Wednesday, 13 August 2025

 David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (18:41): (1828) My adjournment is for the Minister for Planning, although if this is wrong, I would hope that the minister would be so kind as to forward it to the relevant counterpart. Level crossing removals and the flow-on effects of connecting communities have largely benefited the northern and eastern suburbs, and the west deserves some love too. The most recent edition of the Westsider includes a love letter from SoWeFo to NoWeFo, or south-west Footscray to north-west Footscray. In this charming letter SoWeFo says:

We’re practically strangers, separated by train tracks, traffic, and a whole lot of urban planning oversights. But from down here in SoWeFo, I’ve been watching you from afar – your library, RecWest, your dining spots, your beautifully evolving, quirky charm of Barkly Street – and I can’t help but wonder … what if?

I cannot help but wonder the same thing. I have previously raised the issue of the dearth of crossings along the 5-kilometre wall of rail in West Footscray. There is but a single overpass linking Sunshine Road to Cross Street at West Footscray station and then a long barrier of train tracks until you get to the dismal Ashley Street underpass, which has no footpath or bike path, is poorly lit, only allows one lane of traffic each way and regularly floods when it rains.

The residents of West Footscray are calling on the government to develop a plan for a safe accessible pedestrian bridge over the rail yards, linking Roberts Street in the south to Barkly Village in the north. This is a very sensible notion, given that Tottenham and West Footscray have been incorporated into an activity centre and are slated for hundreds of new homes in the coming years. A bridge over the rail yards will connect the two sides of West Footscray. Apart from allowing residents in the south to access Barkly Village, the library and RecWest, it will allow residents in the north to access the sporting and recreational facilities at Hansen Reserve, not to mention improving safety for pedestrians, particularly children walking to school. So on behalf of my star-crossed constituents in West Footscray, the action I seek is for the minister to ensure that the program of works for the Sunshine superhub delivers more pedestrian and cycling bridges where they are needed in West Footscray.