8 Jan 2015: Queensland: Call for an Inquiry into Public Transport

[ozbob]

Media release 8th January 2015

Queensland: Call for an Inquiry into Public Transport

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 calls on all parties contesting the 2015 Queensland state election to commit to significant institutional reform of how public transport is managed in Queensland.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"It is very apparent that things are not working.  Growth in public transport patronage has effectively stopped.  There is no longer a pipeline of continuous service improvements.  Delivery rates for new buses have slowed to their lowest point since integrated ticketing commenced in South-East Queensland in 2004.  Many parts of South-East Queensland do not have any services on Sundays or on weekends at all.  Regulatory competition between TransLink Division, Queensland Rail, Brisbane City Council and other portfolio offices in the Queensland Government creates poor lines of accountability, mixed branding and messaging, and inefficient planning.  Long distance rail services are withering away. The fare system for SEQ has unaffordable fares and is prone to rorting."

"We call on the government elected from the upcoming election to call an Inquiry into Public Transport."

"The Inquiry should be conducted on as broad a basis as possible.  The terms of reference should be developed with significant input from the community, including commuters."

"The Inquiry should be conducted by a panel of respected experts, who are free of political or institutional connections to the Queensland Government or any political party.  We would suggest that it may be wise to appoint 3 members – a respected transport academic, an official from an agency administering an internationally recognised well-performing transport network, and a senior or retired Australian public servant or judge from a jurisdiction outside Queensland.  We believe strong preference should be given to considering whether international expertise should be sought for the first or second chair, including expertise originating outside the Anglosphere."

The Inquiry should, at minimum, be called upon to investigate and make recommendations upon:

•   The goals and purposes of the public transport system
•   Managing or removing conflicting objectives from different stakeholders in the system by institutional reforms
•   The efficiency of Queensland's public transport system against international and Australian benchmarks
•   The organisational structure of Queensland's public transport agencies, systems, operations and governing legislation and standards
•   The manner in which public transport infrastructure and services are planned, procured and managed
•   The oversight of contracted operators
•   Public transport ticketing products and pricing
•   Public transport funding and cost recovery
•   The benefits of public transport and how to consolidate and improve upon them

"If conducted on a sensible, rational basis, we would then expect the government to implement as many reforms as are possible to allow the public transport system to be optimised and turned around."

"The public transport system is ailing and in desperate need of attention. Simply promising isolated bits of infrastructure or nebulous promises to carry out a 'review' are no longer acceptable.  A systematic and methodical cleaning out of the entire underpinnings of the system is now required before any meaningful change can occur."

"It is time to deliver real reform!"

Contact:

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

[ozbob]

Discussion --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11185.0

[ozbob]

Media release 8th January 2015 re-released 23rd January 2015

Queensland: Call for an Inquiry into Public Transport

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 calls on all parties contesting the 2015 Queensland state election to commit to significant institutional reform of how public transport is managed in Queensland.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"It is very apparent that things are not working.  Growth in public transport patronage has effectively stopped.  There is no longer a pipeline of continuous service improvements.  Delivery rates for new buses have slowed to their lowest point since integrated ticketing commenced in South-East Queensland in 2004.  Many parts of South-East Queensland do not have any services on Sundays or on weekends at all.  Regulatory competition between TransLink Division, Queensland Rail, Brisbane City Council and other portfolio offices in the Queensland Government creates poor lines of accountability, mixed branding and messaging, and inefficient planning.  Long distance rail services are withering away. The fare system for SEQ has unaffordable fares and is prone to rorting."

"We call on the government elected from the upcoming election to call an Inquiry into Public Transport."

"The Inquiry should be conducted on as broad a basis as possible.  The terms of reference should be developed with significant input from the community, including commuters."

"The Inquiry should be conducted by a panel of respected experts, who are free of political or institutional connections to the Queensland Government or any political party.  We would suggest that it may be wise to appoint 3 members – a respected transport academic, an official from an agency administering an internationally recognised well-performing transport network, and a senior or retired Australian public servant or judge from a jurisdiction outside Queensland.  We believe strong preference should be given to considering whether international expertise should be sought for the first or second chair, including expertise originating outside the Anglosphere."

The Inquiry should, at minimum, be called upon to investigate and make recommendations upon:

•   The goals and purposes of the public transport system
•   Managing or removing conflicting objectives from different stakeholders in the system by institutional reforms
•   The efficiency of Queensland's public transport system against international and Australian benchmarks
•   The organisational structure of Queensland's public transport agencies, systems, operations and governing legislation and standards
•   The manner in which public transport infrastructure and services are planned, procured and managed
•   The oversight of contracted operators
•   Public transport ticketing products and pricing
•   Public transport funding and cost recovery
•   The benefits of public transport and how to consolidate and improve upon them

"If conducted on a sensible, rational basis, we would then expect the government to implement as many reforms as are possible to allow the public transport system to be optimised and turned around."

