Part of a series of posts by Neil Cownie on The Future of Swanbourne Village

The Post Newspaper recently reported the official opening of the Ashton Avenue Bridge (otherwise known as the Showgrounds Bridge) by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti (15.9.19). The $10millon dollar bridge was reported to have been completed efficiently on time prior to the opening of the Perth Royal Show and was built without injury to the construction workers.

For me the completed new bridge represents a series of lost opportunities. Sure, cars can now pass more efficiently over the railway line, but that is about as far as this $10million expenditure goes. The utilitarian solution seems more like an exercise in compliance with the Australian Standards than rather providing a pleasant experience for users and the gateway to the entrance to the Royal Show Grounds. A series of barriers sees steel barriers between cars and people, concrete barriers between cars and the railway line, cyclone mesh barriers between people and trains, along with visual screens between the pedestrian bridge traffic and the train line.

The focus is clearly on vehicles with the barriers and balustrades separating cars in the main. It was interesting to note on inspecting the completed bridge that while compliance with Australian Standards seems to have been the over-riding design driver, when it came to pedestrians, such consideration was lacking. Open railing separates pedestrians from a 1.5m drop to a ramp at a lower level opposite the entry to the Show Grounds. With families milling around the vicinity on a crowed show day, small children could easily fall through the open barrier.

Steel vehicle barriers continue way beyond the vicinity of the bridge to extrude along the road kerb line in front of the main entry to the Show Grounds. These barriers seem completely unnecessary and are the cause of visual pollution.

The pedestrian / cycleway that passes below the bridge is a very underwhelming environment. The battleship Grey walls and ceiling of the bridge have already received their first graffiti tag.

What could have been: a solution specific to place. A celebration of the history of the Perth Royal Show, a gate way entrance to the Perth Royal Show. Extra accommodation across the bridge for the numbers of people that attend the Royal Show.

Design and creativity as not an applied after thought. Appropriate community orientated solutions are design led from the outset of the project. The quality of the built environment in these new transport structures in Perth are simply not good enough.

The people of Western Australia deserve better. Make sure you demand it!

Photos by Neil Cownie.

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The Bridging Communities Series