Department of Transport Annual Report 2010 - 2011

Milligan Street Secure Taxi Rank upgrade
The Milligan Street Secure Taxi Rank upgrade is a joint initiative with the City of
Perth, designed to deliver safe and reliable transport and a safer Northbridge.
The capital works, managed by the City of Perth, commenced in January 2011 and
include changes to the road layout and the installation of lighting, CCTV and shelters
to deliver a safer and more efficient taxi hub at Milligan Street. The upgrade will help
minimise customer waiting times and reduce incidences of anti-social behaviour.
The $1.87 million project is predominantly funded by Taxi Industry Development
Account (TIDA), along with a contribution of $500,000 from the City of Perth.
Taxi cameras
The new Taxi Camera Surveillance Unit (TCSU) standard was approved on
16 November 2010. The new standard requires TCSUs to have an increased frame
rate, with continuous recording and storage capacity of 288 hours. External cameras
are also required to capture incidents that occur immediately outside the taxi. The
Minister for Transport announced on 5 January 2011 that the State Government
would undertake a TCSU replacement program over 30 months from 1 July 2011 to
31 December 2013. A subsidy of up to 80 per cent of the cost of a new TCSU will be
made available with funding from TIDA.
Extensive preparatory work has been undertaken with new regulations gazetted,
two new TCSU models approved and a third under consideration. From 1 July 2011
all new taxis must comply with the requirement to have an approved TCSU installed
and to prevent unauthorised tampering and downloading of the recorded material.
Additional taxi plates
During 2010-11 DoT approved 130 peak period, 58 restricted area and 30 conventional
taxi lease plates for release. Recent performance data had indicated that the taxi
industry could not meet increasing demand and DoT is in the process of releasing
the additional plates.
Payment options
For many years the Passenger Services Business Unit (PSBU) could only offer the
traditional payment options of cash or cheque to their clients. Following discussions
with industry, PSBU worked with Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) to provide new
payment options.
The new options were introduced in 2010-11 and included the traditional options
of cash and cheque, as well as the more favoured choices of EFTPOS and credit
card, which could be taken at the PSBU counter or over the telephone. These new
arrangements have been met with satisfaction from industry.
Construction of a land-backed wharf at Kalbarri
The construction of the land-backed wharf at the Kalbarri Maritime Facility has been
completed. The new facility will meet the growing demands of the local fishing and
charter boat industries.
The wharf is located between the existing service jetty and boat pens, which will
allow the local fishing fleet operators to directly load and unload consumables and
catch, avoiding double handling and greatly improving efficiency and safety.
Project planning and consultation occurred in conjunction with the Kalbarri
Fishermen’s Association, Mid-West Development Commission, Shire of Northampton
and the traditional land owners. Onsite construction of the facility was completed in
June 2011 at a cost of $1.9 million.
Kalbarri Maritime Facility
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