ABC's South East Queensland transport special

[ozbob]

ABC --> Queensland's transport turmoil sees major roads slowing, commuters driven to despair

Key points:

Sandgate Road at Clayfield is Brisbane's slowest spot during the morning commute, at 15 kilometres per hour

Average speeds in Brisbane dropped by 3.7 per cent between 2013 and 2018

Data from the Australian Automobile Association shows Brisbane households spend $19,844 a year on transport

====

Brisbane commuter Amy Miller has tried every option to get to work faster, but her 14 kilometre journey takes her up to an hour or more regardless of which route she takes.

Ms Miller is not alone with commuters across south-east Queensland spending an increasing amount of time traveling each day, with major roads in the region crawling at speeds as low as 15 kilometres per hour during peak periods.

The congestion crisis has prompted warnings that parts of the state will be in total gridlock in decades to come without significant investment in new infrastructure and a clear plan for the future.

Data released last month from the annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey found commuting times had risen across Australia and people were considering quitting their jobs because of it.

The survey found workers now spend on average 4.5 hours a week getting to and from work — a rise of 23 per cent since 2002.

Sydneysiders have always fared the worst, closely followed by Melbourne, but both are now being chased down by Brisbane, which has blown out by almost 50 per cent in recent years.

Ms Miller lives just 14 kilometres from her place of employment and has four alternate routes to work, but traffic congestion and limited public transport mean every option can take her up to an hour or more.

Ms Miller says she is worried it will take her even longer in the future, as the population increases.

The single mother of three leaves home at 7:00am three days a week, to drive from her home at Upper Kedron in Brisbane's north-west to her part-time job at East Brisbane.

"Usually an hour is what I allow myself but sometimes it can take a lot longer than that, it just depends on the traffic, the day of the week, if it's school holidays or not school holidays," she said.

Ms Miller has access to free parking at work, but the cost of the commute is also a big factor in the family budget.

"I do find that petrol is a big expense every week," she said.

"But I don't tend to take toll roads or the tunnels just because that would add so much more on to each commute."

Data from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) shows Brisbane households spend $19,844 a year on transport — above the national average of $18,277.

An RACQ report found Brisbane's average petrol price was 141.9 cents per litre in June — more expensive than Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

And short-term off-street parking is the most expensive in the country, with an average hourly fee of $31.41.

Data released by the department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and analysed by motoring lobby group RACQ showed that in June 2019, Sandgate Road at Clayfield was Brisbane's slowest spot during the morning commute, at 15 kph.

On the Centenary Motorway approaching the Toowong roundabout in the city's west, the average speed dropped to 24 kph between 6:00am and 9:00am.

Research conducted by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) confirmed the trend, showing that average speeds in Brisbane dropped by 3.7 per cent between 2013 and 2018.

RACQ Head of Public Policy, Rebecca Michael, said average speeds were slower on most major motorways, compared to the same time last year.

"No-one wants to sit in traffic, it's extremely frustrating," Dr Michael said.

"Those daily commutes are taking much longer, with travel speeds during those times well below the posted speed limit.

"Travel speeds outside of those peak periods are also dropping.

"So congestion is no longer just an issue for commuters, it is impacting people all the way across the city at all times of the day."

Dr Michael said the data showed traffic delays were a worsening problem on the Gold and Sunshine coasts too.

The slowest spot on the Gold Coast in June was High Street at Southport, with morning speeds averaging 15 kph.

On the Sunshine Coast, morning traffic on Aerodrome Road at Maroochydore travelled at an average of 16 kph.

"Where people travel in and around those really popular areas, not only to live but also to visit, we see that congestion is worsening there as well."

Dr Michael said congestion was having an impact on the economy, with increased freight costs being passed on to consumers.

She said governments needed to plan better for future growth.

"It takes much longer to build a road than it does take to build a house so we find that infrastructure is playing catch up.

"At the end of the day you have to match population growth, and that comes at a cost."

Despite traffic delays and rising costs, lobby group Rail Back on Track (RBoT) says commuters aren't flocking to public transport as an alternative.

"(Patronage) hasn't been keeping pace with population increase," RBoT spokesman Robert Dow said.

