Richlands to Springfield Central - Stage 2

[ozbob]

^

LETTER: Better feeder buses needed (Springfield Central) > https://t.co/yow9hgAuaZ#qldpol

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) July 25, 2016

[ozbob]

Greater Springfield --> On the Right Track with Springfield Central Station

[ozbob]

Quest Springfield News --> Shaping Springfield campaign will find out what the community wants

Springfield, tell us what you think of your city.

The area has come a long way since it was first established about 25 years ago.

But there is still a long way to go before Springfield is complete. Next week, we will start an online survey asking for your opinion on Springfield.

The survey will cover a wide range of issues, including education, shopping, entertainment, transport and infrastructure.

There will even be a section for you to tell us what you want to read in your local newspaper, the Springfield News.

Keep an eye on the paper so you know when to jump online and have your say.

Follow us: http://facebook.com/springfieldnews

[ozbob]

Queensland Times --> Hundreds daily face fines for botched traffic sign

HUNDREDS of drivers a day face fines for turning right illegally at Springfield Central railway station after a botched traffic arrangement by Queensland Rail.

Cars are driving from suburbs such as Augustine Heights and Brookwater on Southern Cross Circuit and into Trackstar Dr and turning right into Station Rd before picking up or dropping off passengers at the railway station.

Painted on the road on the right lane where Trackstar Dr intersects with Station Rd is a right turning arrow but there is also a sign stating 'no right turn, buses excepted'.

Deputy Mayor Paul Tully said QR had admitted this year that cars should be allowed to turn right legally into Station Rd and that the 'no right turn' sign would be removed by them.

In short, they got it wrong and the sign shouldn't be there.

Ipswich City Council was advised by Translink in May that QR would be fixing the problem in July/August.

Disobeying an indication given by an official traffic sign comes with a fine of $365 and a loss of three points while disobeying an official no right turn sign comes with a $97 fine and the loss of three points.

The QT watched for 15 minutes while scores of vehicles turned right, contrary to what the sign allows.

The anomaly is that cars are allowed to drop off and pick up people at the station in Station Rd, but to get there is illegal.

What some cars are doing is going straight ahead at the intersection between Trackstar Dr and Station Rd and then doing a U-turn around the corner.

But that is easier said than done and one woman told the QT she had tried to do that previously but found it too awkward.

"Some cars do it but it is dangerous and you can't do the turn when there are other cars right behind you," she said.

The QT spoke to commuters who had turned right illegally and were waiting in their cars

"I just ignore the sign," one driver said. "Everyone else is doing it and so far I've got away with it."

Another male commuter said the no right turn sign was "ridiculous" and admitted that he regularly ignored the sign.

Cr Tully has fielded many complaints from angry commuters who had been fined for turning right.

"QR admitted they got it wrong when they opened the railway station two years ago and the cars should be allowed to turn right," Cr Tully said.

"QR had indicated to the council that they would change the signage and send the buses around the back (into Transit Rd) but they have been very tardy in addressing the problem.

"It is time QR fixed the problem because they have known about this for more than nine months

"In the meantime battlers are being fined on their way to work and losing big money for no reason. It has just become a revenue raiser.

"What annoys me is that QR have known about this for nine months and done absolutely nothing.

"My office has received complaints from people getting fined for what QR admits is the wrong layout.

"They know the sign is in the wrong spot but they have done nothing to move it. They have conceded buses should be going straight ahead."

A Queensland Rail spokesperson said "the 'no right turn, buses excepted' sign at Springfield Central station is an Ipswich City Council sign to prevent cars and other vehicles from entering a bus lane, as per standard traffic management".

"It is currently illegal for any vehicle other than buses to turn right at that point," the spokesperson said.

The QR spokeperson said "Queensland Rail is working with Translink and Ipswich City Council on converting the bus lane into a kiss'n'ride facility.

"This project is in the design phase and will require changes to signage and pavement markings on both Queensland Rail and Ipswich City Council controlled roads.

"Upon completion, this work will allow Ipswich City Council to remove the sign.

"Translink and Ipswich City Council provided feedback on the design in September 2016, and it is being further developed by Queensland Rail's design team."

[Stillwater]

And all of this to change a sign?  We need an inter-governmental  tri-partite design team?   

[ozbob]

Bumbling is too kind of a description.

[SurfRail]

I'm more than surprised nobody has just taken the initiative to remove it themselves.

[ozbob]

3rd February 2017

Media Release
Premier and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk

More jobs follow new Springfield Development

More than 1000 jobs are headed for the growing Springfield area as part of the next stage of development, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said today.

Ms Palaszczuk said the partnership between the Springfield Land Corporation and two international investors to undertake a $6 billion development consisting of 10,000 apartments as well as retail and commercial space was a sign of confidence in the Queensland economy.

"I'm told that in the first three years after construction starts early next year, this project will generate 377 jobs directly," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"It will also lead to a further 709 jobs being indirectly created.

"And in the long term, there will be retail jobs created as this development will create its own demand which will lead to jobs."

Ms Palaszczuk said the Springfield Rail Line was very important in development of the region.

