Main Roads WA has since made the closure of the Marbelup rest stop permanent. This stop was a little over halfway point on the south coast between Albany/Denmark. This decision follows an increased emphasis on safety. News reports claim that the site has been turned into a dumping ground for violent and dangerous illegal campers. Unfortunately, Main Roads WA bulldozed and closed the rest stop because it had become unmanageable. If this happens, it would be the third rest area closed in two years.
The temporary closure announcement follows the fact that this rest stop was recently left looking like a landfill after the recent school holidays were over. In the community, reports warned that issues like razors, toilet paper and other waste littered the area. Huge stacks of sawn timber logs were visible along a dirt roadway leading to the site. These circumstances led to unprecedented action being taken by the officials, citing their inability to administer the mounting concerns at Marbelup.
Management Challenges
Main Roads WA would have us believe that they are fighting a losing battle with the Marbelup rest stop. This is mainly because of repeated improper use of the facility. Problems with illegal camping and littering had worsened over the years, creating a dangerous overflow and fire hazard of visible garbage that piled high.
Mr. Duffield from Main Roads WA noted, “We’ve had a bit of a history of people trashing that site — there are no bins there and people are just using it as a dump site.” This new statement serves to further amplify the community and union concerns about health and safety in public rest areas.
Main Roads WA is currently working to reallocate preventive maintenance funding across its rest stop network. The centerpiece of this strategy is investing in the facilities that remain open. While this transformation has created beautiful new spaces, it has left the local residents and many travelers worried about where they can safely rest.
Community Responses
Deputy chair Tom Smith expressed disappointment over the closure, arguing that alternative management options should have been explored before taking such drastic measures. He pointed out that it’s really convenient for travelers that are going in the direction of Albany to be able to stop there. Additionally, he claimed that this particular route has no driver fatigue risk.
In fact, there’s hardly enough them to go around. A huge shortfall of them exists across the state, said Cam Dumesny, echoing citizens’ concerns regarding the shrinking stock of rest areas open for long-distance highway riders. He added, “We all want these rest areas when driving a car or a caravan or a truck.”
Smith further pointed out that many travelers prefer rest stops to save money on longer journeys, stating, “Quite a high percentage of our members prefer to use these facilities when they’re travelling.”
Looking Ahead
This incident has prompted Main Roads WA to address issues in response to the Marbelup closure. They still envision making the other existing rest stops in their region safer and better equipped to accommodate travelers, though. The association first moved to hunt down and penalize anyone abusing the Marbelup rest area. Yet, in their efforts to redevelop this property, the City’s efforts to channelize behavior at this public crossing failed miserably.
As communities grapple with the effects of this closure, some feel a collective responsibility for keeping public spaces clean and functional. Dumesny remarked on this social obligation: “We’ve all got a social responsibility, like a BBQ at a community park — we use it, we clean it afterwards so that the next person can use it.”
