Angry southern suburbs residents are calling for Transport Minister Stephan Knoll to reverse his decision to block part of Marion Road, restricting access to their homes and businesses.
Stopping turns off Marion Road into Mabel Street will also make it difficult for people to reach the office of their local Member of State Parliament.
Despite more than 60 letters to the Minister opposing the blockage of access to homes across Plympton, the Minister has failed to listen.
Road works will start this evening. Once built it will stop motorists coming from the south on Marion Road from turning into Mabel Street. The works will also block residents coming out of Elizabeth Avenue from heading south onto Marion Road. A u-turn bay on Anzac Highway will also be removed, making traversing the area even more difficult.
Residents are also calling for the release of the long-promised Marion Road Traffic Study. The study was promised by then-PM Malcolm Turnbull in 2016 to examine congestion busting options for the area.
Quotes attributable to Member for Badcoe Jayne Stinson
This is a dumb decision that will add frustration and delay to the daily commute for many Plympton residents and business owners.
More than 60 Plympton locals have done the right thing and raised these concerns loud and clear with the Minister for 12 months – but they’ve been totally ignored.
The Minister has failed to produce any evidence that blocking this access for local residents will do anything to speed up traffic on Marion Road.
Everyone in our area knows that removing the level crossing near Marion and Cross Roads would be a much more significant way to reduce travel time and congestion.
If the Liberals had stuck to their 2016 promise of releasing the Marion Road Traffic Study we’d have some real solutions on the table right now, rather than ad hoc measures that hurt local residents and businesses.