"To have a transport-orientated-development- you need transport," the Premier said.

"That's why the Springfield rail line is so important."

Ms Palaszczuk said the investment was a sign of confidence in the Queensland economy and proof the Government's economic plan for Queensland was working.

"Deloitte Access Economics Investment Monitor has confirmed the pipeline of major projects in Queensland is way ahead of New South Wales and Victoria," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"The Investment Monitor lists $152.2 billion worth of known investment projects in Queensland in the December quarter 2016.   New South Wales recorded $132.2 billion and Victoria had just $68.2 billion."

Guangzhou-based R&F Properties, already has several projects underway in Brisbane, including a 30-storey apartment complex in South Brisbane.

The other partner, Hong Kong-based Etone Investment Development Ltd, is new to Australia, but the company intends to make its Australian headquarters in Springfield, creating a further 30 jobs.

Greater Springfield is one of Australia's fastest emerging new cities with a current population of approximately 32,000 people, which is expected to grow to 86,000 residents by 2030.

[ozbob]

Queensland Times --> $6.3 billion project to drive Ipswich population boom

THE TEN thousand apartments to be built at Springfield Central are set to transform Ipswich and contribute up to a stunning 10% of the city's predicted population growth in the next two decades.

Who knows, just like exists in similar suburban centres in Vancouver, Ipswich may well boast driverless trains going back and forth from Springfield Central to service commuters working in Brisbane and in other parts of Ipswich.

As reported earlier this month by the QT, the $6.3 billion development over 15 years has been made possible through Chinese investment and a deal struck between Springfield Land Corporation (SLC) and China's Etone Australia Developments and R&F Properties.

SLC chairman Maha Sinnathamby told The Weekend Australian at the signing ceremony between the parties that the development would "be transformational for the Ipswich region".

Deputy mayor Paul Tully has been an Ipswich councillor for 38 years and said Ipswich had not seen anything like the scale of development planned and that it would drive the projected exponential growth of the city.

Factoring in a conservative figure of two people per apartment, the development could house up to 20,000 people by completion.

"Now that we have just hit 200,000 our prediction is that we will double our population in the next 20 years," Cr Tully said.

"This apartment development alone means that we are well on track to do that and will strengthen our position as the fastest growing city in Queensland."

Cr Tully said that in the town centre area of Springfield, with the commercial development coming and the apartments being constructed just five minutes from the railway station and next to Orion Shopping Centre, it would mean "a complete transition from what Ipswich has ever seen".

"There will be upmarket stores, coffee shops and restaurants all serving the people who live in the 10,000 apartments," he said.

Cr Tully said he had visited a similar suburban satellite centre of Vancouver and the potential for the use of new technologies afforded by the apartment development was exciting.

"In Vancouver, Canada they have driverless trains going from the the heart of Vancouver taking commuters to and from the fringes of the city where people live in suburbia," Cr Tully said.

"They take people into the city for jobs.

"We have driverless cars coming (to Ipswich) and I think driverless trains are the next likely. They work well in Vancouver and are fully automated.

"We are on the edge of a major technological transition and I think this apartment development is just fabulous news for the eastern suburbs of Ipswich."

Cr Tully said the development slated for Springfield Central would also attract retirees seeking a more relaxed suburban atmosphere than the one available to them in Brisbane high rise apartments.

"There will be a lot of people who might be of retirement age who want to remain independent rather than move into a retirement village and this will be perfect," he said.

"So they will be hitting the market at just the right time."

Cr Tully said it was heartening to see such investment confidence in the city from abroad.

"It is a king's ransom of money coming from China to Ipswich," he said.

[ozbob]

Queensland Times 8th April 2017 page 6

Commuters losing patience



Bus?

[achiruel]

Bus?

Might help if the local bus network wasn't so woeful.

[SteelPan]

Sad to see the residents of World Class SEQ complain

......the "SEQ It's All World Class Awesome 2075" State Govt Study clearly shows, the govt is on schedule for not just one...but TWO new [Korean made] shinny new BUS Stops to be installed in the region.....as soon as the preferred locations can be determined and federal funding for ONE of the two - Shinny New Bus Stops - can be negotiated! [subject to major and support EIS and Engineering studies and likely Supreme Court actions and any High Court Appeal outcomes]. Recent news reports have indicated the reclusive, 7 footed winged wombat has been seen in the region in recent years!

The federal minister responsible for any possible future federal contribution to ONE of the planned two shinny new bus stops could not be contacted, as he was in transit, between Melbourne's now underway multi-billion dollar metro rail project and Sydney's on-going multi-billion dollar metro rail program.

The federal ministers spokeswoman, Anna Reachouttoyou, said the minster was hopeful of making a final decision on any federal contribution toward ONE of the two shinny new bus stops by mid 2018, as part of the jointly developed Federal/State "SEQ Let's Make 1987 Great" Strategic Initiative!

< NGR MkII

Meanwhile......back at 1 William St..... zzzzz......zzzzzzz...........zzzzzzz.............zzzzzzz......