"The population's gone up about 15 per cent over that period, the last ten years, and patronage growth has actually stalled."

Mr Dow said analysis of TransLink and TMR data shows 181 million trips were taken in SEQ in 2009/10, but that figure declined to 175 million trips by 2012.

Numbers recovered last financial year, with a total of 189 million trips.



"That's partly because of the new fare structure that was introduced in December 2016 - it was a better deal," Mr Dow said.

Ms Miller is one of those who doesn't see the benefit in leaving her car at home.

"(Given) where I live and where I work, it just wouldn't be doable in a realistic timeframe," she said.

"I'd have to get trains, or trains and buses, or multiple buses to get to and from work.

"It's just not something that I can do and be able to leave home at somewhat of a reasonable hour and get home at a reasonable hour for the kids."

Mr Dow said frequency of services, access to transport nearby and overall journey time were the key to success.

He said discounted monthly and annual tickets should be reinstated, when the State Government rolls out new smart ticketing across Queensland later this year.

"They encourage high use public transport.

"The more people we can get on public transport, the more we ameliorate road congestion."

Research by the RMIT Centre for Urban Research found that only 12 per cent of Brisbane homes have a public transport stop within 400 metres, where a service runs at least every 30 minutes.

"This means that most people living in Brisbane don't have a very frequent service that's easy to get to," lead report author Dr Lucy Gunn said.

"It makes it inconvenient for people to catch transport.

"If you haven't got a service that's coming regularly, then you have to find alternate ways of getting from where you live to where you need to be."

Part 2 of the ABC's South East Queensland transport special will be published tomorrow.

[timh]

Upper Kedron to East Brisbane is a pretty tricky commute via public transport in fairness. Easiest option would be
Park 'n' ride at Ferny Grove (I doubt feeder bus from Upper Kedron to Ferny Grove would be convenient)
Ferny Grove - Roma Street
Bus from Roma street - Woolloongabba station
Connecting bus from Woolloongabba to workplace at East Brisbane (I don't know the area)

I can see why that many connections would seem inconvenient. Doesn't mean it has to stay that way, but equally I can see how that drive would be shocking in the AM peak.

[Otto]

Upper Kedron to East Brisbane is a pretty tricky commute via public transport in fairness. Easiest option would be
Park 'n' ride at Ferny Grove (I doubt feeder bus from Upper Kedron to Ferny Grove would be convenient)
Ferny Grove - Roma Street

I would suggest Ferny Grove to Sth Brisbane or Sth Bank ( assuming FG to Beenleigh service ) then a transfer to 230/235 or 184/185/210/212 depending on location at East Brisbane. The train would have to be more relaxing than driving 

[#Metro]

Ms Miller can live closer? Build more homes in the inner city?

[STB]

Ms Miller can live closer? Build more homes in the inner city?

There could be economic and/or family reasons why she lives where she lives - she mentions that she's a single Mum to 3 kids, which then limits the amount of time that one can work, and generally the part time jobs are the low paid jobs which limits where one can affordably live.

No idea how accurate that ABC map is on where she lives and works, but surely it doesn't take 1hr 20mins to get there.  Keep in mind many people don't like to transfer too and a transfer can make a trip feel longer than actual reality.

[aldonius]

If she's leaving the house at 7am then there are still some parks at Ferny Grove, but not that many.

ABC map for her trip on PT is 81 minutes: 367 to Ferny (~12min), 4 minutes average peak transfer penalty, train to Central (32min), walk to whatever bus stop (allow 5 minutes), whatever the transfer penalty is there, whatever route it is to where-ever in East Brisbane, walk from stop to site (allow 5 minutes). So there's 23 minutes for transfer penalty + travel time on the counter-peak bus from the city to East Brisbane. And if you look at the 235 timetable, sure enough, 14-20 minutes AM counterpeak from the city to East brisbane depending on where in that suburb - and 30min frequency, so plenty of transfer penalty plausible.

