Calls growing to fix country town's 800-truck-a-day problem

Every day, about 800 heavy haulage trucks roll through Western Australia's Peel region.

Most, if not all, pass through Pinjarra's main street, close to schools, cafes, homes and other businesses.

The town, about 80 kilometres south of Perth and home to 6,000 people, sits close to a number of major mining projects, including Alcoa's enormous Pinjarra Alumina Refinery, which is about 10 minutes' drive from town.

The truck traffic has sparked calls to revive long-awaited plans for a bypass, which have stalled despite millions of dollars of funding being allocated.

Shire of Murray President Douglas McLarty said the vehicles regularly locked down the town centre.

"We have students, parents, caregivers interfacing with heavy haulage every single day trying to access either of those two schools," he said.

"We're talking about loads that are going through the centre of town and nearly touching parked cars on either side of the road … knocking the traffic lights over."

The project, which has been on the agenda since the 1990s, was backed by $50 million in state funding and $200 million from the federal government in 2022.

Despite the federal government stripping its share of funding from the project in 2023, the WA government reaffirmed its commitment to the road.

But three years on and the project remains in the planning and approvals stage.

Safety and lifestyle concerns

Business owner Caris McClements said the trucks were affecting the local lifestyle.

"Often we might have to halt a conversation with a customer because a truck is going past and they're really noisy, or we see a truck slam on the brakes as they come up to the crosswalk," she said.

"Sometimes that main street might get shut for a bit and everyone gets stopped for five, 10 minutes while the big truck rolls through."

Liberal member for Murray-Wellington David Bolt said the situation was becoming dangerous.

"It's an issue with noise, it's an issue with crossing the road," he said.

"But the main issue is the vehicles are increasing in number and at some point, we're going to have a major accident."

Bypass concerns

A further complication has been concerns the proposed route would disturb the site of the Pinjarra Massacre, one of the most brutal attacks on Aboriginal people in WA's history.

Scores of Bindjareb Noongar women, men and children killed by white settlers on the banks of the Murray River in 1834.

Bindjareb woman Karrie-Anne Kearing said her family had worked to keep the site protected for generations.

"We go over to other countries, and they respect our fallen, I think that should also be seen over here in our own country, as Noongar people, they fought for their country, and they lost lives," she said.

"We need that same respect shown to our ancestors or elder people that actually lost their lives there."

In August, Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the state government was considering stakeholder feedback, while a Main Roads spokesperson said the massacre site remained a significant planning consideration, with a formal memorial or education initiative being considered.

"Further work is required before the preferred alignment can be confirmed and any decisions regarding project timing or construction can be made," a Main Roads spokesperson said.

Some 'love to see them'

For others like Bron May, who works in the centre of Pinjarra, there is a potential downside to the proposed bypass.

"We see a lot of people that are visitors to the town, who, are always taking photos of the big trucks," she said.

"There's little kids, they love to see them coming through."

Ms May said she was concerned visitors would be diverted away from Pinjarra.

"Are we going to lose them as well because they're going to use the deviation road?" she said.