SEQ Bus Network Review - Gold Coast (Surfside)

[ozbob]

Thanks SurfRail for putting this together.  Well done!

[Set in train]

Thanks Set in train, broadly concur.  I have left out any comments about timetabling specifics in the hope they might import some of the concepts which will feature in the Sunshine Coast proposals for the 605/615 etc.

Wasn't able to speak to GCCC as they had a flurry of councillor enquiries today - will chat tomorrow, but it will be after Bob puts the attached submission in which I am treating as finalised for present purposes.  I know they want to see improvements in what is planned.

Some new thoughts from me although not many (eg Route 4 extension to St Andrews may be more viable if the route extended to Varsity Lakes via Old Coach Rd, which would create a service for the people in the Oyster Creek estate at the bottom of Bermuda St).

I'll get along to one of the weekend sessions somewhere.

Thanks for your contribution, a most worthwhile and well considered submission.

[Set in train]

Any point attending the GC info sessions after the experience in Logan here?:

http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=10260.msg133260#msg133260

[longboi]

Any point attending the GC info sessions after the experience in Logan here?:

http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=10260.msg133260#msg133260

Probably not if you want to get technical.

Those sessions are to hand-hold people who can't figure out how to read maps and timetables for themselves.

[Set in train]

This page is now not working of the bus review:

http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/seq-bus-network-review-2013/gold-coast/robina-burleigh-heads-varsity-lakes-mermaid-waters

Might get quicker attention if those with inside contacts pass it on.

[ozbob]

This page is now not working of the bus review:

http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/seq-bus-network-review-2013/gold-coast/robina-burleigh-heads-varsity-lakes-mermaid-waters

Might get quicker attention if those with inside contacts pass it on.

The dead link above is on this page ..

http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/seq-bus-network-review-2013/gold-coast

Will pass on ..

[ozbob]

From the Gold Coast Bulletin click here!

'Bus changes decimate service'

'Bus changes decimate service'

Paul Weston   |  12:01am October 18, 2013

TRANSLINK has been accused of smashing the city's bus services with planned new routes and timetabling which may leave many commuters sitting in the dark.

Steven Jamieson, a solicitor who commutes to Brisbane and is the regional spokesman for the public transport lobby group Back On Track, has produced an exhaustive study on the new services due to be launched next January.

While Mr Jamieson supports changes to 37 routes, he has found reduced frequency and coverage on another 26 with most of those covering the Coast's booming northern suburbs.

In a letter sent to the city's MPs and 14 councillors, he said he had welcomed the announcement that Translink was commissioning a package of bus service "improvements" after changes had not been considered for more than two decades.

"However, much to my consternation, I have discovered that Translink have effectively decimated service to the majority of the city's population," he wrote.

"This affects me personally as I will be forced to rely upon taxis, lifts from friends or simply having to move, given the cuts to the span of hours of my only bus route.

"As a solicitor, I can bare this much more easily than most of those who rely on public transport in this city, but I would be vastly outnumbered by those who will not be able to cope."

The key criticisms of the service changes include:

    inadequate span of hours with most finishing before 5pm.
    poor service headways with many operating less than once per hour.
    cuts to coverage with some streets no longer having buses.


"The principal criticism of the proposed network is that many of the feeder services simply do not exist in any meaningful way for the large proportion of the community - those travelling home from Brisbane by train, traditional nine to five workers, anybody who needs to return home later than 5pm," Mr Jamieson said.

Translink in a response late yesterday argued the city's bus routes would increase from 51 to 61 and will be simpler to use and light rail ready under the planned new system.

"While there are some changes to service coverage, several new areas are being provided with public transport services for the first time," a Translink spokesman said.

"The frequency and span of hours of most routes across the Gold Coast have been adjusted to ensure the public transport network is efficient and meets demand for a greater number of customers."

Translink maintains that buses providing a service from work to home will operate more frequently during those peak demand periods, while daytime operations are to reflect shopping hours.

Gaven MP Alex Douglas, who had received complaints from residents, has tabled Mr Jamieson's report in State Parliament.

"A close look at the timetable shows that some of the feeder services barely exist even after 3pm school finish time," Dr Douglas said.

KEY COMPLAINTS

Route 710 between Helensvale station and Southport, a highly used route once light rail operates, will be reduced in frequency on weekday mornings and on weekends.

