28 Jun 2011: SEQ: Excitement at more BNE Airport car parking ...

[ozbob]

Media release 28 June 2011

SEQ: Excitement at more BNE Airport car parking explains transport nightmare

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 was left bewildered by the Deputy Premier's and Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO's excitement at the prospect of a new multi-level car park and more road works at the Brisbane Airport (1).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Whilst the Airport and its surrounds continue to grow it is doing so at the expense of the rest of Brisbane's transport network and the tax payers' purse."

"The State Government has helped spend over $7.3 billion expanding the Airport roads and the Gateway Motorway not to mention the billions being spent on the Airport Link project.  This is an extreme amount of money to spend on the least efficient form of modern transport and flies in the face of the rest of the world (2)."

"Around the globe, cities are halting investment in urban freeways, if not pulling them down, and redirecting that investment towards public and active transport."

"The availability of car parking is one of the most important factors in a person's decision to drive, and the continued provision of more car parking at the Airport will only lead to more traffic on our roads and even worse traffic congestion.  The failure to fix up the Airtrain service in terms of extended hours of operation to match flight times, and improved service frequency has contributed to the failing car-centric-congestion-causing non solution (3)."

"The Deputy Premier's and Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO's excitement at the prospect of more car parking and road works at the Airport explains why traffic across SEQ is only getting worse year after year.  Our political leaders of all parties are completely out of step with the latest transport and traffic planning thinking.  They are still operating under the belief that it is possible to out build congestion which has been shown time after time to be nothing more than an urban myth."

"If those governing Brisbane's urban form do not wake up and recognise that the transport policies of the last 40 years have created today's traffic problems rather than failed to keep up with growth, the strength and resilience of our state's tourism and business industries will be just a distant memory."

References:

1. http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=75423

2. Across Europe, Irking Drivers Is Urban Policy http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/science/earth/27traffic.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

3. http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5903.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Car parking discussion --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=532.0