Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The construction of a signalised pedestrian crossing across Marmion Avenue between Burns Beach and Kinross in my electorate of Moore is urgently needed in the interests of road safety, particularly for school students crossing the busy road each day. On behalf of the local community, in particular the families of the 657 students attending Kinross College and the 653 students attending Kinross Primary School, I call upon the McGowan state Labor government to work with the City of Joondalup in approving the pedestrian crossing without further delay. This important road safety initiative has been on the agenda for several years dating back to 2015, and delays are potentially putting young lives at risk. How much longer will our community have to wait? Marmion Avenue is a major 40-kilometre-long four-lane arterial road connecting Perth's northern coastal suburbs, with an 80-kilometre-per-hour speed limit, making it difficult for pedestrians to cross during peak-hour commuter traffic.

In 2015 the City of Joondalup received a petition with 1,820 signatures, requesting an underpass or overpass across Marmion Avenue near the roundabout. The City of Joondalup is still awaiting state government approval from Main Roads to install a signalised crossing across Marmion Avenue approximately 100 metres north of the roundabout at Grand Ocean Entrance and Edinburgh Avenue. The proposed design for the crossing will feature red-and-white coloured posts instead of the standard yellow posts to highlight the crossing, pavement markers with visual countdown timers for pedestrian movements and ramps for disability access. The City of Joondalup has also set aside $150,000 in the budget for other safety improvements to the site.

This crossing is supported by both the Kinross Residents Association and the Burns Beach Residents Association and will encourage children and their parents to walk to school, as many have to drive the short distance across the two suburbs due to difficulties pedestrians crossing Marmion Avenue face. It will also improve access for residents of Kinross to the coastal suburb of Burns Beach, including access to parks and recreational areas. In the interests of road safety this pedestrian crossing ought to be prioritised for construction, especially given that the capital works funding is already in place. I look forward to working with Mayor Albert Jacob, Councillor Tom McClean and Councillor Kerry Hollywood of the City of Joondalup, and the state member for Burns Beach, Mark Folkard MLA, in ensuring that this project is delivered for the benefit of our community.