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Commuting nightmares prompt more families to rethink the dream of a big suburban home

Key points:

Pearson family one of many opting for an inner city apartment for a quicker commute

South East Queensland satellite suburbs like Ripley set for massive population growth

UQ expert says growth suburbs need major upgrades to public transport

Daily commuting times have risen in almost every capital city in Australia and as house prices continue to rise, experts say more families are opting to live in an apartment to beat the gridlock.

In 2016, more than 2.3 million Australians were living in apartments and parents with children made up almost 44 per cent of the families in apartments, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The ABS also found nearly one in 10 children aged four or younger lived in an apartment.

Travis Pearson and his wife Kylie are one of those families after selling their home in Clayfield on Brisbane's northside four years ago and moving to an apartment at West End in the inner city.

"My wife and I both grew up believing you had to buy a house and land and live out in the suburbs to be happy, and that's what you should aspire to," Mr Pearson said.

"We did that, but found we weren't happy.

"I was spending a lot of time maintaining the home, a lot of time travelling and commuting to and from work."

The 44-year-old nuclear medicine scientist catches public transport to work at a Brisbane hospital, and his seven-year-old daughter Quinn walks to the local primary school.

The family owns a car, but it only clocks up about 10,000 kilometres per year.

"We'd be happy to stay here until retirement because we've got everything we need around us with the shops, the community and close access to hospitals," Mr Pearson said.

"Living in the suburbs can be quite isolating for parents because you don't have access to as many facilities, events and other things you do when you're living closer to the city."

Growth areas need better planning

University of Queensland demographer Dr Elin Charles-Edwards said the move to apartments for families was a growing nationwide trend.

"We are noticing more and more people choosing to sacrifice space for accessibility," she said.

"The conventional assumption for apartments is that they'll be filled by singles or couples with no kids, but increasingly we are seeing families there."

Dr Charles-Edwards said young families looking for a comfortable-sized house with a yard in the outer suburbs often had to sacrifice proximity to work to get their ideal property.

"There's no perfect location or a perfect location at an affordable price, so often we find as people's families grow they need more space and they trade off accessibility to their job with affordable housing.

"This is part of the broader planning issue ... where we have to create quality places and quality communities.

"It's no longer really enough to dump houses somewhere, you need to think about public transport, you need to think about educational facilities, and also what sort of community and recreational facilities you build in new places as well."

Data from the annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey found workers spent an average of 4.5 hours a week commuting, a rise of 23 per cent since 2002.

Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have the longest average daily commuting times — 65 minutes or more — while the ACT experienced the biggest surge, blowing out by 65 per cent.

Alicia Forsyth, her husband Grant and their daughter Harper live in a 480 square metre, four-bedroom home in Ripley, about 42 kilometres west of Brisbane.

"We really enjoy living here because of the space, the area being quiet and also the factor of it being a lot cheaper because there's not a lot of infrastructure in here now," she said.

Ms Forsyth drives to Acacia Ridge in Brisbane each day for work and said she hoped eventually to move into a job closer to home.

"The commute is about 40 minutes [one way] in good traffic, but if there's heavy traffic it will take a lot longer.

"I'm happy where I am at the moment — but if something came up and it was perfect and it was either in Ipswich or Springfield, I would definitely consider it given the commute and that my daughter will go to school here."

Gaps in public transport network

The Queensland Government said the South East Queensland region's population is set to grow to around 5.5 million by 2041.
It predicted satellite cities like Ripley (population 1,405 in the 2016 census) would swell to 120,000 people by 2031.

University of Queensland transport planning specialist Professor Neil Sipe said the public transport network needed strengthening to accommodate rapid population growth in coming decades.

"Yes the cities are growing, but there are areas that have 5,000 people now, they're going to have hundreds of thousands of people ... how are we going to move them around?" he said.

"There's not been much discussion about how we're going to move 200,000 people from those areas into where the jobs centres are."

Part 3 of the ABC's South East Queensland transport special looking at future transport solutions will be published tomorrow.

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Queensland transport bottlenecks set to worsen despite congestion-busting projects

On the fast track to the future we can all dream about a Jetson-style flying car to get us to work.

