390 route extension - letterbox drop

[Andrew]

I came across this on Facebook today. Someone in a group I'm in had this dropped in their letterbox. First I've heard of it.

[Gazza]

Who circulated it?
Is there a link to the petition?

[#Metro]

It is a high quality map plus the printing looks good. Letter box drops cost time and money, so whoever did it has it very organised.

I think it might be an unbranded shadow campaign linked to the BCC local council elections coming up. NB: Speculation.

State is not involved with BUZ routes, those are set by BCC.

If it is a petition then that would make sense too; data harvesting exercise that political parties can then link back to your election commission registration using their special exemption in the Privacy Act.

Blue team aren't known to run petitions for bus routes, green team might but it's not an inner city ward. Maybe it's red team? 🤔.

[Gazza]

https://www.elizabethwatsonbrown.com/390buz

Think it's the local Greens MP.

[Jonno]

If...and still thinking about that...it needs to be own line and not try to connect to the rail by making loops and detours.  Stick to Samford Rd link to the stations on the route (Gaythorne?) if any!

[Gazza]

Gaythorne is not a suitable interchange point yet due to the lack of lifts.

I would say most local routes in the area should start and end at Brookside/Mitchelton.

[#Metro]

I came across this on Facebook today. Someone in a group I'm in had this dropped in their letterbox. First I've heard of it.

It is VERY pleasing to see a low-cost, low-tech, short-turnaround, zero-concrete, practical solution proposed for once!!     

And Green team are not even proposing a subway or a tram... just more decent bus service which we know already to work.

Well done. 

[SurfRail]

Or just have a proper rail feeder...

[Jonno]

And cycling infrastructure

Having said that the road space exists and without a bus lane on it will just encourage people to use it for driving.

[#Metro]

Is this official Green Team policy or is it just an ad-hoc thing by the local member?

[Andrew]

I came across this on Facebook today. Someone in a group I'm in had this dropped in their letterbox. First I've heard of it.

It is VERY pleasing to see a low-cost, low-tech, short-turnaround, zero-concrete, practical solution proposed for once!!     

And Green team are not even proposing a subway or a tram... just more decent bus service which we know already to work.

Well done. 

Problem is it duplicates the train too much and would be a very long route. I'd estimate around an hour off peak. It doesn't have the density like other long BUZ routes to justify it. I would much rather see something like the 367 extended to The Gap or something rather than extending the 390.

[aldonius]

I suspect the loop around Mitchelton is more a detour to get to Brookside than it is for interchange per se.

Enoggera station of course is just a pure interchange detour.

Agree that there's substantial rail duplication here. Much better candidates in other parts of Brisbane for a BUZ. Perhaps not in Watson-Brown's electorate though.

(Side note: the boundaries of Ryan are always a bit cursed. Coopers Camp Rd is both the boundary and the major road connecting the northern and southern/western parts.)

[#Metro]

BUZ 390 Concept Comments
- Frequent feeder + BUZ?, or
- one BUZ route the whole length?

Route would be about 20 km long in this Green Team concept. However, there are other BUZ routes that are very long as well (e.g. Bracken Ridge).

Route 390 is essentially a proto-BUZ already, it just needs some top-up services. The thing is BCC does not have a high-frequency brand for 7am - 7 pm, it only starts at the BUZ level (7 am - 11 pm) and up.

Option to sent it via Patricks Rd Ferny Hills so the tail end acts as a feeder as well as a line-haul service further in. Decision would have to be made whether Ferny Hills or Keperra was in, as it cannot be routed through both.

[Gazza]

Yes @Metro the routing above is what my first impulse was above as well, its nice and direct through Arana hills, and picks up the Kmart there too. You would imagine most pax would ride it only as far as their nearest station (Either Ferny Grove, Grovley or Mitchelton, or ride it end to end if you wanted to get to a shopping center or make onwards connections with the GCL etc.

But to be honest, why does this extension (or any other routing really) need to be tacked onto the existing 390?
Just keep it between Upper Kedron and Brookside as a standalone route as you have it. As you said it becomes a 20km long route.


If anything, the 390 should just continue up along old northern road and maintain a nice north south flow

[STB]

I tend to agree with the above, there is no need for the 390 to be extended in the way that is being pushed by Elizabeth's office (obviously extending the route is political populism).  Just needs to be a local route that runs at least half-hourly between Brookside and Ferny Grove/Upper Kedron, with connections to trains at Ferny Grove and Mitchelton, from there, people can then head into the city.

I'd also retain the 367, just to maintain the connection to the Great Western shops. A new route could potentially mean looking at the 396/397/398 routes and seeing if there can be a simplification of those routes with an upgraded frequency and span of service to go with it - I wouldn't create this new potential route in isolation.

[#Metro]

This part of the world has been a known PT black hole for decades.   

[aldonius]

Decision would have to be made whether Ferny Hills or Keperra was in, as it cannot be routed through both.

Well you see comrade, Keperra is in the MP's electorate and Ferny Hills is across the border...

[aldonius]

A new route could potentially mean looking at the 396/397/398 routes and seeing if there can be a simplification of those routes with an upgraded frequency and span of service to go with it - I wouldn't create this new potential route in isolation.

If you want to maintain the geographic coverage standards then you're basically forced into something like the current routings as far as Ferny Hills is concerned. The street layout is just difficult like that.

What you could see is something like a 369 extension, doing a more direct version of the 398's route. I recall #Metro's 2014 plan had something like this.

But again if this is being state funded there's so many other parts of town to upgrade first. Even specifically within BCC on the north/west there's Musgrave Rd (379 or 380) and the back side of Toowong (470).

---

Hopefully this is just one of a suite of corridor upgrade proposals. Basically, doing the 2041 regional plan a decade early.  Thought I note an extended and BUZzed 390 is not in there...

[AnonymouslyBad]

Obviously this one is all about getting local votes. But it's a perfect example of taking BCC's outdated 1990s thinking and splashing a coat of left-wing paint on top.

Based on policy statements from the last couple of council elections - I'm not sure any candidates, blue, red or green team, "get" public transport. Inefficient and poorly connected services are taken as a given and the only question is how much money to throw at them.

[Jonno]

Buz's have been extremely popular/successful. It's a main road after all.