"The public transport system is ailing and in desperate need of attention. Simply promising isolated bits of infrastructure or nebulous promises to carry out a 'review' are no longer acceptable.  A systematic and methodical cleaning out of the entire underpinnings of the system is now required before any meaningful change can occur."

"It is time to deliver real reform!"

Contact:

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

[ozbob]

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times published 24th January 2015 page 31

Time to ask questions about transport system

[ozbob]

Public Transport Inquiry: First 100 days to set up Commission

The election is over and now work needs to be done. The high fares and black holes plaguing the bus network need to be fixed.

The new Queensland Government should move to form a commission of inquiry within the first 100 days. We would suggest, among others, The Honourable Alannah MacTiernan from Western Australia to be invited to head the commission of inquiry.

RAIL Back on Track recognises TransPerth in Western Australia is a world class public transport network that is a comparable benchmark of performance against that of Brisbane's. Perth has similar population, size, density, railway network and demographics as Brisbane. In her former role as Minister for Planning and Infrastructure in the West Australian government from 2001 to 2008, she established the Public Transport Authority (Western Australia) and transformed the planning and management of public transport in Perth. She also delivered the New Metro Rail Project, which included a new rail tunnel connection into the Perth CBD, at very low cost.

As Brisbane needs to develop a new river rail crossing, this experience makes The Hon. Alannah MacTiernan the natural choice to head a public transport commission of inquiry.

The public transport inquiry should take a whole-of-system approach, and look at both infrastructure and service network planning issues, including but not limited to:

* Identify root causes of the fare escalation
* Review the fare structure and levels
* Fix up the problems within the bus network, including black holes within Yeronga, Bulimba, Albany Creek and the entire Centenary Suburbs
* Deliver on the explicit promise by Tim Mulherin MP, to examine the BulimbaGlider concept, among others.

RAIL Back on Track will be monitoring the commitment to the following Labor policies, in particular:

(#7.50) integrated regional transport plans in conjunction with regional land use plans in all urban areas across Queensland.
(#7.56) Labor will build an inner city rail solution consistent with the Cross River Rail capacity
(#7.58) Labor will complete the Gold Coast light rail from Helensvale to Coolangatta
(#7.62) Labor will review the public transport fare system to improve affordability in South East Queensland
(#7.76) Labor will develop and publish a plan for the progressive priority upgrade of the North Coast Rail Line to improve safety, efficiency and reliability.

Failure to deal with the root causes of the high and escalating fares, which are some of the highest fares in the world, will see a return to the era of massive 15% and 20% fare rises.

References
Hon Alannah MacTiernan MP
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=L6P

The Policy Platform will set the groundwork for Queensland Labor's agenda going into the State 2015 Election.
http://www.queenslandlabor.org/wp-content/uploads/2014QldPolicyPlatform_web.pdf

Re: Labor's 2015 Election Policies
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11178.msg151090#msg151090

[ozbob]

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 2nd February 2015 page 16

Time for state to tackle public transport issues

[ozbob]

Media release 8th January 2015 re-released 8th February 2015

Queensland: Call for an Inquiry into Public Transport

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 calls on the new Government to commit to significant institutional reform of how public transport is managed in Queensland.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"It is very apparent that things are not working.  Growth in public transport patronage has effectively stopped.  There is no longer a pipeline of continuous service improvements.  Delivery rates for new buses have slowed to their lowest point since integrated ticketing commenced in South-East Queensland in 2004.  Many parts of South-East Queensland do not have any services on Sundays or on weekends at all.  Regulatory competition between TransLink Division, Queensland Rail, Brisbane City Council and other portfolio offices in the Queensland Government creates poor lines of accountability, mixed branding and messaging, and inefficient planning.  Long distance rail services are withering away. The fare system for SEQ has unaffordable fares and is prone to rorting."

"We call on the Queensland Government to conduct an Inquiry into Public Transport."

"The Inquiry should be conducted on as broad a basis as possible.  The terms of reference should be developed with significant input from the community, including commuters."

