11 Apr 2012: Gold Coast: A Gold Coast Frequent Network

[ozbob]

Media release 11 April 2012

Gold Coast: A Gold Coast Frequent Network



RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org), a web-based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers, says that it is time for Gold Coast City Council mayoral and divisional candidates to show some leadership on public transport improvements.

Steven Jamieson, Gold Coast Region spokesperson for RAIL Back On Track, said:

"The 2012 local government elections are a perfect opportunity for GCCC candidates to put forward their policy positions on GCCC's role in the funding and provision of public transport.  As the second largest local government in Australia, with a population bigger than several Australian capital cities, GCCC already makes considerable investment in public transport through its City Transport Improvement Levy and its contribution to the Gold Coast Rapid Transit project."

"We often see statements from candidates that they would like to see improvements to east-west public transport services, to the improvement of service standards generally and a host of other dot points.  However, we generally see very little policy detail on how candidates will work with the relevant agencies and members of the public to achieve those aims."

RAIL Back On Track has developed a Core Frequent Network [1] plan for the Gold Coast to encourage debate on the direction the public transport system needs to take.

"We have looked at the existing network and identified possible routes for conversion to high-frequency all-day services modelled on the successful Brisbane BUZ routes [2].  With the opening of the rapid transit system due in approximately 2 years and the Commonwealth Games 4 years after that, we need to have a clearly defined pipeline of improvements to get our network up to scratch."

"The routes we have identified use busy corridors and connect the city's major town centres and trip attractors.  We have sketched them in an open Google Earth format with an accompanying position statement for anybody to examine and respond to [3]."

Mr Jamieson said this was a starting point for determining how the bus resources which will be freed up by the rapid transit system can be used to build a strong public transport grid west of the coastal strip.  He also noted  that it was important to develop a plan to allow people to become used to transferring between bus and light rail services, to ensure that the changes do not overwhelm the network when light rail starts operating.

"The light rail system is a fantastic development opportunity for the city, both in terms of transport patronage and built form.  It is extremely important to get the fundamentals right, and that means getting our political candidates engaged with the issues.  We welcome any policy announcements which would encourage the development of the city's public transport system in a meaningful way."

"It is time to give the Gold Coast the public transport network it deserves."

References:

1.  Building a Core Frequent Network  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5173.0
2.  http://translink.com.au/resources/travel-information/network-information/maps/network/111031-buz.pdf
3.  http://backontrack.org/docs/gc/GoldCoastCFN1.docx and http://backontrack.org/docs/gc/GoldCoastCFN1.kmz

Contacts:

Steven Jamieson
Gold Coast Region Spokesperson for RAIL Back On Track

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

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