Free bus loop in the Kurilpa Peninsula

[Ari 🚋]

Just got an email about BCC considering a new bus loop (same setup as the city loop) for the South Bank/GOMA/Vulture street area. I'd love to link a source that's not a local politician, but this is the only one I could find:

https://www.jonathansri.com/kurilpatrianglebus.

It's looking like a 20 minute frequency, one way loop.

The exact route has not yet been determined. Council's transport planning officers are still working out details like where the bus layover stops will be (for when drivers need to have meal breaks and go to the toilet) and how feasible it will be to run a loop on such busy roads. They've told me that the free loop service is likely to have a frequency of every 20 minutes (which could be better, but hey, I'm not going to knock a free service), and will probably only run in an anti-clockwise direction. This is because corridors like Vulture St and Montague Rd are so heavily congested, and a clockwise route would involve many more right-hand turns, which would add significantly to the route travel times.

Thoughts on this service?

[#Metro]

There is already a one way loop, it's called the Route 198.

Clearly, they don't know their own bus network!

[aldonius]

Seems like this would be a bit of a tighter loop than the 198 though.

I figure this will be largely similar to e.g. the Spring Hill loop service, just quietly getting people around.

(Side note, because those services are free, they don't show up properly in the Go Card data.)

[#Metro]

They don't understand basic bus network planning and the route will be a flop just like the BCC Mt Coot-tha car park shuttle. It will then be scrapped sending us back to the start and having wasted a whole heap of money in the process.

I cannot believe the total lack of knowledge about the importance of network planning displayed by the local councillor. He seems to value the symbolism of the route more than it's utility. Definitely needs a copy of the "Human Transit" book.

The main improvement needed for West End is to get a two way bus right down the end of Boundary St.

[Gazza]

I guess something like this has never been on my  radar, the chief advantage would be that Vulture Street and Merivale st would have a bus along their length rather than bits and pieces of several routes that use it for a short distance.
It reminds me a lot of the CAT buses in Perth:
https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/timetablepdfs/Perth%20CAT%20Timetable%20203%2020201011.pdf
I think the frequency is too low for a service that will inherently be about connecting from a service from elsewhere.
I think the decision to make it one directional is short sighted, there's only 3 right turns.
The service probably should extend to the Hospital precinct as discussed.

[#Metro]

On One Way Loops - Human Transit
https://humantransit.org/2009/07/on-loops.html

Whenever someone proposes a one-way loop as the solution to their transit problem, especially downtown, I feel the need to take a deep breath and offer — in my most calming and supportive voice, as though speaking to someone standing on a ledge — this crucial bit of wisdom that it took me years of study to acquire:

Very few people actually want to travel in circles.

[Gazza]

Yes, i think the clockwise nature makes this worse.
The merivale chord is covered by the Maroon glider, the Montague rd chord is covered by the Blue Glider.
I daresay the Vulture st chord is more relevant to the southside, but they have to go the long way around to access it.

[verbatim9]

I hope the Free Electric City loop extends to the Valley.

Instead of the clockwise service turning down Creek it needs to run down Adelaide Street than Wickham then loop back via Warner Street, Ann Street, Queen then onto Alice street again.

It needs to run 7 days and late into the evening especially on Friday and Saturday evenings.

I might ask Vicki Howard about this one re extension of the city loop to the Valley