In February 2025, PerthNow reported that local operators were raising serious concerns about the City of Perth’s plan to convert Hay Street to two-way traffic. The worries centred on access for hotels, short-stop bays for taxis, rideshares and coaches, and roadworks slowing nearby businesses. Since then the City has adopted a final concept plan, and its current program page describes the next Hay Street stage as running from William Street to Thomas Street. That is not the same length as the William Street to Elder Street conversion covered in the 2025 report, so the two should be read as related but separate until the City confirms the scope.
What the February 2025 report covered
PerthNow published its report on 3 February 2025. It said Council had decided in December 2024 to spend $4 million converting the Hay Street thoroughfare between William Street and Elder Street to two-way operation. The report described about 800 metres of planned works and cited a City of Perth report on existing road-use and access problems.
The figures below are the ones PerthNow published. They are reported figures, not values we have independently checked against the City’s own documents.
| Item | Value as reported | Attribution and qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Council spending | $4 million | Council decision in December 2024, as reported by PerthNow on 3 February 2025 |
| Project length | About 800 metres | William Street to Elder Street, as described by PerthNow in 2025 |
| Footpath space | Almost 850 square metres | Project element reported by PerthNow in 2025 |
| Street trees | At least 130 | Project element reported by PerthNow in 2025; “at least” indicates a minimum count |
| Pickup and drop-off points | 10 | Project element reported by PerthNow in 2025 |
| Vehicles per day | Up to 5,150 | Maximum figure PerthNow attributes to a City of Perth report; the underlying report was not checked directly |
| Vehicles travelling the wrong way | 24 | Figure PerthNow attributes to the same City of Perth report |
The business concerns, in the operators’ own terms
The report quoted two stakeholders. Their views are useful for understanding the debate, but they are not a survey of every Hay Street business, and they do not show that the whole street opposed the project.
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Kinky Lizard: “not much space”
An operations manager at Kinky Lizard said business had improved as foot traffic and nearby businesses increased. The operator nonetheless called the conversion unnecessary and worried that roadworks would slow nearby businesses. On the two-way layout, the manager said: “To be honest, I can’t really see how that will work because there’s not much space there.”
Australian Hotels Association WA: access for hotels and coaches
Bradley Woods, chief executive of the Australian Hotels Association WA, told PerthNow that hotel managers had “serious concerns” about access. His statement was: “The current proposal does not adequately reflect the day-to-day realities of hotel operations, where quick and convenient access and short-term parking bays — for taxis, rideshares and coaches — are essential.”
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Two different Hay Street segments
Most of the confusion around this project comes from the segment names. The 2025 report and the procurement notice both refer to William Street to Elder Street. The City’s current Two-Way Streets Program page describes its next Hay Street stage as William Street to Thomas Street. The table sets out what each source establishes.
| Source | Segment described | Status stated |
|---|---|---|
| PerthNow, 3 February 2025 | William Street to Elder Street | Council decision in December 2024 to spend $4 million; concerns raised by stakeholders |
| City of Perth Two-Way Streets Program page (current) | Next Hay Street stage: William Street to Thomas Street | Final concept plan adopted in late 2025 |
| City of Perth December 2025 council update | Not stated in the reviewed material | Reports adoption of a final concept plan |
| City tender notice RFT000302 | William Street to Elder Street | Tender stage; successful tenderer not confirmed in sources reviewed |
The reason this matters is practical. A trader between Thomas and Elder streets may face different works, timing and access arrangements depending on which description the City ultimately uses. Until the City confirms the final staging, avoid assuming that the William-to-Elder details in the 2025 report apply to every frontage.
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Mapping each concern to what the City has said
The City has made a general commitment about construction. It has not, in the sources reviewed, responded point by point to the specific concerns raised in 2025.
| Concern | Raised by | City response on record |
|---|---|---|
| Quick, convenient access for hotels | Australian Hotels Association WA | General commitment to “maintain access to the area” during construction; no hotel-specific arrangement stated |
| Short-term bays for taxis, rideshares and coaches | Australian Hotels Association WA | Not stated in reviewed sources |
| Limited space for the two-way layout | Kinky Lizard operations manager | Not stated in reviewed sources |
| Roadworks slowing nearby businesses | Kinky Lizard operations manager | Commitment to work with local businesses, residents and visitors “to minimise disruption” during construction |
| Existing road-use and access problems | Cited in the 2025 report from a City of Perth report | Not stated in reviewed sources |
Will Hay Street businesses be affected by the roadworks?
The City’s commitment to minimise disruption implies that some disruption is expected during construction. The sources reviewed do not include a closure schedule, a staging plan or a business-by-business impact assessment. Whether any particular frontage is affected will depend on its location relative to the works, its loading and pick-up arrangements, and the construction staging the contractor adopts.
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Three dates or facts are still unresolved in the evidence:
- The successful contractor for the William-to-Elder tender (RFT000302) is not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
- No confirmed construction start date appears in the sources reviewed.
- It is not yet clear whether the William-to-Thomas stage on the program page is the same work as the William-to-Elder tender, or a separate stage.
What to do if you trade on Hay Street
- Confirm which segment applies to your frontage: William to Elder, or William to Thomas on the City’s Two-Way Streets Program page.
- Check the program page for stage updates. Its status was the most current source reviewed for this article.
- Ask the City of Perth directly for the construction staging and access plan for your section, and whether a hotel, coach or taxi pick-up arrangement is part of it.
- Record your current deliveries, taxi and coach pick-ups and customer drop-offs before works begin. Concrete usage data is more persuasive in consultation than general concern.
- Keep the City’s commitment in writing. The stated aim is to maintain access, but that is a commitment, not a guaranteed outcome.
What is and is not established
- Established: the February 2025 PerthNow report described a William-to-Elder conversion and recorded concerns from a Kinky Lizard operations manager and the Australian Hotels Association WA.
- Established: the City says a final concept plan was adopted in late 2025, and its program page describes the next Hay Street stage as William Street to Thomas Street.
- Established: the City says it will work with businesses and aim to minimise disruption and maintain access.
- Not established: the successful contractor, a construction start date, or how the two segment descriptions relate.
- Not established: whether the traffic figures in the 2025 report are accurate, because the underlying City report was not checked directly.
- Not established: whether the two-way layout will improve or worsen trade. The sources reviewed contain competing aims and concerns but no before-and-after evaluation.
Readers who need the current position should treat the City’s own program page and any tender outcome as the reference points, and treat the 2025 report as a record of what the debate looked like at the time.
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