‘Serious concerns’: Local businesses slam City of Perth’s plans to turn Hay Street into two-way road

Motorists in the CBD later this year will face one of the biggest changes to Perth traffic since the 1950s but changing Hay Street from one-way to two-way traffic has local businesses up in arms.

The change — part of a program that started in 2009 — is designed to improve pedestrian accessibility and “create destinations” and follows reconversion of almost a dozen strips of road, including parts of William, Beaufort, James and Mount streets back to two-way operations.

In December, the City of Perth decided to spend $4 million to reconvert the Hay Street thoroughfare between William and Elder streets — the last remaining one-way street in the Perth CBD within a “residential growth area” — to a two-way operation.

According to a staff report, Hay Street — built in the 1830s and one-way since at least the 1950s — was to be only 16m-wide “to be used as a back street . . . to service the more important, prestigious St Georges Terrace”.

Hay Street — which runs for about 11km between Braithwaite Street, East Perth and Selby Street, Shenton Park — is currently one-way between Bennett Street, East Perth and Roberts Road, Subiaco.

Work on the latest change — over about 800m — is tipped to begin by July and is set to free up almost 850sqm of footpath space, provide new opportunities for outdoor dining, improve property access and create more stops for the CAT bus.

The upgrades will also include additional lighting, signs and line-marking, with at least another 130 trees and 10 pick-up and drop-off points expected to be added on the street.

City of Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas said the reconversion would activate more bars, restaurants and shops on the western portion of Hay Street.

“The experts tell us that the best way to be able to provide more through traffic for retailers and to activate and enhance our major thoroughfare . . . is by two-way traffic,” he told The Sunday Times.

“We expect . . .that there’ll be a lot more traffic flow, and it will be two-way traffic flow, and logic tells you that traffic coming in both directions is going to increase the number of people that go through shopfronts.”

Kinky Lizard operations manager Emilie Kaasik says business has been booming at her Hay Street cafe.

Once a dilapidated ghost town, Ms Kaasik says the thoroughfare is slowly transforming into a budding shopping precinct populated by business people, tourists and shoppers.

“Business is going really good now because everybody is back at work and . . . a lot more businesses are moving to that area and there is a lot more foot traffic,” she told The Sunday Times.

“If I think about two years ago, (Hay Street) was much, much worse because a lot of the premises were empty.

“It’s getting much much better . . . all of the businesses try to work together and the City of Perth has put in a lot of effort to make that area nicer.”

But Ms Kaasik described the city’s plans to reconvert the road as “unnecessary” and said it would slow business.

“To be honest, I can’t really see how that will work because there’s not much space there,” she said.

“I feel like it works really well at the moment so I don’t see the point.

“(The reconversion) will bring construction once they start doing roadworks . . . so all those businesses nearby will slow down a lot . . . and it’s going to take a lot of time.”

Ms Kaasik said the Perth CBD was walkable as is and that the project was a waste of money.

“Everything in that area is walking distance . . . you can walk to Langley Park, you can walk to Elizabeth Quay; you don’t necessarily need a car in that area,” she said.

“The streets are really narrow . . . I personally feel like it’s an unnecessary spending of money.”

Australian Hotels Association WA chief executive Bradley Woods said management at multiple hotels on Hay Street had expressed “serious concerns” about the project.

The western part of Hay Street is home to a number of hotels including Holiday Inn, the Adnate Perth and the Melbourne Hotel.

“The current proposal does not adequately reflect the day-to-day realities of hotel operations, where quick and convenient access and short-term parking bays — for taxis, rideshares and coaches — are essential,” Mr Woods told The Sunday Times.

“Hotels fear that it could disrupt operations, negatively impact the guest experience and ultimately shift business to other areas with better access provisions.”

Mr Woods said he was concerned the upgrades were prioritising “pedestrian improvements at the expense of practical access needs for hotel guests and businesses”.

“While an improved streetscape may attract more pedestrians, the reduction in parking spaces and lack of provision for taxis, rideshares and coaches could create significant logistical hurdles for hotels and nearby businesses,” he said.

“Given that hotel guests are vital to driving economic activity in the area, any disruption to their access could negatively impact business, particularly for those businesses that rely on group bookings and efficient transport options.

“Hotels in this area already contribute significantly to local activity and any activation efforts should aim to enhance their operations, not create barriers to them.”

But Curtin University sustainability professor Peter Newman — who has worked in transport at a local and global level — said the reconversion was “necessary” and would discourage high-speed, high-volume traffic.

“The benefits are certainly that the city will be more walkable, and therefore, more attractive for tourists and residents,” he told The Sunday Times.

“It’s a necessary thing to do and it will become a much more beautiful street.

“People complain and don’t like change, but this is the next step . . . it’s a necessary thing to do and it will be a much more beautiful street”

The one-way traffic flow is reported to have created a multiple problems including narrow footpaths, a poor street-tree canopy and a reduced number of CAT bus routes.

It has also caused vehicles to hit building awnings.

According to a report from the City of Perth, up to 5150 vehicles pass through the thoroughfare each day; 24 of which drive in the wrong direction.

“Its often narrow footpaths, unnecessary clutter and uneven surfaces not only detract from aesthetics but also create an uncomfortable walking environment,” the report reads.

“These factors pose significant difficulties for people with prams, the elderly, and others with a visual impairment or limited mobility.”

Mr Newman said Hay Street was originally designed to be a one-way operation in a bid to speed up traffic but says it’s had the opposite effect.

“Hay Street was one of the last roads that was converted to a one-way street which makes it a traffic sewer,” he said.

“You’ve got a lot of people going all the way to City Beach (but) a one-way street just fills up and goes slow because it’s so overfilled.

“The reality is, cities do not need high-speed traffic coming into or out of them, it’s absolutely proven to be a disaster for cities because it doesn’t help more people come in; you get less people and you just get more cars.”

While the City of Perth is marching forward with its plans to reconvert Hay Street, City of Subiaco mayor David McMullen also confirmed there was an “increased priority” to convert the Subiaco-portion of Hay Street and Roberts Road into two-way operations but it’s waiting for State and Federal funding.

“Two-way conversion would bring a number benefits, including improved access for drivers, better bus routes, greater sense of place and better access to businesses in the area,” he told The Sunday Times.

“Two-way conversion of streets in this end of our city is an increasing priority, which requires a State Government buy-in because (they have) mandated density targets.

“State Government planning and housing policy needs to be supported by bigger picture holistic infrastructure planning and funding.”

Mr Zempilas said new developments like Perth’s ECU campus meant there was greater need for vehicle access in the CBD.

“(The city) needs greater access from all directions, in particular, Elizabeth Quay, and very, very soon, ECU,” he said.

“There’s going to be more people coming into the city and more people wanting to get into the city from other directions, so increasing their accessibility to access our city is very, very important.”

Mr Zempilas also said there were plans to modify the Hay Street off-ramp on the Mitchell Freeway, meaning cars exiting the freeway would be able to turn left towards Parliament House and right towards the CBD.

“When you come off the Mitchell Freeway and you choose the West Perth exit you can only turn left, but what our traffic experts tell us is that this (proposed reconversion) lays the groundwork for people to have the option of turning left, or more importantly, right,” he said.

“Think of all of those cars that come off the freeway, that use the exit, and will eventually have the ability to turn right —it takes them right into the heart of our city.

“Your own eyes and sense will tell you how much access you’re unlocking by making that two-way a reality.”