Weaving a total network: cross-town and orbital routes

[#Metro]

Route 358
Nikko raised an interesting point- extend this bus service?
http://translink.com.au/resources/travel-information/services-and-timetables/timetables/071119_354,358.pdf

Brisbane needs to get proper higher frequency cross town services to weave a total network.
Melbourne is moving towards this with its SmartBus routes. Toronto has had this system for a very long time.
There would be other cities which have this.

Public Transport to the CBD for work is good, but it is not the only thing.
Cross-Town trips happen but that market is held by the car at the moment. There is no reason why these trips cannot be served, other cities have managed to do it.

[#Metro]

Map of the idea:


Destinations

Great Western Plains Shopping Centre
Mitchelton Rail Station
Brookside Shopping Centre
South Pine Road intersection & buses
Stafford City Shopping Centre
BUZ 345
Gympie Road buses
Eagle Junction Rail Station
DFO Brisbane Airport

[Golliwog]

I like the idea. I like on the 362 route at Keperra and can use that to get to Brookside but would happily walk up to the Great Western shops for this if it was higher frequency. And it would be more direct, and would give better access to the cinemas at Stafford and Chermside. My one nitpick: Its just the Great Western, not the Great Western Plains.

[#Metro]

  (Don't ask me how plains managed to slip in)

[#Metro]

I thought of extending it to The Gap to meet with the 385, but thought that maybe was overkill... thoughts???

[Golliwog]

Depends, what would you do with the 362? I can see some need for the 362 to continue going over to The Gap, it has quite heavy loads in both directions during school pick up and drop off times (Mitchie High and The Gap Primary and High schools)

[#Metro]

Wasn't sure- just a thought. Feedback?

[Sunbus610]

I wouldn't mind seeing route 358 being extended to do a clock-wise and anti clock wise loop:-

Toombul SC < > Stafford City SC / Everton Park shops via Stafford Rd < > Brookside SC < > via Old Northern Road < > via Rode Road >  via Sandgate Road < > Toombul SC

seven days a week.

[longboi]

Wasn't sure- just a thought. Feedback?

The back-street running is pretty important to the 362 (around Keperra/Kings Park) and I wouldn't want to see a route such as this bogged down with circutous milk running.

[Golliwog]

This is true. But if this new route was continued over to The Gap, would it be worth still having the 362 do that too? most certainly I think so, even if just for the school runs in the morning/afternoon. If during the day you can get a better frequency on it by terminating at the Great Western then I would support that.

[#Metro]

Let me know what people think re: extension to The Gap.
Ideally this route 358 Crosstown would be more frequent to allow transfers into it.

It might be possible to have a direct, frequent route and a "milk run" shadowing service.
This seems to be the strategy when you look at some routes.

http://translink.com.au/resources/travel-information/services-and-timetables/timetables/081027_362.pdf

Route 362 is really infrequent. It has hourly frequency, starting at 7 ish and then continuing until around 5pm.
Skeleton service on Saturday. Nothing on Sunday. Services like this don't get high patronage IMHO due to scope of service- they seem to be targeted more to shoppers/elderly/feeding rail. Maybe it should be like the 193- an occasional shopping bus.

I'm leaning towards terminating 362 at Great Western Shopping Centre and handing over the connecting Great Western-The Gap leg to the 358 Crosstown.

[#Metro]

Destinations proposed for the 358 Crosstown


BUZ 385
The Gap Shopping Centre
Great Western Plains Shopping Centre
Mitchelton Rail Station
Brookside Shopping Centre
South Pine Road intersection & buses
Stafford City Shopping Centre
BUZ 345
Gympie Road buses
Eagle Junction Rail Station
DFO Brisbane Airport

[#Metro]

Ok, I felt like doing a "pitch". 

From the feedback received, this is what it could look like...



Thanks for the suggestions!!

[#Metro]

Any ideas on the frequency/scope of hours???

[somebody]

Any ideas on the frequency/scope of hours???

Since it is largely a shoppers bus, it only makes sense to have it in shopping hours.

[Jonno]

Any ideas on the frequency/scope of hours???

Since it is largely a shoppers bus, it only makes sense to have it in shopping hours.

Until our shopping centers become more mixed use.

[#Metro]

Is it necessary to wait around for the shopping centre to make itself more dense? Shopping centres already support lots of people and activity. Waiting for each shopping centre to redevelop itself will take for ever and ever. Maybe it is because people have an idea that nobody will catch a cross town route?

Melbourne's SmartBus http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/web23/Home.nsf/AllDocs/FF5ECD6545A6083BCA25766600141DE9?OpenDocument
first bus leaves at about 5 am, last bus leaves at about 10pm at night.

http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/route/view/2630

Employees and management staff at these shops need to get in before the shop opens and also after the shop closes. The interchange points will also be operating so late into the night (rail and bus) so people need to be able to transfer off that to the service to get home.

SmartBus would suggest hours of 6am - 9pm, 7 days a week with 15 minute frequency in those hours.  

[Golliwog]

I think yes it is kind of a shopping bus, but also a 'web' link in the overall network. And shopping centers do have their own plans. The Great Western at Keperra is owned by Multiplex (last I checked anyway) who also own the whole hill behind the center and along Settlement Rd until about two thirds of the way between Mugarie St and Yarrabee Rd. I just checked google and the road network for the residential development up the hill has now been added although they have no real construction timetable yet. The shopping center is to be expanded to a bit past Mungarie St and the plans I saw had the first row or two of houses/appartments being what I would probably call medium density. They did seem to want to do this as a number of stages though.

I do agree with your theory TT about staff needing to get to work before and after opening hours, but I'm not sure if thats going to really be do-able with PT for everyone. What time staff need to get there varies from day to day depending on how much needs to be done before/after the shops opens and so what time the service would be needed changes. For example the Pizza Hut (to my knowledge the last to close other than the pub and sometimes Litse) is open until 10pm Sunday-Thursday and Midnight Friday+Saturday but depending on how each night goes you can be out of the store within 10 minutes of locking the door and others you can be so busy during opening hours that you won't get out for at least an hour. And usually at the same time the bakers are just turning up to make the bread at Brumbies. Until you can do services everywhere at decent frequencies until later in the evening if this service was to be implemented I would just go for finishing at 9-10pm.

[aldonius]

Ok, I felt like doing a "pitch". 

From the feedback received, this is what it could look like...

-- image --

Thanks for the suggestions!!

Route Map feedback:

Regarding Mitchelton, I'd make that the large text, like at EJ, with "Ferny Grove Line" and other rail text small and blue like the Buz routes.
Also, Brookside - inclusion?
It's "Great Western Super Centre".

[somebody]

Until our shopping centers become more mixed use.

I take it you are thinking of more restaurants and that kind of thing.  Indro isn't too bad with the movies and Pig 'n' Whistle, but I expect you are after a greater level.

[#Metro]

Regarding Mitchelton, I'd make that the large text, like at EJ, with "Ferny Grove Line" and other rail text small and blue like the Buz routes.
Also, Brookside - inclusion?
It's "Great Western Super Centre".

Thanks for the feedback. I will see what I can do!

Wow, I just cannot get the name of that shopping centre right can I???