Queens Wharf Bus Changes

[#Metro]

There will be changes to Brisbane's bus network from Monday 12 December to allow work to begin on the Queen's Wharf Project. I have written to the Deputy Mayor to ask Brisbane Transport use alternative routes to Victoria Bridge for empty buses returning to the depot during peak periods.

Brisbane Transport and TransLink have been working together to minimise any disruptions caused by these changes.

So the bus has to use an alternative route, off the dedicated busway, but the cars do not. Really? 

This is a timewasting device, but BCC should rise to the challenge. It would only further embarrass the gov't and solidify support for the green bridge.

The first person they should call up is Cr. Jonathan Sri, the EDO, Cycling Groups, and WECA. The whole of West End should know about it and I am sure they will swing strongly behind it.

#ByeJackie

[ozbob]

Agree.  More delaying nonsense.

^ BCC has comprehensive plans.  This is just more circular stuff designed to put off making any real decision, and protect political species at the cost of the community good IMHO.

[ozbob]

.@brisbanecityqld push to close Victoria Bridge to traffic. Full story from @4BCNews @RACQOfficial https://t.co/zjjs46L3B2 pic.twitter.com/Hixk20V14c

— News Talk 4BC 1116 (@NewsTalk4BC) December 7, 2016

[aldonius]

Cr. Sri is definitely in favour of Green-Bridging; he made a FB post a couple of days ago. Included a bit of an own goal by calling out Mark Bailey instead of Stirling Hinchliffe 

[Marshal]

^ BCC has comprehensive plans.  This is just more circular stuff designed to put off making any real decision, and protect political species at the cost of the community good IMHO.

Are these plans publicly available, or at least some transparent indication that they exist. Not trying to question you, its just that when talking to people it'd be more useful to have a proper source then "a guy said it on the internet"

[ozbob]

No not yet.  But there has been comprehensive proposals put forward by Council.  They would not be made public because the Government would have to first approve and modify then release for consultation etc.  As the Government has not approved they are not available.

[ozbob]

Victoria Bridge already carries far less general traffic than any other inner-city bridge. It's not critical for cars, but it is for buses! pic.twitter.com/OM1Cv0NlZz

— Adrian Schrinner (@Schrinner) December 8, 2016

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Go Between Bridge would take 20 to 35 per cent of Victoria Bridge cars: study


The Greens' plans to convert the Victoria Bridge into a green bridge. There would be one entry lane for buses at either end, with two exit lanes to prevent queuing. Photo: Supplied

The Queensland Government must share with Brisbane City Council  details of the impacts on Brisbane road network of the potential closure of the Victoria Bridge promised by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in July, Brisbane's deputy mayor Cr Adrian Schrinner said on Thursday.

It comes as an experienced, recently retired Brisbane transport network planner told Fairfax Media he had twice modelled closing the Victoria Bridge to cars in 2009 and 2011.

Harry Audun, when in private practice, found by 2021 the nearby Go Between Bridge's morning peak traffic flow would increase by 35 per cent and its afternoon peak would increase by 20 per cent.

Mr Audun in 2011 also analysed the impact for Brisbane City Council of closing the Victoria Bridge to cars when then-new Lord Mayor Graham Quirk proposed building a second bridge beside the Victoria Bridge for buses in December 2011.

The Go Between Bridge between Milton and South Brisbane is a toll bridge carrying 14,000 vehicles a day with the toll revenue now flowing to its new owner, Transurban and then back to ratepayers in a pro-rata payment now in place.

The state government – under legislation – has restrictions on closing some free transport links if it "channels" traffic towards toll routes.

However, in South Brisbane other untolled routes exist if Victoria Bridge was closed.

The RACQ in February asked that the Go Between bridge toll be removed.

Harry Audus said his firm's modelling also showed there would be a "slight increase on the William Jolly Bridge" in the morning and no increase in the afternoon by 2021.

The rest of Victoria Bridge's car traffic is spread through Stanley and Vulture streets in Woolloongabba before it gets to the Victoria Bridge, Mr Audus said.

"I think, in general terms, it is very good idea to close the Victoria Bridge," Mr Audus said.

"But I don't think you can do it on its own," he said, estimating it would cost $40 million for changes to add two new bus platforms to the Cultural Centre busway.

On July 8, Ms Palaszczuk in a letter to Lord Mayor Graham Quirk promised detailed network impact information – gathered by Neil Scales, director-general of Transport and Main Roads - would be shared with Brisbane's City Council's chief executive officer, Colin Jensen.

Mr Jensen was chief engineer at the Department of Transport and Main Roads, then deputy director-general, then Queensland's Co-ordinator General before he joined Brisbane City Council in 2010.

"Mr Scales will respond to Mr Jensen about assessing these impacts, in addition to how best to facilitate access to information develop the business case for the (Brisbane) Metro project," Ms Palaszczuk said.

However, Brisbane City Council on Thursday said it had received no specific information from Transport and Main Roads since July.

The department on Thursday sent an inconsequential one-paragraph response to questions about impacts on the road network from Fairfax Media.

Cr Schrinner said Brisbane City Council wanted the detailed network information from the state government identified by the Premier.

"If the State Government has further considered the transport network impacts from a closure of the Victoria Bridge to general traffic that the Premier requested, we ask that they share the information with us so we can update the modelling we've already done."

Mr Audus, who worked with Brisbane City Council, Queensland Transport, Translink and five private transport planning companies, including Maunsells, said the biggest proportion of cars now using the Victoria Bridge would by 2021 use the Go-Between Bridge.

"What the firm found was that by 2021 – if the Victoria Bridge was closed to private traffic – that would result in a 35 per cent increase in the morning peak on the Go Between Bridge," Mr Audus said.

