LNP: New express CityCat services

[ozbob]

Twitter

Team Quirk ‏@Team_Quirk 9 minutes ago

#TeamQuirk announces new express #CityCat services - part of our plan to deliver modern #publictransport & tackle #bnetraffic congestion

[ozbob]

^ not sure what this about.  Might be related to the 238 bus as well.

[ozbob]

https://www.teamquirk.com.au/team-quirk-to-deliver-new-citycat-and-express-speedycat-services/

Team Quirk to deliver new CityCat and Express SpeedyCat services

Team Quirk has today announced new express services and a new CityCat, as part of its comprehensive plan to continue to deliver Australia's most modern public transport fleet and tackle congestion.

New "SpeedyCat" express CityCat Services between Teneriffe and the City, as well as between UQ and the City, will halve peak-hour travel times, under a re-elected Team Quirk.

Cr Quirk said new SpeedyCat services would encourage more people to use CityCats, and actively reduce congestion on Brisbane's roads.

Team Quirk will also deliver a new CityCat, bringing to total fleet to 22 vessels to service the more than 5 million annual passengers.

"Following the roll-out of two brand new CityCats over the past 18 months and Team Quirk's revitalisation of eight older Cats, we can now provide these dedicated SpeedyCat routes," Cr Quirk said.

"We will continue to deliver Australia's most modern public transport fleet, Team Quirk has already delivered the most modern and fully wheelchair accessible bus fleet in Australia, as well as delivering 10 upgraded CityCat terminals and a new terminal at Milton.

"SpeedyCat will provide high-speed peak hour services to accommodate students commuting to and from the University of Queensland as well as many CBD based workers for either end of the inner city reach of the River," Cr Quirk said.

"Where currently it takes 30 minutes to travel from Teneriffe to Riverside, SpeedyCat will halve passengers' travel time, with the same trip taking just 17 minutes.

"Similarly, passengers will be able to travel from UQ to North Quay within 15 minutes on the new SpeedyCat service."

Cr Quirk said his team's commitment to increasing our ferry network was in stark contrast to Labor, who shut down the Norman Park and Apollo Road ferry terminals last time they were in power, reducing services for residents.

Team Quirk's announcement to deliver improved River transport services follows a proposal for the Brisbane Metro Subway system, which Team Quirk will deliver if re-elected.

"A world-class Brisbane Metro Subway will allow Team Quirk to also deliver more buses to our city's suburbs, improving inner-city public transport and freeing up 200 buses to service middle and outer city suburbs," he said.

[ozbob]

^ 3.8% of passenger trips on the network are on ferries.  It is really a small relative amount.

Still improvements welcome.

[ozbob]

Twitter

Rod Harding ‏@Rod4Bris now

Today's announcement doesn't make up for massive cuts to #CityCat services that left residents stranded, @Team_Quirk brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/ferry-service-cuts-increasing-traffic-congestion-shayne-sutton-20140212-32iev.html ...

[#Metro]

How hard it it to just fix the bus network? Rocket ferry is nice, but buses?!?!?

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Brisbane council election: Express CityCats, more routes and solar buses

[James]

How hard it it to just fix the bus network? Rocket ferry is nice, but buses?!?!?

Very hard, apparently. Did you hear the screams when Emerson tried? You'd swear the changes involved burning down a house in every street.

But 15 mins North Quay - UQ, woah... That leaves the bus in the dust!

[OzGamer]

How hard it it to just fix the bus network? Rocket ferry is nice, but buses?!?!?

Very hard, apparently. Did you hear the screams when Emerson tried? You'd swear the changes involved burning down a house in every street.

But 15 mins North Quay - UQ, woah... That leaves the bus in the dust!

If I was somewhere in the city and wanted to get to somewhere useful at UQ I think the total trip time would be less on a 23 minute 412 that took me from Roma St at KGS to Chancellors Place, rather than make my way down to North Quay terminal and then walk up to the Uni from the Ferry terminal at the other end.

I love CityCats, but they are very much a niche component of the city's transport system.

[ozbob]

Yes, it is niche ..

The real issues are ignored hey? 

[BrizCommuter]

I hope that the frequency of the all stops CityCats are not reduced for the expresses. Also, the expresses are only useful if they run at the time required by the commuters. Only a fool would wait (for example) 30 minutes for an express services than saves 15 minutes.

