The Blue CAT – A Love Letter From Nice

Hey FSN!

My name is Jemima, I’m a 20yr old South Freo resident currently on a three-month European adventure. I have been really loving the FSN updates of the happenings in Freo while I’m away, and particularly thankful for your report last week on the Blue CAT bus community meeting.

I am writing this from Nice in France, which has been my favourite city to visit yet. As I tried to figure out why it has been, I realised that the delightful energy of the city is due to its walkable and public-transport first design.

The main street of the City, running perpendicular to the ocean, is only for trams. The roads parallel to the ocean allow cars, but at every intersection are slowed by zebra crossings. Many of the streets have big lanes set aside for bikes, skateboards, scooters etc., and these lanes are separated from the main road by green spaces of tall plants and flowers.

With considered, pedestrian-forward, design choices like these, Nice feels fun to walk through. One of the main attractions of the City is simply to ‘walk through town’. The City feels alive with people, the shops are all buzzing, and the many art galleries and studios face onto the street for everyone to enjoy. It feels vibrant and lively.

Watching the Freo Council prepare to scrap the CAT while in a City that emphasises the exact opposite has been strange. It has been so amazing to see our communities fight for its survival!

I was lucky to grow up along the CAT route, and used it everyday after school and most weekends. As the only free public transport access to South Freo and South Beach, it really is a vital piece of infrastructure for the liveability and accessibility of our city.

I understand that it is often viewed as a service that is only used by people from South Freo or as an ‘experience’, and that it is funded by all ratepayers while only really benefiting people along its route. But, scrapping it altogether feels like a shame.

As we progress further into both the climate and cost of living crises – taking away this bus is a big loss for progress on community equity, climate forward design choices and the liveability of our city.

Without reliable public transport access to South Beach, it becomes far more inaccessible to those not in the financial position to drive to the beach. It will also mean more cars at South Beach and in Freo, where parking is already a fraught topic. Of course, the climate impacts of scrapping public transport are apparent.

From the cities I’ve been in, the more pedestrian and public transport focused design, the more I’m going to love heading for a wander. The more likely I am to spend more time in the City center, poking my head into shops and spending money.

In an ideal world, all public transport would be free and reliable. Until then, I hope we keep at least one free service in Freo.

Budgets really are about priorities, and I would love to consider Freo as a community that values all members equally, is climate forward, and supportive of its members through the cost of living crisis.

Thanks again for keeping me updated while I am away. Simultaneously making me homesick, and comforted by the knowledge I’m still in the loop.

Cheers,

Jemima Williamson-Wong

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