"The Inquiry should be conducted by a panel of respected experts, who are free of political or institutional connections to the Queensland Government or any political party.  We would suggest that it may be wise to appoint 3 members – a respected transport academic, an official from an agency administering an internationally recognised well-performing transport network, and a senior or retired Australian public servant or judge from a jurisdiction outside Queensland.  We believe strong preference should be given to considering whether international expertise should be sought for the first or second chair, including expertise originating outside the Anglosphere."

The Inquiry should, at minimum, be called upon to investigate and make recommendations upon:

•   The goals and purposes of the public transport system
•   Managing or removing conflicting objectives from different stakeholders in the system by institutional reforms
•   The efficiency of Queensland's public transport system against international and Australian benchmarks
•   The organisational structure of Queensland's public transport agencies, systems, operations and governing legislation and standards
•   The manner in which public transport infrastructure and services are planned, procured and managed
•   The oversight of contracted operators
•   Public transport ticketing products and pricing
•   Public transport funding and cost recovery
•   The benefits of public transport and how to consolidate and improve upon them

"If conducted on a sensible, rational basis, we would then expect the government to implement as many reforms as are possible to allow the public transport system to be optimised and turned around."

"The public transport system is ailing and in desperate need of attention. Simply promising isolated bits of infrastructure or nebulous promises to carry out a 'review' are no longer acceptable.  A systematic and methodical cleaning out of the entire underpinnings of the system is now required before any meaningful change can occur."

"It is time to deliver real reform!"

Contact:

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

[ozbob]

Media release 15th February 2015



Queensland: Call for an Inquiry into Public Transport

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 calls for the Queensland Government to commit to significant institutional reform of how public transport is managed in Queensland.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"It is very apparent that things are not working.  Growth in public transport patronage has effectively stopped.  There is no longer a pipeline of continuous service improvements.  Delivery rates for new buses have slowed to their lowest point since integrated ticketing commenced in South-East Queensland in 2004.  Many parts of South-East Queensland do not have any services on Sundays or on weekends at all.  Regulatory competition between TransLink Division, Queensland Rail, Brisbane City Council and other portfolio offices in the Queensland Government creates poor lines of accountability, mixed branding and messaging, and inefficient planning.  Long distance rail services are withering away. The fare system for SEQ has unaffordable fares and is prone to rorting."

"We call on the government to conduct an Inquiry into Public Transport."

"The Inquiry should be conducted on as broad a basis as possible.  The terms of reference should be developed with significant input from the community, including commuters."

"The Inquiry should be conducted by a panel of respected experts, who are free of political or institutional connections to the Queensland Government or any political party.  We would suggest that it may be wise to appoint 3 members – a respected transport academic, an official from an agency administering an internationally recognised well-performing transport network, and a senior or retired Australian public servant or judge from a jurisdiction outside Queensland.  We believe strong preference should be given to considering whether international expertise should be sought for the first or second chair, including expertise originating outside the Anglosphere."

The Inquiry should, at minimum, be called upon to investigate and make recommendations upon:

•   The goals and purposes of the public transport system
•   Managing or removing conflicting objectives from different stakeholders in the system by institutional reforms
•   The efficiency of Queensland's public transport system against international and Australian benchmarks
•   The organisational structure of Queensland's public transport agencies, systems, operations and governing legislation and standards
•   The manner in which public transport infrastructure and services are planned, procured and managed
•   The oversight of contracted operators
•   Public transport ticketing products and pricing
•   Public transport funding and cost recovery
•   The benefits of public transport and how to consolidate and improve upon them

"If conducted on a sensible, rational basis, we would then expect the government to implement as many reforms as are possible to allow the public transport system to be optimised and turned around."

"The public transport system is ailing and in desperate need of attention. Simply promising isolated bits of infrastructure or nebulous promises to carry out a 'review' are no longer acceptable.  A systematic and methodical cleaning out of the entire underpinnings of the system is now required before any meaningful change can occur."

"It is time to deliver real reform!"

Contact:

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

[Jonno]

I think we need an inquiry into Transport especially active and public transport as well freight rail.  And as the saying goes "A good transport is a great land use/urban design plan". SEQ needs to have a honest and frank conversation about how we are a car addicted region (aka Open Letter to a Car-Addicted City" http://www.planetizen.com/node/72068/open-letter-car-addicted-city)

We need to start creating walkable, compact, mixed-use, mixed-housing neighbourhoods everywhere. See Jeff Speck book on Walkable City to see its impact on PT ridership.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Opinion: Brisbane can't be world-class without an efficient, affordable and accessible public transport system

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

13th March 2015

Greetings,

Spot on opinion piece in the Couriermail this morning.