The Go Between Bridge in 2016 carries 14,000 vehicles, the William Jolly Bridge about 40,000 vehicles, Story Bridge 109,000 vehicles and the Captain Cook Bridge 132,000 vehicles.

"In the morning peak, there would be a slight increase on the William Jolly Bridge and about 1000 vehicles would go elsewhere," Mr Audus said.

"In other words, along Stanley Street and Vulture Street through South Brisbane."

In the afternoon peak the biggest (though lower than the morning peak) percentage of the Victoria Bridge's traffic would also go to the Go Between Bridge (20 per cent), there would be no increase on the William Jolly Bridge and about 8 per cent redistributed through South Brisbane, he said.

Cr Schrinner will meet with Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe "in coming weeks".

He said BCC's information shows there is room for extra vehicles on the William Jolly Bridge.

"There is spare capacity on the William Jolly Bridge for vehicles who can also access the Captain Cook Bridge which also directly connects the CBD with South Brisbane."

Mr Audus declared he provided information for The Greens to develop their Victoria Bridge plan at the 2016 Council election.

[#Metro]

Why do we only get told about reports, rather than be given the link to the actual report to read for ourselves?

Can't the public be trusted with primary source documents and data?

We don't even get told the name of the report / what it is called.

These reports should be published publicly on the internet and searchable in the library catalogue.

[James]

Why do we only get told about reports, rather than be given the link to the actual report to read for ourselves?

Can't the public be trusted with primary source documents and data?

We don't even get told the name of the report / what it is called.

These reports should be published publicly on the internet and searchable in the library catalogue.

1. Because the report was produced privately and for a political party, it is not a public document and hence there is no need for "accountability" and for it to be available in the state library catalogue.
2. Most everyday layfolk don't understand the kind of technical analysis which has gone in to traffic forecasts. In particular, not publishing reports ensures rags like the Courier Mail don't jump on a tidbit of information which has been totally taken out of context.
3. Most people simply don't care - they want the outcomes & figures, not the methodology. Even though results can be doctored to give an outcome which is desirable (e.g. assume a larger mode shift towards buses), that isn't what sells newspapers.
4. There could also be confidentiality issues.

I'm sure if you asked Mr Audun for a copy of the report, and explained you were from RBoT and looking to find out how he came to those conclusions, he'd either provide you with a report, or give very good reasons as to why he can't.

[ozbob]

Drivers and bus passengers to feel the pinch of the massive Queen's Wharf construction project. @PhilWillmington https://t.co/ChORQvDxci

— Nine News Brisbane (@9NewsBrisbane) December 9, 2016

[#Metro]

1. Because the report was produced privately and for a political party, it is not a public document and hence there is no need for "accountability" and for it to be available in the state library catalogue.
2. Most everyday layfolk don't understand the kind of technical analysis which has gone in to traffic forecasts. In particular, not publishing reports ensures rags like the Courier Mail don't jump on a tidbit of information which has been totally taken out of context.
3. Most people simply don't care - they want the outcomes & figures, not the methodology. Even though results can be doctored to give an outcome which is desirable (e.g. assume a larger mode shift towards buses), that isn't what sells newspapers.
4. There could also be confidentiality issues.

I'm sure if you asked Mr Audun for a copy of the report, and explained you were from RBoT and looking to find out how he came to those conclusions, he'd either provide you with a report, or give very good reasons as to why he can't.

Who paid for the report? If it was taxpayers, it should be released.

[James]

Who paid for the report? If it was taxpayers, it should be released.

Read the damn article.

It comes as an experienced, recently retired Brisbane transport network planner told Fairfax Media he had twice modelled closing the Victoria Bridge to cars in 2009 and 2011.

Harry Audun, when in private practice, found by 2021 the nearby Go Between Bridge's morning peak traffic flow would increase by 35 per cent and its afternoon peak would increase by 20 per cent.

Mr Audun in 2011 also analysed the impact for Brisbane City Council of closing the Victoria Bridge to cars when then-new Lord Mayor Graham Quirk proposed building a second bridge beside the Victoria Bridge for buses in December 2011.

...

Harry Audun said his firm's modelling also showed there would be a "slight increase on the William Jolly Bridge" in the morning and no increase in the afternoon by 2021.

...

Mr Audun declared he provided information for The Greens to develop their Victoria Bridge plan at the 2016 Council election.

The information was never given to the government. It was comissioned by his (private) firm and provided to the Greens (a political movement which has never held any office in Qld until the 2016 council election).

[aldonius]

the Greens (a political movement which has never held any office in Qld until the 2016 council election).

Much as we all would like to forget about Ronan Lee...

[verbatim9]

^^Yeah 2 Greens to Qld politics, yet the state one was short lived.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Brisbane commuters encouraged to plan ahead for Monday changes

[ozbob]

Commuters face a new route to work tomorrow with major changes beginning on Brisbane's bus network @SimoLove #7News
 https://t.co/0lAURZYd23

— 7 News Queensland (@7NewsQueensland) December 11, 2016

[ozbob]

Major changes to Brisbane's bus network have come into affect this morning. #7News https://t.co/znlTCJPAFw

— 7 News Queensland (@7NewsQueensland) December 11, 2016

[newbris]

Does anyone know why the entry to the busway at the bottom of Countess St has been re-opened ?

[City Designer]

It gets used when there are Suncorp Stadium diversions in place.

[Otto]

Does anyone know why the entry to the busway at the bottom of Countess St has been re-opened ?

It is now open permanently to allow buses to hold up on Countess St if the busway layover area is full.

[aldonius]

Open permanently you say. Cool. This has a number of implications across various plans -- e.g. the RBoT 380 relies on it.