Transport in Perth, Western Australia
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Transport in Perth, Western Australia, is served by various means, among them an extensive highway/freeway network and a substantial system of commuter rail lines and bus routes. Public transport is managed by the Transperth agency.
History
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Following the settlement of the Swan River Colony in 1829, the Swan River was the main transportation link between Perth and the port of Fremantle.[1] Land transportation was difficult as the only river crossing near Perth, a ford at the eastern end of the town, was often impassable for wagons and carts. The next crossing point was 32 kilometres (20 mi) upstream at Guildford, a major detour.[1] The only alternative to these river crossings were ferries, which operated from North Fremantle,[2] Preston Point,[3][4] and The Narrows.[1]
Road transport
Perth has an extensive road network centred around three freeways and nine metropolitan highways. It has no toll roads.
Highways and Freeways
The
The port city of Fremantle, and adjacent suburbs, are linked to the city centre via Stirling Highway, which travels on the north side of the Swan River after crossing into North Fremantle on the Stirling Bridge. On the southern side of the river, Canning Highway, which later continues on as Great Eastern Highway, connects Fremantle to Midland, north-east of the city centre. Leach Highway is a parallel route that terminates at the edge of Perth Airport. Marmion Avenue is the northern continuation of West Coast Highway, which runs near the coastline, from Swanbourne to Trigg.[5]
The arterial routes out of the
From the Midland area,
Ring Road
Traffic congestion
Weekday traffic congestion is worst during the morning peak hour, when traffic regularly slows to almost half the speed limit, and sometimes to a standstill. Depending on the road, the weekday peak hour is usually about 7am to 8am, or 8am to 9am.
Public transport
Perth metropolitan public transport, including trains, buses and ferries, are provided by Transperth, with links to rural areas provided by Transwa. Perth provides zero-fare train trips for SmartRider (travel fare card) holders around the city centre (the "Free Transit Zone"), as well as five high-frequency (every 8–15 minutes) Central Area Transit (CAT) bus routes (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple), which, alongside trips on regular Transperth buses in the city centre, are free to all users.
Suburban rail
There are five main rail lines, 76 stations and 15 bus stations in the metropolitan area.
Bus
An extensive bus network services the greater Perth metro area. Many bus routes act as feeder routes to the main rail lines.
Regional and interstate rail
The
Trams
Perth's first trams operated for a short period at the end of the nineteenth century, on an unsuccessful horse-car tramway between the GPO and East Perth.[8]
The city's first electric trams began operating in 1899 between
The initial electric tram infrastructure in Perth was privately funded. The government took over the running of trams in 1914, with the aim of better co-ordinating the network. Trams were an integral part of the public transport system in the early 20th century until the advent of the private automobile. However, long term lack of government investment led to the network being phased out by July 1958. A number of Perth's historical trams are maintained at Whiteman Park.
Between 1905 and 1952, Fremantle had a small but comprehensive tramway network of its own. The Fremantle network was owned and operated by a consortium of local municipalities, and was never linked into the Perth network. Throughout its existence, the Fremantle network covered both the Fremantle municipality and the adjacent municipality of East Fremantle. Its tram lines also extended for part of that period into North Fremantle and Melville.[10]
There are now various tourist buses decorated as "trams", but running on rubber tyred wheels independently of rails, in both Perth and Fremantle. They operate services such as the Kings Park tram tour and others.
In 2012 a light rail network, to be known as the Metro Area Express was announced. After being pushed back, it was shelved in 2016.[11]
Cycling
Cycling in Perth is common on the roads and paths for
Airports
Perth is served by Perth Airport in the city's east for regional, domestic and international flights and Jandakot Airport in the city's southern suburbs for general aviation and charter flights.
References
- ^ ISBN 1-876268-06-9.
- The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal. WA: National Library of Australia. 27 June 1835. p. 517. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal. WA: National Library of Australia. 3 August 1833. p. 121. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Fremantle Railway Bridge to Point Walter Reserve and Childley Point" (PDF). Swan River Trust. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Metropolitan Arterial Roads, Perth, Western Australia (Map)" (PDF). Western Australian Land Information Authority. 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ Young, Emma (24 June 2018). "Perth peak hour hack: When you need to leave home to cut travel time". WA Today. Fairfax Media/Nine Entertainment Co. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ Gubana, Benjamin (21 September 2019). "Perth's weekend traffic hotspots, where delays on the road rival the weekday peak hour". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ISBN 0-949825-01-8.
- ISBN 0646-38447-3.
- ISBN 978-0-9578257-0-3.
- ^ "Fast facts". pta.wa.gov.au/. Western Australia Public Transport Authority. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- ^ Perth Bicycle Network Monitoring Archived 2009-09-18 at the Wayback Machine