Opinion: Brisbane can't be world-class without an efficient, affordable and accessible public transport system

-->  http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-brisbane-cant-be-world-class-without-an-efficient-affordable-and-accessible-public-transport-system/story-fnihsr9v-1227260384517

We renew our call for an inquiry.

Best wishes
Robert

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

====================

Media release 15th February 2015 re-released 13th March 2015



Queensland: Call for an Inquiry into Public Transport

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 calls for the Queensland Government to commit to significant institutional reform of how public transport is managed in Queensland.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"It is very apparent that things are not working.  Growth in public transport patronage has effectively stopped.  There is no longer a pipeline of continuous service improvements.  Delivery rates for new buses have slowed to their lowest point since integrated ticketing commenced in South-East Queensland in 2004.  Many parts of South-East Queensland do not have any services on Sundays or on weekends at all.  Regulatory competition between TransLink Division, Queensland Rail, Brisbane City Council and other portfolio offices in the Queensland Government creates poor lines of accountability, mixed branding and messaging, and inefficient planning.  Long distance rail services are withering away. The fare system for SEQ has unaffordable fares and is prone to rorting."

"We call on the government to conduct an Inquiry into Public Transport."

"The Inquiry should be conducted on as broad a basis as possible.  The terms of reference should be developed with significant input from the community, including commuters."

"The Inquiry should be conducted by a panel of respected experts, who are free of political or institutional connections to the Queensland Government or any political party.  We would suggest that it may be wise to appoint 3 members – a respected transport academic, an official from an agency administering an internationally recognised well-performing transport network, and a senior or retired Australian public servant or judge from a jurisdiction outside Queensland.  We believe strong preference should be given to considering whether international expertise should be sought for the first or second chair, including expertise originating outside the Anglosphere."

The Inquiry should, at minimum, be called upon to investigate and make recommendations upon:

•   The goals and purposes of the public transport system
•   Managing or removing conflicting objectives from different stakeholders in the system by institutional reforms
•   The efficiency of Queensland's public transport system against international and Australian benchmarks
•   The organisational structure of Queensland's public transport agencies, systems, operations and governing legislation and standards
•   The manner in which public transport infrastructure and services are planned, procured and managed
•   The oversight of contracted operators
•   Public transport ticketing products and pricing
•   Public transport funding and cost recovery
•   The benefits of public transport and how to consolidate and improve upon them

"If conducted on a sensible, rational basis, we would then expect the government to implement as many reforms as are possible to allow the public transport system to be optimised and turned around."

"The public transport system is ailing and in desperate need of attention. Simply promising isolated bits of infrastructure or nebulous promises to carry out a 'review' are no longer acceptable.  A systematic and methodical cleaning out of the entire underpinnings of the system is now required before any meaningful change can occur."

"It is time to deliver real reform!"

Contact:

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

[#Metro]

From their FB page:

Has JT met with RBOT reps? 

Yesterday we met with new Transport Minister Jackie Trad. We thank her for taking time to meet this grass-roots organisation and hear our concerns. We told her public transport in South East Queensland is woefully inadequate and needs major reform. This won't be easy and requires vision and commitment.

We strongly reiterated our key concerns which included concessions for Health Care Card holders, abolishing the TTCC and fare reform, as well as organisational reform of the three existing bureaucracies, (QR, BT and Translink), and removal of existing public transport planning powers from BCC.

The minister reconfirmed her stated election position, including fare reform, abolishing the TTCC and concessions for HCC holders, but she could not yet provide specific time frames. She took our views on board regarding the parlous state of SEQ PT and the need for reform. Importantly, she agreed to meet us again in six months.
MG and T

[ozbob]

Been in contact, meeting constantly since Ms. Trad assumed Shadow Minister responsibilities in 2012.

Meetings have been requested. Ms Trad has been in contact since the election.  Takes time.

I don't see the need to generally publicise meetings with anyone.

==============

Twitter

Jackie Trad @jackietrad  ·  Feb 15

Thank you very much @Robert_Dow. Excited about continuing to work with you & @railbotforum into the future. #qldpol

[ozbob]

Media release 15th February 2015 re-released 13th March 2015 re-released 14th May 2015



Queensland: Call for an Inquiry into Public Transport

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 calls for the Queensland Government to commit to significant institutional reform of how public transport is managed in Queensland.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"It is very apparent that things are not working.  Growth in public transport patronage has effectively stopped.  There is no longer a pipeline of continuous service improvements.  Delivery rates for new buses have slowed to their lowest point since integrated ticketing commenced in South-East Queensland in 2004.  Many parts of South-East Queensland do not have any services on Sundays or on weekends at all.  Regulatory competition between TransLink Division, Queensland Rail, Brisbane City Council and other portfolio offices in the Queensland Government creates poor lines of accountability, mixed branding and messaging, and inefficient planning.  Long distance rail services are withering away. The fare system for SEQ has unaffordable fares and is prone to rorting and fare evasion."