[SurfRail]

^ I'm predicting a handful in the peak and nothing more.

[James]

If I was somewhere in the city and wanted to get to somewhere useful at UQ I think the total trip time would be less on a 23 minute 412 that took me from Roma St at KGS to Chancellors Place, rather than make my way down to North Quay terminal and then walk up to the Uni from the Ferry terminal at the other end.

I love CityCats, but they are very much a niche component of the city's transport system.

Depends what side of campus you're on. To get to the UQU building or UQ Centre, the ferry would be better.

15 minutes is a few minutes slower than a car trip to that side of campus - pretty good speedwise. I reckon it'd be useful for those days when Coro Drive craps itself and it becomes a struggle to just get to the Shell on Gailey Rd, yet alone into the city*. Agree that the CityCat is still very niche though.

*Yes there's the train, but when Coro goes out the window, the bus network tends to go with it.

[achiruel]

*Yes there's the train, but when Coro goes out the window, the bus network tends to go with it.

This is clearly a direct result of BCC's moronic everything to the CBD network.

If the 411 ran only Toowong - UQ, it could do twice as many trips and would suffer far fewer effects from Coro Dr congestion.

411 Toowong-UQ BUZ via Hawken Dr:

[#Metro]

I remember when Coro Drive had a bus lane. The LNP got rid of it because it made drivers feel bad.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/end-of-the-road-for-transit-lanes-20130411-2hnbf.html

Though deputy mayor Adrian Schrinner said a decision on reinstating the transit lanes was not planned until after the completion of the $1.5 billion Legacy Way tunnel, he said it was being considered.

It's just vandalism. The whole network goes down and there is no point taking the bus because it gets stuck IN congestion rather than reducing or bypassing it.

And who could forget when a prominent Brisbane Times journalist found herself caught in it all:

Twitter

Katherine Feeney ‏@katherinefeeney

Ridiculous! 30mins on the bus to move from Indro to Toowong. Driver just called depot to report he's 50mins behind schedule #bnetraffic

5:03 PM - Mar 1, 2013

===============

Katherine Feeney ‏@katherinefeeney

That's got to be the longest Indro-city commute ever. 1hr 42mins. Shocking! #bnetraffic

5:59 PM - Mar 1, 2013

================

[aldonius]

Achiruel: that route is still too long! 

[achiruel]

I thought it a good idea to connect with the CityCat at Regatta. Feel free to disagree.

[aldonius]

Ah, totally missed that one.

[achiruel]

Although on a second look, my route clearly went too far into UQ.

[aldonius]

Actually, it skirted around the edge. But it definitely doesn't need to go along Coldridge St - the 412 and 402 have that section more than sufficiently serviced, and there's nowhere to turn around anyway.

[#Metro]

It is possible to double frequencies on route 411 at near neutral cost by using terminate and transfer at Toowong. This was demonstrated back in 2010 ---> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4415.0

It was one of the precursors to bus reform, before the 2013 bus review.

[achiruel]

Not to mention, I'd expect a massive increase in reliability with not having to navigate Coro Dr traffic.

Regarding Coro Dr, should a peak flow HOV lane be reintroduced? T2, T3, bus only?

[aldonius]

I think there should at least be T2 lanes. Both directions in both peaks along Coronation Drive proper, and in peak direction along Moggill Rd to the freeway. Maybe to Kenmore. Goodness only knows it gets busy enough.

[James]

Not to mention, I'd expect a massive increase in reliability with not having to navigate Coro Dr traffic.

Regarding Coro Dr, should a peak flow HOV lane be reintroduced? T2, T3, bus only?

Nothing. There's a railway line right there, buses can just use that. Traffic tends to flow quite well aside from on the meltdown days anyway, from my observations. "Peak flow" doesn't exist on Coro either - loads are pretty constant in both directions.

I thought it a good idea to connect with the CityCat at Regatta. Feel free to disagree.

If you really wanted to do that, you'd turn around using Land St/Sylvan Rd, rather than going down Sherwood/Jephson Rds. All those turns you have the bus doing are pretty congested at the best of times. As a bus user, I'd be happy with just feeding into Toowong station. Chances are I'd just drive to Guyatt Park if I really wanted the CityCat for some reason.