Article: Gas emissions in southeast tipped to skyrocket

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Gas emissions in southeast tipped to skyrocket

Gas emissions in southeast tipped to skyrocket
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Emma Chalmers

February 24, 2010 12:00am

SOUTHEAST Queensland could be shrouded in vehicle smog unless the region's transport woes are fixed, a new report warns.

A study from the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council says greenhouse gas emissions from transport are on track to skyrocket 75 per cent within 30 years – worse than in Melbourne.

Greenhouse gas emissions in Australia's second largest city are projected to rise only 48 per cent by 2041, according to the report's two-region comparison, but total emissions will still remain higher in Melbourne.

In the southeast, worsening congestion will also force motorists to travel further, longer and far slower as the region becomes more transport intensive and the population grows.

Estimates in the report, which was released yesterday, show the number of trips taken in the southeast will almost double to 27 million by 2041 and travelling time will jump by 130 per cent.

"People living in the region are projected to require more transport to get to work, school, university, or to go to the shops, visit friends and family or any or undertake many of the other journeys needed in life," it says.

The report also predicts there will not be a fundamental shift in the way we travel, despite plans for major investments in busways and investigations into metro and light rail.

Public transport use projected to remain constant at 4 per cent by 2041 and private vehicle use decrease just one point, to 77 per cent.

State and local governments are pumping millions into public transport already, with Brisbane City Council planning to buy 125 new buses every year and have 19 CityCats on the water by 2012. The ASBEC says smarter urban planning and reducing the need for mobility in cities will be the key to reducing car dependency and green house gas emissions.

Both City Hall and the State Government have outlined plans its hoped can decentralise growth, including shifting some government departments outside the CBD and building homes around transport nodes.

The ASBEC report concludes SEQ's transport system "will be significantly less efficient by 2041".

"In 2041, south-east Queenslanders will spend 3.3 million hours more travelling than they spent in 2006," the report says.

"This 130 per cent increase in travelling time is greater than population and employment growth (81 and 107 per cent, respectively)."

The Federal Government is also considering plans to strengthen environmental standards in vehicles, with an impact statement released earlier this year warning that motor vehicles were major emitters of pollutants and a threat to air quality.

..
The report also predicts there will not be a fundamental shift in the way we travel, despite plans for major investments in busways and investigations into metro and light rail ..

More pseudo conclusions to justify the car mantra,  the reality is there will be a shift to rail, light and heavy.  We will make sure there is ....  who wants a paralysed smog bound society?

[ozbob]

Media Release 24 February 2010

SEQ:  Rail - light and heavy is the transport solution

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has welcomed a report from the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) which suggests greenhouse gas emissions from transport are likely to increase and blanket Brisbane with smog unless there is a shift to sustainable transport solutions (1).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The ASBEC report highlights the looming smog problems in Brisbane unless we move to more sustainable transport solutions.  They way forward is clear, more rail both heavy and light."

"Rather than building more road based transport systems and encouraging yet even more smog, pollution, congestion and mayhem, we need to move forward with the heavy rail extensions and start to put in place light rail systems for a sustainable transport future (2,3)."

"How many harbinger reports of transport and environmental doom does there need to be before Governments finally let loose the shackles of the road transport lobby and get serious about a better future?"

"A transport tragedy is unfolding before our very eyes.  It is not too late to change .."

References:

1.   http://www.asbec.asn.au/

2.   29 Sep 2009: SEQ: Call to accelerate Cross River Rail Project
     http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2805.0

3.  10 Dec 2009: Now is the time for massive rail infrastructure investment ...
     http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3115.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

No end in sight for SEQ's traffic woes: report

No end in sight for SEQ's traffic woes: report
TONY MOORE
February 24, 2010

South-East Queenslanders will drive further for longer and breathe in more vehicle emissions by 2040 despite new tunnels, buses, bridges and bikeways, a report by Australia's leading green business association says.

The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council predicted motorists would spend an extra 14 minutes in the car and drive a further five kilometres each day, producing an extra 19 million tonnes of car emissions year.

The Council's Cities for the Future report predicts the South-East Queensland daily commute will get worse, despite the imminent completion of the Clem7 tunnel and Gateway Bridge duplication and improvements to the Ipswich Motorway.

ASBEC president Tom Roper said one of the problems was reactive governments who refused to fund infrastructure for rail and bridges in anticipation of population growth.

He warned government treasuries had to become more "proactive" in infrastructure spending, otherwise cities would always play catch-up.

"Part of the problem is the treasury model which says, 'Wait until it is all done and then put the capital in'," Mr Roper said.

"Well not only by that stage is the capital more expensive, but quite significant developments have already occurred on the ground.

"What Australia has tended to do, is wait until everyone is there and then design the transport arrangements.

"And that means that people means make alternative arrangements."

Mr Roper cited several examples of large-scale residential developments in Melbourne, which went in ahead of rail and bus lines, prompting some families to buy two cars.

South-East Queensland's largest residential project, Springfield, was forced to approach the State Government to pay to bring forward construction of a highway to the area.

It also argued for a rail line to the Ipswich suburb - a project that was only confirmed last year - to be completed by 2015.

Mr Roper said rising population growth would swamp the impact of new bridges, tunnels and the increasing popularity of public transport.

"All those type of things have been taken into account, all those matters have been announced," he said.

"Just as they have taken into account Commonwealth Government decisions to improve fleet efficiency."

Mr Roper said the main problem was South-East Queensland's rate of population growth.

"Your population is going up at a very rapid rate and that is going to make a significant difference," he said.

"I mean Melbourne's population is going to go up, but not as rapidly as South-East Queensland."

South-East Queensland's population is predicted to almost double to 5.5 million by 2040, the report says.

It predicts that despite the intentions of public transport planners, in South-East Queensland the private vehicle will remain the preferred form of transport (77 per cent), with public transport (4 per cent) merely keeping pace with population.

The only predicted increase was in walking and cycling (up from 15 to 17 per cent).

Good job Brisbanetimes!

[ozbob]

ASBEC president Tom Roper said one of the problems was reactive governments who refused to fund infrastructure for rail and bridges in anticipation of population growth.

He warned government treasuries had to become more "proactive" in infrastructure spending, otherwise cities would always play catch-up.

Too right!

It predicts that despite the intentions of public transport planners, in South-East Queensland the private vehicle will remain the preferred form of transport (77 per cent), with public transport (4 per cent) merely keeping pace with population.

The only predicted increase was in walking and cycling (up from 15 to 17 per cent).

These are gross under predictions.  It is very clear that public transport patronage and active transport participation rates will surge in line with increases in capacity already flagged and the simple fact that the road system will be totally inadequate.  If public transport patronage doesn't surge then nothing will move in south-east Queensland in the end ...

[Jon Bryant]

I think the predictions are misleading as it is % based which does not show the true growth in km travel by car nor time spent in congested traffic. My fear with all the road construction in progress that public and active will fall as an overall % of trips.  The capacity will be utilized on our PT but will be a smaller % of all trips.   I hate the line that "traffic will remain bad despite the tunnel".  It is because of the tunnel that it will get worse.  The other infrastructure are right but not the tunnel.  4 billion dollars on a tunnel and congestion will remain the same.  Amazing that this goes on unchallenged except by a few.  

[#Metro]

Spin spin spin...