Article: Councils could help fund public transport: Emerson

[ozbob]

From the ABC News click here!

Councils could help fund public transport: Emerson

Councils could help fund public transport: Emerson

By Melinda Howells

Updated Fri May 25, 2012 10:25am AEST

The Queensland Government says it wants more councils to help fund public transport.

Transport Minister Scott Emerson says only the Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Sunshine Coast councils currently contribute to the cost.

Mr Emerson says he would like that to change.

"We're talking about councils putting their hand up to help pay for the public transport burden I guess and some councils do that," he said.

"We'd like to see other councils also stepping up to the plate along with obviously the State Government."

[somebody]

Is that because having two levels of government responsible works so well in health?

[justanotheruser]

yep lets create a system so we can play the blame game.

perhaps it is part of Newmans lets save this amount of money by june 30th pledge. Will the state cough up extra money if councils do?

[SurfRail]

I don't have a problem with this notion.

You need a centralised planning and decision making system (TransLink) to maintain the ticketing system, the contracting arrangements, long term planning etc.  However, giving local governments a funding role is good because it means there will be additional, stronger voices to agitate for TransLink to fix things in their particular areas, given that those voices have a financial stake in the outcome.  GCCC is a good example - they don't propose dopey things like Maroon Citygliders, but instead have worked with TTA to deliver things like the 702, 747, 761, Yourbus, extra weekend services etc.

The issue is really with BT, and the goal should be to limiting BCC's recurrent funding to operational expenditure and bus stops only like it is down here.  Just taking the bus fleet off them would largely fix that, and would probably reduce what they would need to spend.

[Stillwater]

The Sunshine Coast Council has used its transport levy effectively to grow new bus routes on the Coast.  It subsidises each new route until passenger numbers grow to a point where the service viability is justified, and Translink takes over.  Currently, a Nambour-Yandina-Coolum bus is one service being subsidised by the council.  The new Mayor has said he wants to improve PT services on the Coast.

His Redlands counterpart should stop playing her cat and mouse game with the state government and apply a transport levy to ratepayers there.  She is reported as saying that she will look to savings to provide funds for PT, but only after Translink has improved services.  Who will blink first?

[Golliwog]

To funding and input into what areas council would like serviced by PT: Yes.

To an actual deciding say in the routing and other planning side of things: No.