Route 723 replaces Route 3, 725 and 726 but leads to significant reduction in operation and does not service Kopps Road.

Route 746 partially replaces Route 21 but needs to be "redesigned" to include better weekend and night services for Gilston residents.

Route 764 is being maintained but needs to be extended to include Stockland Burleigh or Varsity Lakes station.

[ozbob]

This page is now not working of the bus review:

http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/seq-bus-network-review-2013/gold-coast/robina-burleigh-heads-varsity-lakes-mermaid-waters

Might get quicker attention if those with inside contacts pass it on.

The dead link above is on this page ..

http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/seq-bus-network-review-2013/gold-coast

Will pass on ..

^  fixed, thanks TransLink ..

[SurfRail]

The bad news is that there will probably be no change other than to can the review entirely.

The good news is that if it goes through, they will have a second and potentially future stages during 2014 where they rectify issues.

Looks like I am moving after all.

[STB]

The bad news is that there will probably be no change other than to can the review entirely.

The good news is that if it goes through, they will have a second and potentially future stages during 2014 where they rectify issues.

Looks like I am moving after all.

Moving's not all that bad, something new!  I reckon you should head over to where the trams will be running for a nice view! 

[Set in train]

Finally some great media is kicking in. If SR wants the review canned, I agree, if parts cannot be changed. Postpone it all until the trams begin.

Good on Alex Douglas, the only one to put it on Hansard.

[Gazza]

The bad news is that there will probably be no change other than to can the review entirely.

The good news is that if it goes through, they will have a second and potentially future stages during 2014 where they rectify issues.

Looks like I am moving after all.

So is it a case that they don't have enough buses for the secondary routes until the LRT opens?

If it's the case, where is the harm in just waiting till the LRT opens, and making one set of changes?

[SurfRail]

They wanted to (as I wanted them to) get people used to the concept of transferring between services.  The intention and route layout is largely fine.  The execution and the culling of services is not.

They say they have the patronage data to support the fact routes are not being used until 5pm, but frankly I think it sends entirely the wrong message.  The idea that this is something which will have to be "fixed" later is a bit daft.

The planners are well-intentioned and are working within serious constraints given their brief and the resources available.  My issue is not so much with them as the politicians who have failed to get a decent investment program going.

[James]

So is it a case that they don't have enough buses for the secondary routes until the LRT opens?

If it's the case, where is the harm in just waiting till the LRT opens, and making one set of changes?

Seconded. To me, the idea of having one change, then making another change 6 months later seemed a bit daft. It is kind of like reviewing Ipswich's buses and implementing the new network now, only to have to remodel it when the Springfield Line opens.

'Getting used to transferring' IMO is a weak excuse. People on the coast seem far more adept at transferring than most do, and its not as if you have thousands of people every day commuting from Paradise Point to the Pines (current 706). I would avoid trying to call for the canning of the review though. Just recommend postponing the changes.

[SurfRail]

My entire focus has been getting improvements - definitely no chance of me calling for it to be stopped outright.

They need to invest more in upgrading services, something the politicians have utterly failed at (Labor and Liberal) for many years.

James - bus/LRT intermodal changes are going to be considerably more important to the Gold Coast than bus/rail interchanges are to Ipswich.  Fact of life.  I have no problem with the approach they have taken, just the culling of after hours services on so many routes.

The justification they gave me for instance on why Routes 714 and 715 will be running to 9pm at night while other services will not be (ie the hospital is a 24-hour operation) was feeble in the extreme, and frankly I should have challenged it further at the time.

[Gazza]

I think the whole "getting people used to transferring" in the short term would do more harm then good.

The last thing you want to do is switch people off PT all together prior to the LRT opening due to trying to run a transfer based system without the resources, and making people endure 6 months of crappiness.

Much better to package feeder frequency improvements with the LRT opening and run a proper marketing campaign about a PT revolution for the coast.

Not only does the LRT corridor experience improvements, but the rest of the GC gets more buses allocated to it, so you can finally convince those sceptics who live off the corridor that the opening of the line is a good thing for them too.

Just quietly too, I reckon transfers onto a modern LRT system would be an easier sell anyway, if we are seeking to change travel behaviour.
It's just a whole lot more tangible, and will naturally have the infrastructure that makes transferring easy (Such as PIDs at the GCLRT stations right?)

