wall.
Public Transport Authority (PTA) spokeswoman Claire Krol said it was their policy to no longer build new level crossings except on rare occasions.
“For the past few years the PTA in collaboration with Main Roads has endeavoured to either remove or grade-separate as many of the remaining crossings on our metro-area network as possible in order to reduce the risk to the public,” she said.
“It is also PTA policy, in the rare case we do open a new level crossing, to close an existing one so there is no net increase in the number of crossings.
She said a new crossing must offer significant safety and congestion benefits.
“For example a new heavy vehicle bypass route which requires a new road to cross the rail line,” she said.
The last new crossing was installed near Market Street in Gosnells about 10 years ago which was balanced by the Verna Street, Gosnells crossing closure.
