6 Nov 2011: SEQ: Park n' Ride

[ozbob]

Media release 6 November 2011

SEQ: Park n' Ride

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 is concerned that the present policy of Park n' Ride only being provided outside the inner suburbs might be changed by the LNP (1).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The LNP would like to build Park n' rides within 10km of Brisbane CBD.  There are real issues with doing that."

"Park n' Ride requires people to own just as many cars as if public transport didn't exist at all, and does nothing to improve mobility for passengers not who aren't driving."

"Park n' Ride is inherently inefficient at getting extra users on-board public transport. Each Park n' Ride  space generally only results in a single extra passenger per day, because spaces are occupied all day by peak hour commuters."

"Major stations such as Indooroopilly attract around 6000 passengers per day without reliance on Park n' Ride. A massive Park n' Ride station for 1000 cars would still only be catering to 1 in 6 of station users. Why spend millions of dollars on construction to give only a fraction of passengers special treatment? In Brisbane, 85% of passengers get to their first boarding points by walking and cycling (2). This is a real success story, and we should be aiming to push this figure even higher!"

"Park n' Ride infrastructure is expensive, at around $30,000 or more per space. This money could be better spent on more effective means of attracting users onto public transport, such as providing more vehicles, more frequent services supported by station and feeder buses, better facilities at stations including improved accessibility, and network extensions. These sort of investments benefit all rather than some."

"Traffic congestion is already an issue on the approaches to the inner 10km of Brisbane and Park n' Ride will not allow people to escape this."

"The saga at Chermside, where commuters are parking out local streets, is not the result of inadequate Park n' Ride facilities. Rather it shows clearly that there are gaps in the public transport network that people are being forced to bridge with their cars. This street parking is problematic over most of Brisbane."

"Cities with developed public transport systems use networks of frequent and direct buses, sometimes tramways, to actively funnel people into the rail network, and don't rely on people to use their car at any stage of the journey."

"The inner 10km radius of Brisbane already has the highest population density in the city, and all signs point to this zone being a powerhouse in years to come."

"Both sides of politics need to continue to support TransLink and the policy of not constructing Park n' Ride within 10 km of the CBD."

References:

1.  http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/park-n-rides-should-move-into-town-lnp-20111103-1mxo4.html

2.  http://translink.com.au/resources/about-translink/what-we-do/customer-research/100501-public-transport-survey.pdf

Contact:

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

[ozbob]

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