[Set in train]

The Translink roadshow has been to North Burleigh SLSC and Harbourtown over the weekend. Did anyone attend? What were your thoughts?

[ozbob]

Just been made available on http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/seq-bus-network-review-2013/gold-coast

Download the handy guide to your new Gold Coast bus network --> introduction (PDF, 722KB)

Download the handy guide to your new Gold Coast bus network --> your network (PDF, 12MB)

A letter box drop for GC residents is planned for early January 2014.

[SurfRail]

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/business/stage-two-of-the-light-rail-on-track-with-design-and-technical-services-out-for-tender/story-fnjc2dm2-1226802954348

[ozbob]

From the Gold Coast Bulletin click here!

Nerang a public transport black hole in transport changes

Nerang a public transport black hole in transport changes

    Lucy Ardern
    Gold Coast Bulletin
    January 16, 2014 12:01AM

NERANG will emerge as a Gold Coast public transport black hole from Monday when schoolchildren, office workers and retirees are left stranded by a new bus network.

There will be no buses on the weekend or after 3.15pm on weekdays for the main 746 and 749 services that leave from Nerang Train Station.

Commuters who work in Brisbane during the week and live in Nerang will have to leave the CBD by 1.30pm for a chance of returning home on public transport.

Nerang resident Dianne Baker said the new service would have a huge impact on her family, including teenage daughters Shannon and Brooke.

The girls will have no way of getting home from St Michael's College at Merrimac after school starts again and expect to spend less time with their friends on weekends thanks to the lack of public transport.

How will the changes affect you? Tell us in the comments section below

Shannon will also be forced to rely on her parents or taxis to get to and from her casual job at Broadbeach if she wants to keep it.

"Shannon was caught out the other day and had to catch a cab home," Mrs Baker said.

"She earnt about $80 for the shift and the cab cost $46."

Mrs Baker said she occasionally caught buses to and from her job at Southport, if her car was out of action, but that would no longer be an option.

Mark Swain told a similar story, saying his teenage children, Jessica, 16, and Emma, 14, also at St Michael's, would be left with no way of getting back to their Nerang home and there would be real problems for Jessica getting to and from her casual job.

"This sort of thing makes you wonder what we are paying taxes for," Mr Swain said.

Member for Gaven Dr Alex Douglas said several concerned and angry residents had contacted him about the bus changes and he expected many more from next week.

Steve Jamieson, from transport lobby group Back on Track, said thousands of people would be caught out across the Coast from Monday - but Nerang was one of the worst areas affected.

Mr Jamieson criticised the State Government for a lack of consultation on the new bus network, saying it decided on the changes after receiving just 147 responses from the Gold Coast community.

The figure is just a fraction of the 14.56 million passenger journeys that were made on Gold Coast buses last year.

"It was not until about October that we received some of the detail on how often or when the buses would run," Mr Jamieson said.

"Clearly a lot of people were unaware of what was going on."

Other areas across the Coast will also be worse off from Monday, with few after-hours services factored in for most parts of the city.

Biggera Waters disability pensioner Skye Jordeon said the axing of the 706 bus would leave her with no service after 5pm.

Queensland Transport Minister Scott Emerson, who is currently on leave, shrugged off criticism about the network before Christmas when he was contacted about residents' complaints, while TransLink argued there had been extensive consultation.

[ozbob]

Report on ABC News 612 ABC Brisbane, passengers being left behind on buses in Gold Coast.  Changes not being well received. TWU quoted.

[James]

Report on ABC News 612 ABC Brisbane, passengers being left behind on buses in Gold Coast.  Changes not being well received. TWU quoted.

That is what happens when large amounts of bus routes stop running in the early afternoon. Really, the whole situation down there is a bit of a disaster to say the least. They would have been better off making a lot of those bus routes run during the peaks only.

Take the 746 and 749, for example. It should be run between 6am and 9am and 3pm and 7pm. Yes, it makes the route only operate during part of the day, but with a finishing time of 3pm, you can hardly say the route is an all-day bus routes. A lot of bus routes could be fixed simply by not running a service around midday or 1pm and running it 1 hr after the last service (generally at 6pm). Not an optimal solution, but at least it gave hope for people arriving home by train.