Key points:

Queensland Transport Minister says one river crossing for 3.5 million people is unsustainable

Fast rail links to outer areas like Ripley are still at least a decade away

Up to 47,000 road users will choose rail instead of driving by 2036

Earlier this year, Uber announced Melbourne as the first major city its flying taxis may one day be buzzing over, with a trial starting next year.

It's the kind of futuristic congestion-busting concept Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said he is watching with interest.

For now though, his focus is firmly underground with the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail (CRR) from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills that will stretch for 10 kilometres, and include a 6-kilometre tunnel under the Brisbane River and CBD.

The CRR is being hailed as a state-of-the-art congestion-slashing project that would allow more trains to run more often with a London-style "turn-up-and-go" smart ticketing system — but it's still five years away.

The project will include four new underground stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street where the old concrete jungle "Transit Centre" will be demolished to make way for a light-filled 21st century transport hub.

Associate Professor Matthew Burke from Griffith University's Cities Research Institute said the CRR was desperately needed.

"We have a rail system that should be the envy of every city in the world really, over 200 kilometres of track for a city of our size," he said.

"And it performs so badly because of capacity constraints in the inner city.

"We can't add new services on the south side until we get that capacity and Cross River Rail is a pretty good solution.

"Unfortunately the way it is being marketed we see it just as an inner-city project with fly throughs of new stations when the main beneficiaries are all out in the suburbs, really."

But fast rail links to outer areas like Ripley are still at least a decade away.

Mr Bailey said Queensland decided to go it alone without Federal Government funding because one current river crossing for 3.5 million people was unsustainable.

"The first priority has to be to unlock the network," he said.

"Having our first genuine underground line as well as the exhibition line coming on full time, we will really have two new lines coming in, connecting up the system so much faster and better."

The State Government estimates 47,000 road users will choose rail instead of driving by 2036, with the CRR providing an extra 18,000 seats in peak hour.

Metro rapid bus system planned for 2023

The CRR was to be complimented by a new Metro, a high-frequency bus rapid transit system, that would service the CBD every three minutes during peak times.

The Metro would be able to transport 22,000 passengers an hour, through two separate routes which will serve 18 stations, including 11 interchange stations and is set for completion in 2023.

The Metro was first mooted by the council four years ago, but it has not decided on what kind of "mega bus" to use, let alone started the upgrade.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner blames Labor for the delays, arguing it was standing in the way of the project.

"We have more than 270 meetings with the State Government on Brisbane Metro, it is a very frustrating process, it should not be this hard," he said.

"All we need from them is a few forms to be signed, a few approvals to be given and their cooperation."

However, Mr Bailey said his team had been trying to work with the council "because both projects have to integrate into a much bigger public transport network".

Professor Burke said it was disappointing the Metro had been held up due to "argy bargy" between the LNP-run council and the Labor State Government.

"The busway is at its capacity," he said.

"Those bus queues you see on the Victoria Street Bridge where people are just trapped, that operating model is over — we need to move forward."

What about the M1 duplication?

If you're sick of the snail paced commute on the M1 during peak hour — the Coomera Connector is in sight.

The 45-kilometre corridor will run from Nerang-Broadbeach Road, Nerang to Logan and Pacific Motorway interchanges.

The route, east of the current M1, has been gazetted but there's no money to pay for it.

Mr Bailey said his team were building a "business case" for the six-lane duplication but needed Federal Government funding for it to become a reality.

"It is not a pipe dream, this corridor," he said.

"I don't think it is 20 years away at all, I think we are going to need it well before that," Mr Bailey said.

But University of Queensland planning expert, Professor Neil Sipe, has doubts about the project as a congestion buster.

"I think it suggests we have lost the battle if we are going to build a duplicate M1," he said.

"The money should be spent on rail services, better rail services, express services.

"Duplicating M1, all that is going to do is make money for property owners close to that road.

"I was here when the M1 was expanded and now it is pretty much like it was 20 years ago.

"Now they are going to build a duplicate. That might get us 10 years, but in 10 years it will be jammed as well.

"Wouldn't we better off to be using something more sustainable like rail, duplicate the line that is established and we can run an express service?"

