Hornibrook network

[SurfRail]

http://www.sendspace.com/file/54isuj

Here is a set of thoughts I have had about the Hornibrook network.

Ideally I would prefer to look at the combined Kangaroo and Hornibrook network as one, but a few factors militate against it:

- Thompsons has just bedded down a new network and I would like to see how it performs first.
- Hornibrook may apparently be doing something in the near future, and I would like to put something to them via one of my friends up there.

There is a KMZ at the link below - I don't want to overburden Gazza but maybe another of those excellent Corel Draw maps would be a bit more illustrative?

This is the entire Hornibrook network, not just frequent services.

My thinking is as follows:

- 680 and 690 would be HFP/frequent routes

- As far as possible, the other routes would be 30min 6am-9pm with 15 minute headways on the 680-series routes to Petrie in the morning peak and away in the afternoon peak.  The "orange" Peninsula routes explained below could be less frequent than, or have a shorter span than, the "blue" ones.

- The 684/685/686 would operate basically as per the current 687/688/689, where the 687 does a one-way loop to pick-up around North Lakes and then runs express to Petrie and the 688/689 loop runs in the off-peak. (I have been told the 687 operates with fully-seated and sometimes standing loads!)  Mine is basically the same - the 686 would operate in peak instead of one of the loops, while the counter-direction loop would still operate but not as frequently.  As with the current 687, the peak route only needs to go one way in both peak periods instead of reversing direction (eg like the 452 does), so people only have to wait on one side of the road for the frequent Petrie feeder.

- The Kallangur network has been purged of loops and different route numbers based on time of day.  Everything runs between Petrie and North Lakes and connects to the 680 and other services at strategic points.

- 14.5m buses would be used on the 680 and 690 ather than the 315.  If they really like the double decker they are trialling and order some, they would live on these routes too.

- I have depicted the peninsula routes in blue (primarily north-south) and orange (primary east-west).  The orange routes are more coverage than the blue ones, and each orange route connects to both Peninsula Fair and the Margate shops (as well as retirement villages etc).  The blue ones are meant to be as straight as is feasible.

- The 315 would be redesigned to go to more useful destinations, and would feed into rail at Toombul.

- We can assume that the Kangaroo 660 would still keep its present route (but maybe without having to deviate inside Peninsula Fair as the new bus station will sit out the front).  The 660 could itself be an HFP route.

- This routing assumes that the intra-regional arterial road through North Lakes is finished, but that only directly affects the routing of the North Lakes loop (the current route is a deviation and u-turn to serve a neighbourhood centre, my version removes that u-turn and expands coverage a bit).  If that road is finished, there could also be some scope for a cross-town service from Deception Bay to North Lakes.

Route numbering is more or less arbitrary - I have started with the 680 and 690 and kept 68# for Petrie-North Lakes and 69# for the Peninsula.  No direct relation to current services is intended for the most part.

Any feedback or alternatives would be good, as it would be nice to run this thread past a driver/management and get their perspective.