[SurfRail]

Routes with 3-hour gaps in the middle of the day would be nothing new, and frankly preferable to not having a bus after 3pm.  The 748 and some Coomera services ran like this for a very long time.  Main issue was that it saved on sending a driver out when the first drivers were having their meal break, and when patronage would be limited anyway.  You can still see this in some of the Coomera area timetables on weekdays where it goes from hourly to 2-hourly.

I'm not convinced there is much method in their madness because they had to look at patronage counts, not trends or latent demand if the service was to be improved.

[techblitz]

Mrs Baker said she occasionally caught buses to and from her job at Southport, if her car was out of action, but that would no longer be an option.

Emerson/translink would no doubt ignore statements as such

[ozbob]

Gold Coast Bulletin --> Bus passengers enraged as 777 now finishes at SeaWorld instead of Southport

WHILE tourism chiefs are working to bolster flights to and from the Gold Coast, TransLink has eliminated Southport from the main bus route servicing airline passengers.

The 777 bus now finishes at SeaWorld rather than Southport after a shake-up of routes in late January.

Readers have sent texts to the Bulletin's chatroom about the change, including Bob who asked "why on earth" the Southport leg was scrapped.

"We are aged in our 70s and live in Southport," Bob wrote. "We ... (had) to change buses at Surfers Paradise with our heavy cases which was difficult and very inconvenient."

[SurfRail]

Big whoop, plenty of elderly people live all over the coast and most of them don't have a single-seat bus trip to the airport or indeed a lot of places.  The transfer is at the same stop and drivers can assist them.

The big issue which I have pointed out and other people have cottoned onto as well is that the limited stops arrangement is not working - either do it properly or run as an all stopper, there is no point in not having clearly signposted stops.  Imagine if Brisbane had no "white" poles.

[ozbob]

Adjournment 19th March 2014

https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2014/2014_03_19_DAILY.pdf

Gold Coast, Public Transport
Dr DOUGLAS (Gaven—PUP) (10.47 pm): Brisbane is getting the BaT Tunnel. But just like in ancient cultures where bats have long been associated with darkness, witchcraft and black magic, Gold Coast bus commuters are being left in the dark over what is going to happen to their services when the light rail system starts in three months. It will take more than the transport minister's magic to get our bus service running on time, because since the new services started two months ago late running is endemic, and probably worse than before the changes. An expensive and misconceived fare system is a concern affecting the entire network and we cannot rely on Campbell Newman's witchcraft to improve it.

As we know, large bats can give a nasty bite. That is what is happening on the Gold Coast. Just like rabid bats that sometimes become disoriented and unable to fly, our bus commuters are increasingly finding it difficult to get a bus that is running on time. When the light rail starts, there is virtually no information available on what will happen to the buses, apart from a brief diagram which has been described as very high level and not of much use for the most part.

I want to know how many buses this will free up, where are they going, will people out at Clearwater and Nerang get weekend services or buses until 5 pm and 6 pm again and, most importantly, when will the public consultation begin. Since new bus timetables started in January, significant issues have emerged which need to be raised, because I am the only MP on the Gold Coast who has gone in to 'bat' for public transport users. The other nine MPs have apparently been silenced by the LNP government, leaving disgruntled bus users all over the coast coming to my office with their complaints. Frequently commuters tell me that the limited span of hours anywhere west of the Gold Coast corridor will stifle patronage growth as people who formerly relied on buses connecting with trains or with more frequent buses no longer can.

Turning to my own electorate, the operating hours for services to Clearwater are blatantly bad and hard to defend. We need changes, such as running the Nerang to Gold Coast University Hospital route down Lawrence Drive and Brendan Drive, instead of Nerang-Broadbeach Road and Station Street, so that it stops at the Earle Haven bus stop. Services on the Gold Coast Highway bunch up so that services like the 700, 703 and 704, which are meant to operate on even 15-minute separation, are arriving at the same time and snapping at each other's heels. The express operating pattern on route 777, south of Broadbeach, is inadequately signed for people to understand that only certain stops are pick-up and set-down locations. The route should move back to being an all-stops route because the time-saving is not significant and the operational complexity makes it pointless.

Routes 761 and 765 now terminate at Robina Town Centre, rather than continuing to Robina Railway Station like they used to—ostensibly to reduce duplication. The list goes on and on. The minister should restore the old bus routes.
(Time expired)