Suburban Alliance

[ozbob]

I hope the public transport mess is sorted by 2022 ... 

[ozbob]

 

Couriermail --> The Suburban Alliance reports shows workers leaving the Brisbane CBD for suburbs

THE proportion of southeast Queensland workers travelling into Brisbane's CBD for work will continue to decline over the next decade, a report has found.

On the flip side, the suburban economy, both in centralised suburban business precincts such as Chermside, Springwood and Cleveland and decentralised throughout the suburbs, will grow.

The Suburban Alliance, which commissioned the report to be released on Wednesday, says the findings fly in the face of preconceptions of policymakers intent on funnelling more workers from the suburbs into the CBD.

The report, prepared by MacroPlan Dimasi, reveals the largest and fastest growing job sectors — health and education — which also employ the most people, do not have prevalence for inner-city employment.

The legal profession is the only industry in southeast Queensland where more than half of the industry's workforce is based in the CBD.

Stronghold Investment Head of Property and Advisory Steve de Nys said all levels of government needed to shift their focus into suburban centres, where the future workforce would be.

Mr de Nys said the $5.6 billion proposed for Cross River Rail, which would exclusively service inner-city areas, could be better spent in $500 million lots across 11 suburban business districts.

"That could make a real difference to a lot of people's lives," he said.

"The vast majority of people don't work in the CBD or fringe (suburbs) or live there, and they all vote."

Mr de Nys was more in favour of the Brisbane City Council's Brisbane Metro public transport system, which would eventually extend from Chermside to Eight Mile Plains, Carindale and Springwood.

2011 Census statistics show just 14 per cent of jobs in southeast Queensland were in the Brisbane CBD, 33 per cent were in suburban business centres and 52 per cent were outside of both those areas.

The report predicts the proportion of jobs in Brisbane's CBD will be even smaller when the 2016 Census results are released.

Wolter Consulting Group director and planning manager Andrew Crawford said he was surprised by the report's findings.

"I definitely think from a planning point of view there is a bit of a planning lag when it comes to adapting to global megatrends and the way technology will change the way we live," Mr Crawford said.

"When you look at employment emerging in the suburbs, you need to capitalise on and identify the opportunities it provides."

[ozbob]

Both ' Brisbane Metro ' and CRR are needed.  CRR is really an enabler for SEQ as a whole, and more capacity into and out of Brisbane.

Brisbane Live is predicated on improved PT using both the busways and CRR.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

16th March 2017

CRR and Brisbane ' Metro ' are an integrated public transport solution

Good Morning,

It is now appropriate to join Cross River Rail (CRR) and the Brisbane ' Metro ' Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) plans together conceptually and promote the integrated public transport solution they are for Brisbane and SEQ. Both projects are integrated from an operational perspective, CRR and BRT ' Metro'  should not be seen as competing projects, but as two elements of the single public transport solution.

Presenting both projects in this light will be seen by many, including the Federal Government and Infrastructure Australia, as the correct path now to public transport resilience, capacity, and hence successful delivery and outcomes. Both projects will provide the economic stimulus that is needed.

It is sad that the  Queensland LNP seem to be the only major player that does not understand the need for Cross River Rail.
[ LNP Opposition Media release  STATEMENT: Brisbane Metro http://www.timnicholls.com.au/statement-brisbane-metro/ ]

The Queensland LNP has previously stamped their public transport credentials as very mediocre with such absurd proposals as the ' Cleveland Solution ' and the ' Bus and Train ' tunnel.  They are consigning themselves to irrelevancy once again unless they come on board with the integrated public transport solution that CRR and the BRT ' Metro ' now promises for SEQ and Brisbane.

Best wishes
Robert

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

References:

1. Cross River Rail --> https://www.crossriverrail.qld.gov.au/

2. Brisbane ' Metro ' -->  https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-transport/public-transport/brisbane-metro

^ resent ...

[#Metro]

I went to the group's website. Most of the content they reference in their 'Good Reads' section is American.

One has to read what they say really carefully. They also are trying to make a statement that because ' public transport only accounts

for 8% of trips' that roads are 'equally important' (read here what you will).


Firstly, the definition of 'inner city' is completely subjective. How many people or trips or whatever are in the 'inner city' depends on

what suburbs you include within it.