[ozbob]

Had a quick trip to Springfield Central this morning.

Few photographs ..



Hopefully onwards to Redbank Plains and Ripley in the not too distant future ..








Honour system book club.  Great idea, seems to be working ok.














Photographs R Dow 29th April 2017

[ozbob]

Springfield Central has 500 parking bays
Never enough feeder bus poor
Illegal parking is common during the working week pic.twitter.com/UYZoSYWhkL

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) April 29, 2017

Remember Springfield Central opened with only 200 parking bays and they added another 300.

Auburn Grove which opened last week (Mandurah line, not that dissimilar to the Richlands <> Springfield Central in some senses) has 2000 parking bays.

There is plenty of space for buses at the station bus stops to properly feed Springfield Central.

[ozbob]

Future site for Ellen Grove station pic.twitter.com/BvqzfIp8JN

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) April 29, 2017

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Grove_railway_station

[dancingmongoose]

Did you get questioned by the station staff like I was last time I was there?

[ozbob]

Did you get questioned by the station staff like I was last time I was there?

No.  Didn't see any staff. 

[tazzer9]

The simplest and easiest short term upgrade they can do is put another 500m of track in and use it as a stabling yard.   Its not near any homes so lighting isn't an issue.  Would solve a lot of teh strange service gaps on the line.

[BrizCommuter]

The simplest and easiest short term upgrade they can do is put another 500m of track in and use it as a stabling yard.   Its not near any homes so lighting isn't an issue.  Would solve a lot of teh strange service gaps on the line.

Lack of stabling isn't causing any timetabling issues. Anyway, trains can be stabled in platforms.

[tazzer9]

The simplest and easiest short term upgrade they can do is put another 500m of track in and use it as a stabling yard.   Its not near any homes so lighting isn't an issue.  Would solve a lot of teh strange service gaps on the line.

Lack of stabling isn't causing any timetabling issues. Anyway, trains can be stabled in platforms.

Then what is the deal with the weird gaps in the peak timetables.   (even the old timetables had them)

[ozbob]

Future slots ...

[ozbob]

Queensland Times --> Wireless electric buses plan to solve parking, traffic woes

A SPRINGFIELD wireless transport company says it has the answer to the area's current parking and traffic woes.

Australian Electric Infrastructure Transport (AEIT) is a company specialising in commercialising the wireless charging of electric vehicles, with a particular focus on public transport.

The Time Magazine Top 50 Inventions-listed company is already operating wireless electric buses and tram systems in South Korea and CEO Rikesh Venay Ram said he wanted to bring the same technology to Springfield to help reduce issues around public transport, parking and traffic.

"We plan to set up an end-to-end zero emission public transport system which if people are interested, can be fully owned and funded by the community," Mr Ram said.

"I'm a local and I know that if I want to get a park at the train station I won't get a park after a certain time and this would completely erase the need for people to drive to the station or drive anywhere that stops along the loop.

"We set up in Springfield because we thought it was a smart city and a great place for technology implementation, plus it's a great opportunity to manufacture this technology here in Queensland and to create a whole new sector of vehicle manufacturing."

Mr Ram said the initial development phase would include two separate loops running around Springfield with two to three pod vehicles each servicing 12-15 people at a time, with a focus on Springfield Central Station and Orion Springfield Central.

AEIT has previously applied for state and federal government funding, but has decided to go out on its own as a private transport company and holds both a public transport licence as well as a power distribution licence. This means with the right amount of funding, it can run and power its own independent transport system and have it up and running within a relatively short time.

Mr Ram said he envisioned there would eventually be a whole network of wireless vehicles travelling in and around Greater Springfield, with the long-term vision of implementing a wireless tram system in place of the proposed train line out to Ripley and Redbank.

"Once the infrastructure is in place we can grow the number of vehicles on the road which would mean we can start to create more vehicles and even smaller, more private vehicles operating in a way similar to that of Uber," he said.

"Based on our technology our prices will cost the same if not less than what is currently being charged for public transport because all of our vehicles are run on electricity which we will generate from renewable energy.

"The cost of setting up the tram line from Springfield to Ripley would also cost only a small amount of money compared to the millions, potentially billions the government is looking to spend, plus we can get it up and running in around one year as opposed to 10 or 15 years."

AEIT will hold a community interest meeting regarding the proposed private transport system at Springfield's Little Tokyo Two on Tuesday, October 24 from 5:30-6:30pm. 

[ozbob]

I suggested electric buses for a local feeder network for Springfield May 2015

Couriermail Quest --> Springfield could see light rail around CBD in an bid to relieve parking woes

... While Rail Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said he is supportive of light rail, he does not believe Springfield will not reach the density required for it to be a success.

He instead suggested electric buses could be a viable option for the area.

"I hear what people are saying but a more likely outcome is the use of electric buses on more dedicated road priority," Mr Dow said.

"Almost looking like a light rail system in essence but not having the high capital cost."

Electric buses can be recharged in the time it takes for passengers to exit the vehicle and are popular overseas. ...

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/BrisbaneWestBUG/status/1038361058702835713

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1038465840381714433