Solving Brisbane's public transport woes: experts tell

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Solving Brisbane's public transport woes: experts tell

Over-crowding on Southeast Queensland's peak-hour trains and buses is Brisbane's achilles heel problem.

On Tuesday the state government released a quarterly report showing for the first time that Brisbane City Council's extensive bus fleet is not meeting state government guidelines.


Rush hour to Brisbane lasts four hours

Traffic is now busiest on the Pacific Motorway from 5am as tradies try to beat the peak hour rush to Brisbane.

On Monday Fairfax Media reported that the Caboolture and Ferny Grove rail lines were now Southeast Queensland's busiest, but improvements cannot be made for two years.

Last week we reported that "peak hour" on the Pacific Motorway was now four hours long in the morning.

This is how seven of Brisbane's public transport thinkers would fix our peak-hour public transport problems.

Marc Miska - Senior Research Fellow, Smart Transport Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology.

"To tackle congestion it is necessary to shift or spread peak demand. The last five to 10 per cent of drivers to join traffic during peak hour are the ones who turn relatively slow but free-flowing traffic into congested traffic.

"Furthermore, once the network breaks down and congestion is happening, the recovery will take hours, leading to the major disruptions recently experienced on the Logan Motorway and other major roads into Brisbane.

"With a vast majority of jobs inside the CBD that do not require client contact (i.e. people working office jobs), the introduction of core business hours and flexible work arrangements are the way forward.

"Incentives from employers and public transport agencies could be valuable, and drivers need to realise that they are not stuck in congestion, but they are the congestion."

Engineers Australia – infrastructure spokesman Chris Warnock

"Once our public transport system is defined by overcrowding on services, low levels of accessibility for our population distribution, and critical constraints on our ability to expand the functionality of our existing system, then we cannot avoid growing pains and transport congestion.

"We now need to seriously commit to planning and investing in our public transport that will allow us to get in front of our growing demands, investing in initiatives that will progressively build towards our planned and integrated system outcomes rather than continue with opportunistic and disconnected initiatives responding to crises as they emerge."

Our priorities are Cross River Rail, increasing busway capacity for city centre access and a dedicated freight rail access to Port of Brisbane."

RACQ – executive director public policy Michael Roth

"The greatest public transport priority for Brisbane has to be to advance Cross River Rail. We have a whole rail network that is dependent on one inner-city crossing that is roughly at capacity. And we have just one corridor for all trains through the CBD.

"So in the section from Roma Street to Bowen Hills - if there is one little drama - every train in the network will get delayed."

"In terms of buses, most cities which have a rail network of our scale operate differently, where buses serve their train station, rather than all going to the city."

"We need those rail stations to become suburban hubs. Once we've got the better rail network leading into the CBD that can take the pressure off the buses so they can do their job which is to collect people and deliver them to these hubs."

Griffith University's Urban Research Program – Professor Matthew Burke

"We need the Cross River Rail project and more trains so our 200 plus kilometres of rail track can be turned into a higher-capacity system.

"Then we need buses running to rail stations. Only nine per cent of Brisbane's rail passengers presently get to a station by bus – one of the lowest percentages in the Western world.

"Our buses can be used much more efficiently given we have the highest proportion of buses running empty in all of Australia's large cities.

"Melbourne's SmartBuses show that frequent cross-suburban routes servicing good rail station interchanges can be extremely good for battling congestion."

Ben Wilson – Bicycle Queensland

"We can't! But bicycles only help this unsolvable problem.

"Let's increase capacity on public transport by getting more passengers switching to bicycles. It's a win-win. More drivers changing to bikes also reduces congestion.

"Building more connections to our many great bikeways (closing the gaps) works, and with 10% of bikes going electric, hills and sweat are no longer such a challenge.

"More bike storage sheds at public transport stations also encourages public transport use.

"School drop off zones create congestion. Improving footpaths to and from schools moves kids from back-seats to feet, scooters and bicycles. That's another win-win."

Geoff Leeming – Queensland Community Alliance

"People in communities like Logan need quality, reliable public transport. We all know the problems on the M1 so we need to give alternatives to taking a car.

"Buses should run minimum 5am to 11pm, not finish at 7pm. There needs to be high-frequency buses running east-west in Logan to allow residents to get to transport hubs.

"Councils must be financial partners with State Government to create solutions.

"In the short-term. community transport initiatives such as mini-buses that pick up people when buses aren't running are essential."

"People can't get jobs in industrial areas like Slacks Creek because they can't get to work on time.

"People living in developing areas such as Yarrabilba and Flagstone are trapped if they don't have a car."

