A crowd cap for a Big Bash League cricket semi-final at Perth's new Optus Stadium has been scrapped following a public backlash, but the state government denies it is yet another backflip.
A cap of 40,000 people was proposed to avoid weekday peak-hour traffic putting stress on public transport, particularly given the Matagarup Bridge is not ready for use.
But following a public outcry and consultation with Cricket Australia, the WACA and VenuesLive, Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said on Tuesday they had created incentives to stagger people into the venue to avoid a bottleneck at the start of the match.
It means a capacity cricket crowd of 55,000 people will be possible for the Scorchers match, more than double the often sold-out games at the WACA ground.
The first 15,000 people who arrive before 3pm will receive a $10 food and beverage voucher, and there will also be a light show afterwards to encourage fans to stay longer to reduce public transport pressure.
Ms Saffioti said there will also be public transport changes and discussions are continuing about possible pre-paid parking nearby.
But she denied it was another backflip from the McGowan government, following two education backdowns.
"I really think this is a great outcome. We're going to have a great Scorchers game and I think everyone is going to be relieved about that," she said.
"We announced the interim cap for Ed Sheeran too and then we worked with the promoter to remove that, so I assumed that was pretty much how it was going to happen again (with the cricket)."
WACA chief executive Christina Matthews also defended the state government.
"Being a sporting organisation, we don't like to talk about things that aren't happening yet, so that made it difficult for the government," she said.
Opposition sports spokesman John McGrath said public pressure had prevailed and forced Labor to overturn its ill-considered decision.
"West Australians are intelligent enough to work out how they would get to and from the stadium if they are aware it's a sell-out," he said.
Liberal deputy leader Liza Harvey called for a "double-backflip" to allow ride-sharing services, such as Uber and Shofer, to access the stadium with taxis.
The February 1 semi-final will begin at 4.40pm to accommodate east-coast television viewers.
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