Sunshine Coast train service 'abysmal'

Commuters on the Sunshine Coast cannot wait to get aboard the region's rail duplication upgrade — assuming it too is actually built.

The State Government said it had begun work on a design, and that mapping and survey works were underway.

But once again, funding is an issue. Queensland committed $160 million (20 per cent of the cost) and the Australian Government has kicked in $390 million (about half the expected $800 million cost).

The plan is to duplicate the 20-kilometre line from Beerburrum to Landsborough, with station upgrades, new park-and-ride facilities and rail passing loops between Landsborough and Nambour.

Rail advocate Jeff Addison said it was desperately needed, with peak-hour cancellations and delays all too common.

The day the ABC caught up with him at Palmwoods Station, the 7:25am citybound train was delayed by 30 minutes due to "technical difficulties", and the early morning Gympie North to Brisbane service was cancelled due to a "rostering issue".

"Sunshine Coast commuters should not be held to ransom while they squabble over a funding deal," he said.

"Their bosses get sick of people telling them I am going to be in late today because my train has been delayed. It is abysmal."

The Olympics 2032 bid could see a bigger and better northern line upgrade fast-tracked after claims the region would not cope with the sheer volume of visitors without a regional fast rail.

Opposition Olympic bid spokesman John-Paul Langbroek said not enough was being done to solve the "infrastructure crisis".

"Something like an Olympics bid could ensure we get infrastructure thanks to an improved city deal," he said.

$550m green bridges plan unfunded

Brisbane City Council has plans to build five new green bridges across the city to reduce congestion, at a cost of more than half a billion dollars.

The list includes a pedestrian and cycle bridge at Kangaroo Point to the CBD and two West End bridges — one to Toowong and another to St Lucia — for pedestrians, cyclists and buses.

Construction would take up to 10 years, with council paying at least two thirds towards the project.

It needs the rest of the money to come from State and Federal governments, and once again no deal has been reached.

'Poor choices' mean Queensland is lagging

The Opposition said Queensland's proportional infrastructure spend was lower than any other state and it was now forced to play catch up.

Professor Burke said one problem was that poorly planned multi-billion-dollar projects such as the Clem 7 tunnel sucked up vital infrastructure spending.

"We were misallocating funds on projects, certain tunnels very few people have used and we have really under invested in our public transport network," he said.

"And now there is no silver bullet on the horizon I am afraid for traffic congestion.

"Congestion is something we are going to be living with for at least the next 30 years I would imagine," he said.

"But we are more on track than where we were 10 years ago."

Labor has committed to upgrading the Ipswich Motorway and the current M1 from Brisbane to the New South Wales border, with around $8 billion committed to projects in South East Queensland.

But there are concerns families moving to outer lying areas like Ripley, Jimboomba and Flagstone were being neglected under current plans.

Infrastructure Australia's latest report confirmed congestion would cost the region $6 billion a year because successive governments had failed to keep pace with rapid population growth.

It has forecast a 21 per cent rise in road use by 2031 with delays running into thousands of hours a year for frustrated drivers.

" ... But University of Queensland planning expert, Professor Neil Sipe, has doubts about the project as a congestion buster.

"I think it suggests we have lost the battle if we are going to build a duplicate M1," he said.

"The money should be spent on rail services, better rail services, express services.

"Duplicating M1, all that is going to do is make money for property owners close to that road.

"I was here when the M1 was expanded and now it is pretty much like it was 20 years ago.

"Now they are going to build a duplicate. That might get us 10 years, but in 10 years it will be jammed as well.

"Wouldn't we better off to be using something more sustainable like rail, duplicate the line that is established and we can run an express service?" ...

Amen!

[ozbob]

Interview on ABC Radio Brisbane 21st August 2019  Host Steve Austin with Jeff Addison Sunshine Coast RBoT

Discussion primarily on the Sunshine Coast line issues.