"We call on the government to conduct an Inquiry into Public Transport."

"The Inquiry should be conducted on as broad a basis as possible.  The terms of reference should be developed with significant input from the community, including commuters."

"The Inquiry should be conducted by a panel of respected experts, who are free of political or institutional connections to the Queensland Government or any political party.  We would suggest that it may be wise to appoint 3 members – a respected transport academic, an official from an agency administering an internationally recognised well-performing transport network, and a senior or retired Australian public servant or judge from a jurisdiction outside Queensland.  We believe strong preference should be given to considering whether international expertise should be sought for the first or second chair, including expertise originating outside the Anglosphere."

The Inquiry should, at minimum, be called upon to investigate and make recommendations upon:

•   The goals and purposes of the public transport system
•   Managing or removing conflicting objectives from different stakeholders in the system by institutional reforms
•   The efficiency of Queensland's public transport system against international and Australian benchmarks
•   The organisational structure of Queensland's public transport agencies, systems, operations and governing legislation and standards
•   The manner in which public transport infrastructure and services are planned, procured and managed
•   The oversight of contracted operators
•   Public transport ticketing products and pricing
•   Public transport funding and cost recovery
•   The benefits of public transport and how to consolidate and improve upon them

"If conducted on a sensible, rational basis, we would then expect the government to implement as many reforms as are possible to allow the public transport system to be optimised and turned around."

"The public transport system is ailing and in desperate need of attention. Simply promising isolated bits of infrastructure or nebulous promises to carry out a 'review' are no longer acceptable.  A systematic and methodical cleaning out of the entire underpinnings of the system is now required before any meaningful change can occur."

"It is time to deliver real reform!"

Contact:

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

[ozbob]

Media release 15th February 2015 re-released 13th March 2015 re-released 14th May 2015 re-released 22nd May 2015



Queensland: Call for an Inquiry into Public Transport

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 calls for the Queensland Government to commit to significant institutional reform of how public transport is managed in Queensland.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"It is very apparent that things are not working.  Growth in public transport patronage has effectively stopped.  There is no longer a pipeline of continuous service improvements.  Delivery rates for new buses have slowed to their lowest point since integrated ticketing commenced in South-East Queensland in 2004.  Many parts of South-East Queensland do not have any services on Sundays or on weekends at all.  Regulatory competition between TransLink Division, Queensland Rail, Brisbane City Council and other portfolio offices in the Queensland Government creates poor lines of accountability, mixed branding and messaging, and inefficient planning.  Long distance rail services are withering away. The fare system for SEQ has unaffordable fares and is prone to rorting and fare evasion."

"We call on the government to conduct an Inquiry into Public Transport."

"The Inquiry should be conducted on as broad a basis as possible.  The terms of reference should be developed with significant input from the community, including commuters."

"The Inquiry should be conducted by a panel of respected experts, who are free of political or institutional connections to the Queensland Government or any political party.  We would suggest that it may be wise to appoint 3 members – a respected transport academic, an official from an agency administering an internationally recognised well-performing transport network, and a senior or retired Australian public servant or judge from a jurisdiction outside Queensland.  We believe strong preference should be given to considering whether international expertise should be sought for the first or second chair, including expertise originating outside the Anglosphere."

The Inquiry should, at minimum, be called upon to investigate and make recommendations upon:

•   The goals and purposes of the public transport system
•   Managing or removing conflicting objectives from different stakeholders in the system by institutional reforms
•   The efficiency of Queensland's public transport system against international and Australian benchmarks
•   The organisational structure of Queensland's public transport agencies, systems, operations and governing legislation and standards
•   The manner in which public transport infrastructure and services are planned, procured and managed
•   The oversight of contracted operators
•   Public transport ticketing products and pricing
•   Public transport funding and cost recovery
•   The benefits of public transport and how to consolidate and improve upon them

"If conducted on a sensible, rational basis, we would then expect the government to implement as many reforms as are possible to allow the public transport system to be optimised and turned around."

"The public transport system is ailing and in desperate need of attention. Simply promising isolated bits of infrastructure or nebulous promises to carry out a 'review' are no longer acceptable.  A systematic and methodical cleaning out of the entire underpinnings of the system is now required before any meaningful change can occur."

"It is time to deliver real reform!"

Contact:

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