Transport Action Coalition (TRAC)

PO Box 948
Fremantle 6160
Western Australia
October 1997

Newsletter October 1997

FREMANTLE FESTIVAL 1997

TRAC members are a very talented group, and a group of TRAC artists have offered to coordinate two major Fremantle Festival projects for TRAC.

The first event will be a Community Party to be held at Clontaf Hill on the 23rd of November. At 3.00 pm. A walk from the WGV Primary School to Clontaf Hill will commence. The walk takes approx 3/4 of an hour and has been test walked by two five year olds (plus adults) who easily completed the walk. The Bypass route will be marked out with flags made at a community silk screening day. At 4.00 pm local musicians including the Sensitive New Age Cowpersons, Malembe and others will start the party off. Bring a picnic, BBQ's will be provided. A bus will make regular return journeys to WGV from 5.00 pm.

A Silk Screening Day will be held at the White Gum Valley Primary School on the 1st November 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm. TRAC members experienced at silk screening will be assisting community members to screen their own flags, banners and T shirts. Flag making material will be provided by TRAC and everyone is invited to come and screen their own flag. The flags will be used to mark out the Bypass route for the Clontarf Hill walk and community Party. The flags will be reused as part of the TRAC Fremantle Festival Float and finally the flags will be displayed in gardens by the people who made them.

For the Fremantle Festival Parade the TRAC artists have undertaken to make our logo for the parade. A small group will be undertaking the initial construction and on the 15th and 22nd of November they will require lots of help from the community to complete the float. The Parade will be held on the 30th of November and everyone is encouraged to join in and show how much we value our communities.

Dairy of Events:

Saturday 1st of November 2-5 pm
Community Silk Screening at the WGV Primary School. Flag material, dye and experts supplied. BYO banners, light coloured T Shirts anything else that you would like to put the TRAC logo on.

Saturday 15th and 22nd of November 9-5pm
Community Festival Float Workshops. Drop in to G Shed at Victoria Quay for on hour or so and help put the Trac heart together ready for the Freo Festival. We need lots of willing helpers, to paper mache and paint the heart ready for the parade on the 30th. Wear painting clothes.

Sunday 23rd of November 3-7pm
Clontarf Community Walk and Party. Walk starts WGV primary School 3pm, music 4pm, BBQ 5pm. Regular bus service back to WGV. Party will be held on the south side of Clontarf Hill off Healy Rd.

Sunday 30th November 3pm Fremantle Festival Parade. The Primary School children are making costumes in the TRAC colours of red, blue, green and white. All TRAC people are encouraged to join in the TRAC float and wear the TRAC colours. We especially welcome people wearing National Dress. Parade leaves from Victoria Quay.

Events to Date;

After the public meeting held in March, which was attended by over 600 people, a group of dedicated members of TRAC have been meeting fortnightly to take up the communities concerns regarding the building of the Eastern Bypass. To date we have successfully lobbied groups and individuals and the deletion of the Bypass is now supported by the East Fremantle, Fremantle, Cockburn, Rockingham and Melville Councils.
We initiated the group FRETRAN, (Fremantle Regional Transport Network) which consists of 12 community groups opposed to the Bypass and dedicated to finding different solutions to traffic problems.

We have also been successful in obtaining $20,000 in funding from the Fremantle Council. Some of this money has been used to fund an independent report into exploring variable alternatives to the Bypass so we are able to address the Governments position on the Bypass. Members of TRAC have met with Eric Charlton, the Minister of Transport and Main Roads staff members on several occasions. These meetings confirmed to us that neither the minister or the MRD was interested in addressing any of the concerns of the communities affected by the Bypass. It is their view that the Bypass is essential and in years to come we will be happy to have the Bypass through Fremantle!!

We are still waiting for the results of the appeals lodged with the Environmental Protection Authority. Initially the EPA decided that no Environmental Impact Assessment was required as the environmental impact of the Bypass was not significant.
The Fremantle Council as well as some individuals appealed that decision in February and we are at this time awaiting the Minister for the Environment decision. We are hopeful the an EIA will be requested by the minister, as it is now clear that the Bypass is not merely a 3km stretch of road but part of the very large and significant Western Suburbs Highway. The Highway will impact on suburbs along the coast from Ocean Reef to Mandurah.

We Have also gathered support from people from Northbridge, Cottesloe, Claremont, Nedlands, Swanbourne, Churchlands and people south of the river. TRAC has also established links with SOS, (Save our Streets) a Cottesloe based group and SOC, (Save our Community) a Claremont based group, both of these areas will be affected by the Eastern Bypass. The Western Suburbs Highway will have significant negative impacts on these communities as major 4 lane link roads are planned through these suburbs.

TRAC members have been extremely busy with the tasks listed above and lots more. There are still many new avenues being explored to STOP THE BYPASS and we welcome any assistance that you may be able to offer.


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