Here > https://backontrack.org/docs/abcbris/abcbris_ja21aug19.mp3 MP3 22.5MB

Photograph of the single track at Palmwoods (Jeff Addison 2015) This single track is a major freight and passenger corridor! Precarious to say the least ..
No wonder the Bruce is a dangerous congested mess!#qldpol
Photo Entry into #Palmwoods station from the north 🚉 pic.twitter.com/Kby9qtsXLV

— RAIL_BoT_Forum (@railbotforum) August 21, 2019

[ozbob]

Interview on ABC Radio Brisbane 21st August 2019  Host Steve Austin with Nick Easy CEO Queensland Rail

Wide ranging discussion including the recognition for the need for improved feeder bus services for rail

Here > https://backontrack.org/docs/abcbris/abcbris_ne21aug19.mp3 MP3 22.7MB

Interview on @abcbrisbane 21 August 2019 Host Steve Austin @SteveAustinABC with Nick Easy CEO @QueenslandRail

Wide ranging discussion including the recognition for the need for improved feeder bus services for rail

Here > https://t.co/ZHL5uSpOYP MP3 22.7MB#qldpol pic.twitter.com/Sp6ipXX9Es

— RAIL_BoT_Forum (@railbotforum) August 21, 2019

[ozbob]

Interview on ABC Radio Brisbane 21st August 2019  Host Steve Austin with Graeme Newton CEO CRRDA

Discussion on benefits of Cross River Rail and how it will work.

Here > https://backontrack.org/docs/abcbris/abcbris_gn21aug19.mp3 MP3 22.7MB

Interview on @abcbrisbane 21st August 2019 Host Steve Austin @SteveAustinABC with Graeme Newton CEO CRRDA @CrossRiverRail
Discussion on benefits of Cross River Rail and how it will work.
Here > https://t.co/5lZU0xK6Nd MP3 22.7MB#qldpol pic.twitter.com/ZGxNMGAQ33

— RAIL_BoT_Forum (@railbotforum) August 21, 2019

[ozbob]

Interview on ABC Radio Brisbane 21st August 2019  Host Steve Austin with Matt Longland DDG TransLink

General discussion on how TransLink and PT, including the new fare system throughout Queensland.

Here > https://backontrack.org/docs/abcbris/abcbris_ml21aug19.mp3 MP3 18.5 MB

NGRs 62 of 75 presently operating. 

72 in country.  3 still being built. 

Matt thinks Target400 is ' ambitious ' and double what they might expect, however he has left the door open for patronage gains greater than 300 million ...

( Matt thinks NGRs are in revenue service on all lines ...    not yet Matt ...)

Interview on @abcbrisbane 21 Aug 2019 Host Steve Austin @SteveAustinABC with Matt Longland DDG TransLink @TransLinkSEQ

General discussion on TransLink and PT, including the new fare system throughout Queensland.

Here > https://t.co/le3NAQL2Oi MP3 18.5 MB#qldpol pic.twitter.com/Cug2TtsFMK

— RAIL_BoT_Forum (@railbotforum) August 21, 2019

[ozbob]

ABC News 21st August 2019

[ozbob]

Going Nowhere - S.E. Queensland's congestion crisis and what's being done to fix it

By 2040, South East Queensland will be home to more than five million people. Figures show commuting times in the capital, Brisbane, are rising faster than any other state capital and households are spending close to $20,000 a year just to get around. The government says it has plans to ease congestion but will they work?

[ozbob]

Thanks @abcnews for this transport series.
Get on board with our #Target400 campaign
🚊🚍🚋⛴️ 🚲🛴🚸https://t.co/cR7QYGadDP#qldpol@MelindaHowells @RachelRiga pic.twitter.com/drzCSm22Sl

— ozbob13 (@ozbob13) August 31, 2019

[timh]

Great story. Good to see Jeff and Bob in there as well. All stuff we already know, but hopefully stories like this can help get the message to the wider population.

It's frustrating that we're basically repeating the same stuff over and over again though. So much talk that the Coomera connector is a bullsh%t idea, we need better rail instead (especially NCL), politics is standing in the way etc. etc.

I think the reporter summed it up pretty well at the end. The Olympic bid is looking like our best hope to get any decent federal funding + fast tracked infrastructure. Because as it stands the current timeline is hopeless.

[verbatim9]

^^This is my reply to the video. I actually posted it in Target 400., but applicable here as well------>https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=13648.msg226694.msg#226694