Secondly, the overwhelming majority of Queensland Rail train stations are located within the Brisbane City Council area. The fact that

rail is performing a regional function does not mean that it cannot also perform a local function. Ferny Grove, Shorncliffe, etc all

provide for such trips. The thing that is holding back trains in SEQ from being a metro are the extreme train service production costs

and legacy infrastructure/operations (DOO, curved platforms, low floor platforms etc). If we fixed these up, we could have something

approaching a Perth setup.


Thirdly, trains do not carry proportions of people. Trains carry absolute numbers of people. It is entirely possible for the

proportion of workers to remain steady or actually fall BUT the absolute number of people using trains to increase.

This is possible because the entire pie of trips or population may be growing at the same time. Focusing on proportions masks the fact

that in absolute numerical terms, patronage, particularly during peak times may be increasing. There have been more residential

developments within the CBD core, and that is fine.


Fourthly, we all know what it is like when it rains in Brisbane or there is an accident on the Captain Cook Bridge. The rail network is

very well developed in terms of stations. It has Priority A ROW and flies past traffic (just catch a bus on Coronation Drive in wet

weather to see what I mean).


Of course, it is possible to pursue further development of outer suburban nodes such as Indooroopilly, Toowong and suchlike.

There is no conflict with that and RBOT's position on TOD development.


Priority A rail is an excellent asset to have, but it must be run properly and provide abundant, cheap and frequent service for things to work well.

[James]

The kind of thinking in this report is exactly the kind of public transport thinking we need to avoid. Yes, encourage decentralisation, but not to a point where it discourages large firms from setting up offices in Brisbane.

The reason there is so much job growth in these 'mini-CBDs' is because commute times to and from the outer suburbs is starting to become unbearable with increasing congestion, poor public transport options & expensive car parking. It will only get worse as the 'affordable housing belt' expands further out to areas such as Yarrabilba, Ripley & Caboolture. It may only be 14% of jobs that are in the CBD itself, but those jobs are very important jobs - Big 4 consulting firms, large banks, large engineering firms, big corporate clients in mining and so forth. If you make accessing the CBD difficult, you limit the potential for the city to attract the large corporate clients it needs to set up offices and keep the entire economy growing.

Also - note the 'jobs definition' says South East Queensland. This includes people as far away as Noosa, Coolangatta and Laidley, and major 'suburban centres' would include places like Southport & Maroochydore. A more accurate representation would look at 'Greater Brisbane' rather than all of SEQ.

[Stillwater]

This interconnectivity between the provision of transport (Metro and CRR), private sector investment, urban renewal, precinct redevelopment and suburban growth only highlights how isolated TMR is in the scheme of things.  It is as though they build roads in almost complete ignorance of these other things, which are controlled by BCC and the Department of State Development and the Infrastructure and Planning people.  Lately they have been having a go at power plays for rail infrastructure projects, with disastrous consequences.

TODs are a joke.  Little fiefdoms, neutering and appropriating of tasks among TransLink, QR and TMR.  Even the Minister has to peer into the gloom via a Citytrain Response Unit, but it has been assimilated into The Borg that is TMR.  There is little cross-departmental coordination at the lower levels.  All report upwards to Big Jackie, where the coordination occurs in a political maelstrom. Disaster.

The feds can see the mess too and want explained how CRR fits with Metro and how they are coordinated for a revitalisation of Brisbane in conjunction with the private sector.  Ms Trad doesn't want to give away the power to recall projects and fiddle.

The roads component of TMR needs to be pulled out and reassembled within State Development and / or Infrastructure and Planning.  QR and Public Transport components to Public Transport Queensland, a new body.  Restructure, rebuild.  Would one or other of the political parties be working on this as a policy to take to the next state election.

Their polling must be picking up that the public is fast losing faith in TMR and QR/TransLink. Each of these organisations is trashing their own brand bigtime.

[BrizCommuter]

This Suburban Alliance sounds  like a very anti public transport lobby group. Not a bunch of LNP supporters by any chance? Decentralisation will require improvements to counter peak services - for example 15 min counter peak services to Toowong and Auchenflower are detrimental to using public transport to access these locations. Many places only have 30 minute counter peak service. To improve counter peak services across the network will require CRR and some tracks amplifications in the suburbs, as well as more trains and crew.