1 April 2010: Queensland: Growth Management Summit - public transport a key

[ozbob]

Media Release 1st April 2010

Queensland:  Growth Management Summit - public transport a key

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has congratulated the Premier and the Queensland Government, and all who contributed to the recent Growth Management Summit.  Reports from the summit will be forthcoming, but from a transport perspective it is clear that public transport is a major issue moving forward in managing sustainable growth.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"A common thread running through the presentations and discussion at the Growth Management Summit was the need to maximise public transport, and improve integration of the various public transport modes and improve active transport network connectivity.  In south-east Queensland it is clear that there needs to be a shift from cars to public mass transport.  Rail is well placed for this and projects such as the Cross River Rail will allow very significant long term gains in frequency and capacity."

"Many delegates identified the present inequity with the go card fare structure.  If we are to maximise public transport a fare structure that encourages citizens to use public transport as first choice, an equitable fare structure for the go card needs urgent implementation."

"The under utilisation of the present public transport asset was also highlighted.  The rail network is capable of supporting a much improved train frequency today.  A failure to address the obvious timetable gaps on the Sunshine Coast line, the Ipswich to Rosewood line does not encourage people to use public transport. The gaps and poor frequency on all lines now must be addressed with immediate priority.  Increased rail frequency will also help relieve the problems with failed bus - rail connections.  Improvement here will also drive public transport use."

"The report from the Summit will be available in a couple weeks (2).  In terms of public transport it is clear today what needs to be done.  Let's get cracking!"

References:

1. http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=69179

2. http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3619.msg24020#msg24020

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Discussion thread  click -->  here!

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

1st April 2010

Greetings,

The TransLink Tracker 2009-2010 Q2 was released today.
http://download.translink.com.au/about/0910q2_tracker.pdf

The evidence is stark, page 10  Customer Satisfaction Reliability and Frequency

The frequency on our rail network is 30 years behind the times.

Would you wait 60 minutes for a train to go home?  How about 2 hours?  No?  You would drive I guess and join the mayhem.

Cheers
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
RAIL Back On Track

=========

Media Release 1st April 2010

Queensland:  Growth Management Summit - public transport a key

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has congratulated the Premier and the Queensland Government, and all who contributed to the recent Growth Management Summit.  Reports from the summit will be forthcoming, but from a transport perspective it is clear that public transport is a major issue moving forward in managing sustainable growth.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"A common thread running through the presentations and discussion at the Growth Management Summit was the need to maximise public transport, and improve integration of the various public transport modes and improve active transport network connectivity.  In south-east Queensland it is clear that there needs to be a shift from cars to public mass transport.  Rail is well placed for this and projects such as the Cross River Rail will allow very significant long term gains in frequency and capacity."

"Many delegates identified the present inequity with the go card fare structure.  If we are to maximise public transport a fare structure that encourages citizens to use public transport as first choice, an equitable fare structure for the go card needs urgent implementation."

"The under utilisation of the present public transport asset was also highlighted.  The rail network is capable of supporting a much improved train frequency today.  A failure to address the obvious timetable gaps on the Sunshine Coast line, the Ipswich to Rosewood line does not encourage people to use public transport. The gaps and poor frequency on all lines now must be addressed with immediate priority.  Increased rail frequency will also help relieve the problems with failed bus - rail connections.  Improvement here will also drive public transport use."

"The report from the Summit will be available in a couple weeks (2).  In terms of public transport it is clear today what needs to be done.  Let's get cracking!"

References:

1. http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=69179

2. http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3619.msg24020#msg24020

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[Jon Bryant]

Immediate halt to freeway upgrade, extensions and new routes.  Redirect all costs to public and active transport.

[ozbob]

http://imaginativeamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/imagi_cars-vs-bus-vs-bikes.jpg

Comparison of space usage by cars, buses, and bikes.  

http://www.imaginativeamerica.com/category/mit/

[ozbob]

http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/48/Files/Cost_of_road_crashes_in_Australia.pdf

Cost of road crashes in Australia 2006  (Ed:  this is the latest available apparently - still huge).

Executive summary

The social cost of road crashes was an estimated $17.85 billion in 2006 (1.7 per cent of GDP).
This was a real decrease of 7.5 per cent compared to 1996 estimates (Bureau of Transport
Economics 2000).

Fatal crashes cost an estimated $3.87 billion, injury crashes an estimated $9.61 billion and
property damage crashes an estimated $4.36 billion.

Human losses—workplace and household losses, non-pecuniary losses and disability-related
costs—were 61.5 per cent of the cost of crashes

[johnnigh]

These numbers are horrifying, but don't seem to horrify policy makers very much because it has been going on for so long, like a century.

We can also see that were road trauma to be significantly reduced, a lot of people would be out of work - panel beaters, surgeons, police, ambos, you name it, they rely on road trauma for their jobs. And I exaggerate only a little. 

It also illustrates the stupidity of our measures of economic performance, which would be devastated by significant reduction in trauma, nearly 2% of GDP. GDP is so simplistic that both goods and bads are counted as positives. Whole professions would be eliminated as 'bads' were also eliminated. Measures of actually 'good' performance have been resisted by all concerned ever since national income was defined back in the 1930s.

[ozbob]

Yes John, stunning. The ongoing costs to the community as a result of road trauma is ballooning.  I suspect that as the road death toll is falling the long term injury rate is climbing.  These figures are a tremendous reason why public transport must be significantly ramped up.  Rail is at least 40 times safer than road.  Investment in rail is sound. 

[#Metro]

We can also see that were road trauma to be significantly reduced, a lot of people would be out of work - panel beaters, surgeons, police, ambos, you name it, they rely on road trauma for their jobs. And I exaggerate only a little

This is the broken window fallacy. If this were true, then we would be creating economic growth by periodically demolishing our cities and re-building them. This is not the case. Destruction always causes a loss to society/the economy, it just may not be obvious as to its extent or location at the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_broken_window