Fed up locals have taken to social media this week to canvas a solution to the ‘dangerous’ Armadale and Eighth Rd intersection.
A total of 76 crashes have been recorded at the site over the past decade, which includes a fatality in 2014.
In a 2022 RAC poll, the public voted the intersection as one of the 10 riskiest in Perth.
“I would say it’s the most horrendous right turn in Perth. Nothing else even comes close. People give up and dangerously cut across left-turning traffic to escape the trap. Please, please upgrade Eighth and Armadale as a matter of priority,” one person wrote on the Engage Armadale website in June.
In early 2021 the state government promised to install a set of traffic lights at the intersection, and also another set at the intersection of Forrest Rd and Tonkin Highway.
The Forrest Rd/Tonkin Highway set has since been installed.
With an estimated 14,000 additional residential lots to be created as part of the growth of the Wungong development area, traffic along Eighth Rd and pressure on the Armadale/Eighth Rd intersection will only increase.
The recent social media conversation was sparked after yet another crash at the intersection near the Haynes shops on Friday last week.
Some people suggested that driver impatience caused many of the accidents, while others returned fire that waiting for up to five minutes to turn onto Armadale Rd with people queuing behind was an issue that needed to be dealt with.
A couple of locals proposed that right turns onto Armadale Rd be banned altogether.
Others said there were quite a few intersections along the length of Eighth Rd that needed urgent attention.
Examiner Newspapers recently reported on the tragic passing of Graham the Dog Walker after he was knocked by a car while crossing the road near the historic arch at the Haynes shops entry.
One commenter then suggested a rally at the Eighth/Armadale intersection to get the message out that enough was enough and action by government was needed.
The city’s Chief Executive Joanne Abbiss said they had already heard from concerned locals about the intersection.
“The city has received feedback from residents and subsequently liaised with Main Roads advocating for improvements to the safety of the road network,” she said.
We asked Main Roads whether they still intended to install traffic lights at the intersection.
“Traffic signals will be installed at this intersection to provide safer connectivity for the growing residential precinct and align with future developments planned for the area, including predicted increases in traffic,” a spokesperson for Main Roads said.
“Work was originally due to commence in the 2023/24 financial year, however it is now planned for 2025/26 to allow for the completion of the relocation of services, which is required for the City of Armadale’s upgrade of Eighth Road between Forrest Road and Gribble Avenue, a key strategic route in the Wungong Development area.”
While the Armadale/Eighth Rd intersection is managed by Main Roads, the City of Armadale is responsible for the length of Eighth Rd.
Eighth Rd has been highlighted by the council as the first “major key entry road” to be upgraded as part of the Wungong development.
But work is a little way off yet.
Construction was supposed to finish by June 2021. But a revised timeline now states that road construction won’t start until next year.
“The city is in the final stages of completing the detailed design for the upgrade of Eighth Road, from Forrest Road to Armadale Road. This includes several safety measures including the construction of a raised median, new roundabouts, pedestrian crossings, the undergrounding of power, and street lighting upgrades.” Ms Abbiss said.
