Western Busway - A concept design

[Andrew]

Hi guys.

I have a concept design for a "Western Busway" as such.  I've done a map of the route on google maps

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=212963498897268680059.0004a469039de1fd68110&t=h&z=14

Ideally the busway would all be built as one but I've divided it into sections partly for ease of explanation.  Each section could probably be built independently of the others.

Part A: Inner Northern Busway - Suncorp Stadium
This would be a tunnel driven between just north of the Countess St Holding Stand and the Suncorp Staduim interchange.  It may be necessary to fully rebuild the interchange and I'm not sure of exactly how low down Hale St itself is.  This tunnel would allow shuttle buses to avoid traffic completely around the stadium.  Would keep the existing link onto local streets with potential to help out the 385 route to access Caxton St more easily.  Could use the stop at the Stadium as a full time Busway Station.

Part B: Suncorp Stadium - Coronation Drive
This would either cross Milton Road by tunnel or intersection (depending on the exact elevation of the busway).  Once crossing under the train lines, it would turn right to parallel the train lines, rising to the same height as the railway tracks.  Then it would turn left and become a bridge over the top of Cribb St out to Coronation Drive.  The bridge would cross Coro Drive and turn right and slope down to a similar height as Coronation Drive.

Part C: Coronation Drive (Cribb St to Regatta)
The busway would be a bridge that would be extended off the riverbank.  Options for a separate Bikeway on one side and Pedestrian walkway on the other like the green bridge.  There would be Busway stations located near Park Rd, Lang Pde, the Wesley Hospital & the Regatta Ferry Terminal.  Access to the Busway would occur at Park Rd, Land St and Sylvan Rd.  The Busway would most likely squeeze between Coronation Drive and the Drift Restaurant.

Part D: Toowong Precinct (Regatta to Burns Rd)
From the Regatta Ferry Terminal, the Busway would cross under Coro drive in tunnel.  The exact location of this would have to be worked out.  I see the two main options of diving into a tunnel before reaching the residences along the river or demolishing the residences and the former ABC studios, perhaps using this area for a holding stand.  This could have multi-storey buildings built above it to help recoup costs.  The Busway would then have platforms adjacent to the train at Toowong Station.  I think creating at least 3 platforms: One inbound, One outbound and one for UQ buses should be sufficient.  After the Toowong Station, the Busway would exit tunnel adjacent to Benson St with access to Macdonnell St.  The cutting adjacent Macdonnell St could be built over to accommodate the Busway and new buildings (again helping with some costs).  The Busway would most likely cross Burns Rd at a signalled intersection.

Part E: Toowong to Indooroopilly
After crossing Burns Rd, the Busway would run adjacent to the railway lines and partly over Moggill Rd.  There would be a Busway station at Brisbane Boys College around Whitmore St.  From here, the Busway would most likely travel adjacent or on top of Moggill Rd and Walker St at Taringa with a Busway Station located in the vicinity of Moorak St.  The Busway would then descend and cross under Rokeby Tce before again climbing.  The Busway would run elevated, nestled on single pylons in the median strip of Moggill Rd.  The Busway would follow the inbound Moggill Rd at the roundabout with Coonan St, and cross over to a new Busway interchange over the carpark and BP servo next to the Indooroopilly Shopping Centre.

Part F: Indooroopilly Interchange
I'm not 100% sure as to the best way to organise a new interchange but here's my initial concept:
Indooroopilly Interchange would most likely be two levels of bus stops with another level dedicated as a "plaza" level with facilities such as ticket machines, toilets etc.  The lower level would primarily serve feeder services and services to and from UQ.  It would connect to the upper level as well as access to Stamford Rd.  The upper level would be mainly for "Through" services and directly connect with the Busway to the city.  The Musgrave Rd off-ramp from Moggill Rd would be widened to bi-directional with an intersection at the top of the ramp.  This would allow the current traffic path as well as access to the Busway station (when heading inbound Moggill Rd) and from the Busway station direct to Moggill Rd outbound or to Musgrave Rd.

Anyways...that's my idea.  I'd like to hear your thoughts and gain feedback.

Regards,
Andrew

[O_128]

There is a lot of thought and good ideas in isolation particularly the regatta section and indro interchange. But there is really no point other than those sections when we have a perfectly good quad track rail line that will eventually have a toowong to newstead/bulimba-cannon hill rail metro. The way I see it is that people who want to bus past indooroopilly can get a train to indooroopilly where there will be a proper bus interchange to take them to there destination.

[#Metro]

I have questions.

1. How much will it cost
2. Is there enough room to fit into the corridor (tunnel/take lanes away on Coro, remove rail track)
3. There is a 4 track railway. Why do you need a busway parallel to it?

I am for some sections, but against most others.

[somebody]

I agree with TT.  If there is already a quad track railway, why have a busway paralleling it?

Far better to have a 5th lane on the Western Freeway which is a bus only lane.

[#Metro]

I don't know what the length is, but I would rather spend much of the parallel section money on CRR which will free up train paths at the Roma St-Ips Line junction for more services on the Ips line, remove seats from short distance train services to increase capacity, spend money on proper drive-in bus-rail interchanges at Toowong and Indooroopilly and look at things that could increase ipswich line capacity (anything that stands in the way of 15 minute two tier frequency to Ipswich).

Whatever is left over can get diverted to getting 15 minute frequency to Ipswich.

Services first. Concrete later.

[#Metro]

I might come up with something later.

[Golliwog]

I htink some bus priority is needed along this corridor, but if there is to be any expense on a Western Busway, I would prefer it to be focusing on the interchange at Indro and extending West/South West from there. It should be about encouraging changing to a high capacity mode instead of trying to cram as many buses into the city as possible.

[#Metro]

I htink some bus priority is needed along this corridor, but if there is to be any expense on a Western Busway, I would prefer it to be focusing on the interchange at Indro and extending West/South West from there. It should be about encouraging changing to a high capacity mode instead of trying to cram as many buses into the city as possible.

Agreed. There have been a few non-official proposals for rail out to the west but maybe that would be better done as bus.

[SurfRail]

Agreed. There have been a few non-official proposals for rail out to the west but maybe that would be better done as bus.

Big problem with any rail further west of Indooroopilly in the Kenmore direction is the utter lack of density - very green, low density spaces all around, and no prospect of that changing.  I've liked some of the feeder bus concepts I have seen on here to fix the area west of the M5.

Best I can ever see happening is maybe bus lanes to Kenmore, and bus lanes or slightly better in the Mt Ommaney/Darra/Richlands direction.

[dwb]

Sorry to be blunt but this seems like Campbell Newman concrete thinking to me.

While I recognise the need for a western busway, I think it can be done in a different way. Despite proposed plans by BCC to build a viaduct along KSD I don't think the people of Brisbane will accept one all the way along Coro Drive, the context is completely different, it is one of Brisbane's prime recreational and active transport routes. There are also more residences that aren't so elevated and a green river bank, which KSD doesn't have.

I think what we need here is protected bus lanes with penalisation for inappropriate use (camera enforced).

Also you haven't explained where you'd terminate or link through any of these services. The CBD would (already does) need extra capacity for buses.

[SteelPan]

Whilst clearly the engineers would have alot of nuts and bolts stuff to figure out, your concept is not without merit.  Given the timeframe such a project would have, don't listen to the gloom and doom merchants, there'll be plenty of people wanting to use BOTH buses and trains to move around say 2020+ (some might even say there are now!).