Premier Statement: URBAN CONGESTION TO BE TARGETED IN STATE BUDGET

[ozbob]

Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh
22/05/2008

URBAN CONGESTION TO BE TARGETED IN STATE BUDGET

In the upcoming State Budget the Queensland Government will target five key areas in the battle to ease urban congestion, Premier Anna Bligh revealed today.

Ms Bligh gave the sneak peek into Budget preparations at a Property Council function in Brisbane.

As well as a new plan of attack she highlighted two new initiatives worth $24.6 million.

"Congestion busting is one of our greatest challenges," Ms Bligh said.

"Population growth has put enormous pressure on our infrastructure.

"We have kept pace by undertaking Australia's largest building program in key areas such as water and roads.

"For example, this week we announced $4.8 Billion for the three projects contributing to the Airport Link solution.

"However the growth is showing no signs of easing with our population expected to crack
6 million within the next twenty years.

"That is why we have looked over the horizon to put in place plans that will help us m anage growth in the future."

Ms Bligh said State Cabinet had approved a Strategy to attack congestion on 5 fronts:

? Building capacity for growth - new roads and new infrastructure;
? Efficiency- working smarter to improve our existing network;
? Land use and planning - using available land to make our journeys shorter and easier;
? Travel Options - better public transport, cycling and pedestrian services - greater options and greater frequency; and
? Travel Demand - smarter ways to move commuters.

Ms Bligh said further details on all of the areas would be provided in the Budget but revealed details on two separate initiatives.

"In the area of travel demand management we will provide $22.6 million over four years to expand the TravelSmart Program," she said.

"TravelSmart is a demand management strategy that encourages people to walk, cycle and take public transport instead of driving.

"It is about education and information and makes people aware of their travel patterns and choices.

"From the trial of 75,000 homes in the northern suburbs we found a decreased use of cars - around 80 fewer trips per person per year. There was also an increased use of public transport - around 18 trips per person per year - and increases in cycling and walking - up to 7 trips and 40 trips per person per year respectively.

"By expanding this trial to the region we expect we could reduce the distance traveled by people in cars by at least 10% in south east Queensland and reduce transport- related greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 500,000 tonnes per year."

Ms Bligh also revealed $2 million would be provided in the Budget to provide end of trip facilities for government employees.

"We want to encourage as many of our workers as possible to pound the pavement or cycle to and from work," Ms Bligh said.

"To make it a more viable option our workers need access to facilities where they can park their bike, change clothes and freshen up.

"The money we have allocated in the Budget will provide these facilities at 80 George Street and the Neville Bonner building in the City and include bike storage, shower and laundry facilities.

"In addition we will also look at a private sector partner to develop another facility, possibly in the Creek Street precinct, for public use."

22 May, 2008

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[ozbob]

The pressure is starting to tell, and I mean not only on the congested frazzled commuters either ...

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail click here!

Bligh pledges $2m to get public servants cycling

Bligh pledges $2m to get public servants cycling
Article from: AAP

May 22, 2008 04:55pm

THE Queensland government will commit $2 million in next month's budget to provide bicycle facilities for Brisbane public servants who ride to work.
Premier Anna Bligh today announced two new "end of trip" buildings, which would include bicycle parking, lockers and showers, for 80 George Street and the Neville Bonner building.

The government will also look for a private partner to build another facility near Creek Street, to be available to all city workers at a cost.

Ms Bligh told a Property Council of Australia function that cabinet had approved a five-pronged strategy to tackle traffic congestion in south-east Queensland, where roads are straining under the pressure of an influx of new residents.

The strategy includes increasing capacity of road infrastructure, improving efficiency, better planning to encourage people to take shorter journeys, better public transport options, and improving traffic demand.

To encourage people to leave their cars at home, Ms Bligh said the budget would also include $22.6 million over four years to roll out the TravelSmart program.

A trial of TravelSmart - which audits homes and offices to see how people can make better use of public transport - saw people cut their car trips by 80 a year.

Ms Bligh said they were "congestion busting" solutions.

She was confident people would change their travel habits, just as they had adapted to the region's strict water restrictions.

"Roads and public transport corridors ... are a critical part of solving congestion, but so too is our behaviour," Ms Bligh told reporters.

"Every one of us, every day, gets up and contributes to congestion, and we are all part of the solution, just like we have been with water, so we need to tackle this on a broad range of fronts."

Ms Bligh flagged other traffic measures in next month's state budget.

[Mozz]

The huge recent increase in petrol pricing which will continue - perhaps to well above $2.00 a litre will be telling.

The extra trains ordered back in 2004 are being trickled into service, maybe half have been delivered the rest won't be fully delivered until the end of 2010.

1800 buses are reported each month as too full to pickup more passengers, with the real figure speculated to be hundreds more.

Ferries are in the same congestion boat.

Can we please learn from the lack of leadership and decision making which has resulted in the current crisis with public transport. More public transport infrastructure and services are needed now and into the future. Petrol will not get cheaper, it will get expensive, prohibitively expensive then it won't be available and finished as a resource. Can we please spend taxpayers money into the multiple billions of dollars on public transport rather than black tar.

[Derwan]

THE Queensland government will commit $2 million in next month's budget to provide bicycle facilities for Brisbane public servants who ride to work.

Bugga orf!!   

(I'm a public servant.)

[Mozz]

I must admit this stuff should be happening as a matter of course, but it's pleasing to see the support of those who walk/ride getting some of the limelight.

IIRC I thought the new king george square bike and ride had facilities which started at plans of $5 per day and went up from there. Not a real incentive to make the cheapest access to this facility the general equivalent of a weekly rail ticket in a Zone 1-3.

[ozbob]

From Brisbane mX 23 May 2008 page 2 not online

[Derwan]

I bet the politicians don't walk or ride a push bike!   

[Mozz]

Wayne Goss used to cycle to work quite regularly when Premier of Qld. He also got cleaned up a couple of times by cars.

John Howard seems to walk a lot from what I saw over the last 10 years but more for exercise rather than using it to get from point A to B.

Quite a few Federal pollies have Toyota Prius type vehicles.

That's all I got.