EMBARGOED UNTIL 5:59pm 05/03/2025
LCWA Party MP, Dr Brian Walker, slams Labor & Liberals over missing freeway barrier - that could be made of hempcrete
Legalise Cannabis WA Party Leader, Dr Brian Walker, has slammed dumped Jandakot MLA, Dr Yaz Mubarakai, and Liberal Leader, Libby Mettam, for inaction over a missing sound barrier along a busy section of Kwinana Freeway.
Despite repeated approaches from concerned local residents about the noise generated from freeway traffic, neither political party has done anything about reducing noise for houses less than 40M from fasting moving traffic exiting to Roe Hwy.
“Local residents have had meetings with Dr Mubarakai and questioned why a large limestone wall - which runs around most of the exit ramp - stopped about 400 metres short?
“They were told that Main Roads had determined the houses closest to the freeway didn’t require a sound or visual barrier – even though residents can see the trains passing from their backyards
“And Liberal Leader, Libby Mettam, recently announced a Liberal Government would build a sound-barrier, about 1km away in Bateman, near a park, but had nothing for this area in Jandakot”, said Dr Walker
It is one of the only sections of Freeway in the metropolitan area that doesn’t have any significant structure protecting nearby residents from excessive noise.
But Dr Walker is hoping common-sense will prevail and with a commitment of $10M – and that the long-overdue sound barrier can be built with hempcrete!
“We commissioned a civil engineer who has proposed completing the sound barrier using hempcrete.
“Hempcrete is up to 50% better at soundproofing than concrete, is carbon-negative and resistant to fire, pests and mould.
The funding for the sound barrier would come from the revenue raised by cannabis legalisation in Western Australia, which will be a priority for the LCWA Party Parliamentarians after this Saturday’s State Poll.