Stirling councillors have voted to install three raised pedestrian crossings along West Coast Drive from Watermans Bay to North Beach as well as reduce the speed to 40km/h.
Original recommendations to install five crossings simultaneously was rejected after Cr Tony Krsticevic moved an alternative motion to install three of the five crossings before council assess the need for the remaining two.
The initial recommendation to install the five crossings lost 11-4 while the foreshadowed motion to install in stages was approved 12-1.
The three pedestrian crossings will be placed adjacent to Eslie Street in Watermans Bay near Little Bay Cafe, adjacent to Saunders Street in North Beach, and adjacent to Bennion Street in Trigg near Yelo Cafe.
The remaining two pedestrian crossings will be located adjacent to North Beach Road in North Beach and Bennion Street in Trigg.
The 40km/h speed limit on West Coast Drive will run from Karrinyup Road to Beach Road.
Extensive community engagement was conducted by the city from August to September last year with a total of 689 responses.
Fifty-eight per cent were in support for the pedestrian crossings but only 42 per cent were in support of the 40km/h speed limit.
However, the report found that approval from Main Roads WA for the crossings was subject to the speed reduction.
Cr Krsticevic said the staged approach was a more careful way to assess if five crossings were needed instead of three.
“I think it would be prudent for the council to pick these three locations in the first instance, reduce the speed limit, assess how that’s going and then review whether or not we need the two additional crossings,” he said.
“I think that’s a smart way for council to go.
“It just allows us to be more careful with what we’re doing.”
However, Cr Stephanie Proud questioned whether the staged approach of the crossings would compromise the overall effectiveness of the project until the remaining two were installed.
“Looking at the report and hearing the (City of Stirling) officer, we’re actually compromising the integrity of what we’re supposed to be doing, of making pedestrian accessibility better,” she said.
“I think it might be a bit of a failing to only do the three (crossings), I think after it’s reviewed then it will be a skewed result because then you’ll want to do five to see how they work together.
“I think this a little bit of a waste.”