The secretary of a Perth public transport union said he had received a number of concerns from members of his union regarding a proposed Cannington bus route.
The City of Canning is considering creating a new bus route by linking Fleming Avenue and Civic Gardens in the Canning City Centre, which it claimed would cut route times by up to three minutes for buses travelling from Albany Highway to Manning Road.
Fleming Avenue and Civic Gardens residents have said they were concerned about increased traffic due to a bus service cutting through the suburb, but the city said the bus-only route would only result in about a five per cent increase in traffic in the area.
However, Transport Edge union secretary Glenn Ferguson said some of his members had also raised concerns about the proposal.
“You’ll have a bus service going through a built up area, ruining the amenity for the community,” he said.
“From a driver’s perspective it didn’t make proper sense that you’d change the route.
“Drivers are very professional, if they thought it was going to make their life easier by going that way they’d probably agree to it.”
Mr Ferguson said he had also heard concerns about the narrowness of the residential streets, indicating he believed a dedicated bus lane would be necessary.
However, the City of Canning rejected this and said the Public Transport Authority had advised the roads are capable of supporting a bus service.
It also claimed access between Civic Centre Park and the Canning River for pedestrians and wildlife would not be negatively impacted by linking Fleming Avenue and Civic Gardens and said it would consider constructing an underpass for wildlife if the route were approved.
On November 15 the City of Canning hosted a public meeting to discuss concerns about the proposal, which attracted about 180 residents according to the city.
A report on the proposal is due to be delivered to council on December 19.
