Wagin ramps it up for gophers

The Shire of Wagin has made a small change and a big difference for its estimated 70 residents on gophers.

Thirty-five ramps will be installed in locations where they are required between the road surface and the footpath to make it easier for mobility vehicles to navigate.

Shire chief executive Bill Atkinson said the town had one of the biggest aged demographics in WA and needed to accommodate its older residents. “Twenty-five per cent of our population in Wagin are over 65 years of age,” he said.

“We felt it was a great initiative, seeing as there were so many Gophers in town.

“A few representatives from the Shire went for a Gopher ride a few months ago with one of the regular Gopher users and pointed out several areas where it would be useful to have access from the road to the footpath.”

Each ramp will cost about $40-$50 to install. They will be painted white to help those who are visually impaired.

Mr Atkinson said the project was 70 per cent complete and should be finished within the next few weeks.

He said ramps could be installed in other appropriate locations if they were brought to the Shire’s attention.