A “dangerous” 60-year-old footbridge used by dozens of primary students to walk to school each day has been shut after shocking footage emerged of the bridge swaying over train lines and traffic.
A video shows Cottesloe Primary School students crossing the bridge over the busy Fremantle train line between Curtin Ave and Stirling Highway, in Perth’s west, while the bridge rocked side-to-side.
Cottesloe MLA Sandra Brewer told 6PR Perth the footage was “deeply concerning.”
Ms Brewer said the bridge extended over major transport corridors that carried trains, trucks, and four lanes of fast flowing traffic, which was used by children to walk safely to school.
“I’ve been aware for a very long time about the danger of some of the infrastructure in Cottesloe, and it’s something that I’ve constantly taken to the parliament and crying out for attention to look at what is archaic and dangerous infrastructure in general across our suburb,” she said.
“The video was shared with me on Friday afternoon, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing – there’s dozens of children crossing.
“When I saw that I just had to urgently act, so I immediately forwarded it to Transport Minister Rita Saffioti’s office and requested an immediate response, and since then the bridge has been closed for inspection.”
Town of Cottesloe councillor Michael Thomas has been advocating for the bridge to become more accessible for several years.
Mr Thomas said the footage showed how unstable and structurally unsound the bridge was, noting it had been patched together in sections with rotting timber and concrete with rust coming through.
“The steep stairs are very inaccessible and leaves a lot of the community behind,” he said.
Mr Thomas said with the help of community members, they designed a concept plan to make the bridge more accessible with circular ramps so it could be used by people with mobility issues, prams and bikes.
But when he questioned when the bridge would be replaced because it was showing signs of significant wear and tear, he said he was told assessments had been done and there were no plans in place for major works or replacement.
“It is a bit frustrating that we don’t have any sort of plans in place for that and now it’s actually come to a head and been closed off, it’s having massive disruption to the community and families that just want to be able to get their kids to school safely,” he said.
Mr Thomas said there was an opportunity to get a new bridge that would benefit the community, but he feared authorities would put the interests of the community aside and shut the bridge completely.
“This closure highlights how important this critical connection is for the community, it also highlights how old it is and that it doesn’t meet modern accessibility standards,” he said.
“If this can actually be a wake-up call to say, ‘Look we actually need to think long term about this’, how can we actually get the best outcome for the community, and a great new bridge that will be of so much benefit.’”
The footbridge is jointly owned by Main Roads WA and the Public Transport Authority.
A Main Roads WA spokesman said the safety of the community and all bridge users was their highest priority.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have closed the bridge to undertake a detailed assessment,” a spokesman said.
“As part of this process, Main Roads are undertaking bridge engineering inspections which commenced on Thursday and are ongoing.
“We are working closely with PTA and the local government to ensure a safe and timely reopening.”