Robert Dow - Rail Back on Track

"One of the problems with Brisbane public transport is that is mainly radial, with journeys to and from the CBD.

"We need bus network reform to allow more buses to connect locally across suburbs and to rail, and avoid CBD radial congestion.The busways will need to move to super-buses operating in a trunk and feeder pattern (a bit like a rail network).

"Fare reform is also a tool. Making "out of peak" and "early/late peak travel" more attractive in terms of cheaper fares is needed. That would mean  more than the current 20 per cent discount for off peak.

More flexible work hours will help.

Continued investment in trains will improve frequency over broader peaks and Cross River Rail must go ahead."

^  Very telling article.  No one seems enthused about Quirk's Metro or Hardings light rail ... 

[ozbob]

It is obvious what is needed.  And still they play the fiddles ...

Plenty of ammo here LD! 

Griffith University's Urban Research Program – Professor Matthew Burke

"We need the Cross River Rail project and more trains so our 200 plus kilometres of rail track can be turned into a higher-capacity system.

"Then we need buses running to rail stations. Only nine per cent of Brisbane's rail passengers presently get to a station by bus – one of the lowest percentages in the Western world.

"Our buses can be used much more efficiently given we have the highest proportion of buses running empty in all of Australia's large cities.

"Melbourne's SmartBuses show that frequent cross-suburban routes servicing good rail station interchanges can be extremely good for battling congestion."

^ spot on

[red dragin]

Gee, when the RACQ, a organisation dedicated to cars, can see that feeder buses to train stations, and CRR are the key, but our politicians can't, what hope do we have?

I sometimes wonder if the Government itself should be privatized and run like a business.

Then I remember Metro in Victoria and get over that idea 

[verbatim9]

Its a good article Hopefully action after the election

[ozbob]

Gee, when the RACQ, a organisation dedicated to cars, can see that feeder buses to train stations, and CRR are the key, but our politicians can't, what hope do we have?
...

The comments were all done independently.  It is really good how there is agreement on what needs to happen.  The politicians need to wake up and starting doing the reform process. 

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

3rd March 2016

Re: An open letter to the Citizens of Brisbane

Greetings,

Brisbanetimes has published today an article:

Solving Brisbane's public transport woes: experts tell

> http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/solving-brisbanes-public-transport-woes-experts-tell-20160301-gn7tol.html

It is clear what is needed.   Sadly Lord Mayor Quirk and ALP Lord Mayor Candidate Rod Harding still don't get it?

Best wishes
Robert

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

Sent to all outlets:

2nd March 2016

An open letter to the Citizens of Brisbane

Dear Fellow Citizens,

It is with some regret and some relief that I write to you today.

Yesterday, we had the public release of the TransLink Tracker quarterly report - Oct to Dec (Q2) 2015-16.

If you recall, the TransLink Tracker has been published over the years, but was stopped by the Newman Government.  To the great Credit of the Palaszczuk Government, particularly the former Minister for Transport Ms Trad, and the current Minister for Transport Mr Hinchliffe and their staffs, publication of the Tracker has recommenced.

This Q2 report is very significant because it has for the first time some real bus on time performance data for the bus regions in SEQ has been made available. Thank you to Minister Hinchliffe and staff for making this happen.

We also find that detailed patronage is now reported as well.

I have advocated for years that the real data for bus on time performance be made available.  It has been clear to me for many years that previous data reported was not true.  How can we sort out failure if it is hidden from public view?

Brisbane bus performance as reported in the Q2 TransLink Tracker is very unsatisfactory. Particularly when we consider that Brisbane has an extensive busway network, and not all buses are running on the normal road system for all of their journeys.

What needs to happen from here is that a proper bus network reform process needs to proceed immediately.  Our RAIL Back On Track Members worked for over a year to prepare an example of how the Brisbane Bus network can be reformed for near neutral cost. This proposed network would improve connectivity and coverage, it would also deliver more frequent service to all of Brisbane. It would drive patronage and this turn means a better fare box and more scope for fare reform. It would mobilise our community and help in some part to ameliorate the worsening road congestion.

Brisbane does not need ' gold plated ' infrastructure proposals that cost many billions of dollars.  We need commonsense and the realisation that if we use what we have got wisely, profound gains can be made for little cost.

It is time to put the petty politics aside, and embrace bus network reform for the benefit of all Citizens of Brisbane.

Best wishes
Robert

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

TransLink Tracker quarterly report - Oct to Dec (Q2) 2015-2016 now available
https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/translink-division-quarterly-reports/resource/d7568d69-25cc-4019-ad22-796cd6057b7d

Brisbane - bus network proposal > http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11047.0