Gazzas 5km Rule

[Gazza]

So I have mentioned this in passing a couple of times, but I reckon a good long term goal for PT should be to have no more than a 5km spacing between radially adjacent line haul routes (Eg, Busways/Railways). These routes should be class A, and the only time the vehicle should need to stop is if it is letting passengers on and off.
The 5km rule comes about because I feel 2.5km cycling each way to get to the route, or a bus ride, or drive of that distance is quite reasonable.

So with that in mind, I mapped out how the City looks at the moment (I've taken the liberty of putting in Springfield and Kippa Ring in, since they are certainties),
and how it would look in 2031, with the Eastern, Northern and Southeast Busway extensions, and the Trouts Rd, Greenbank, and Ripley lines built:


http://img42.imageshack.us/i/brisbaneptcatchement.jpg/


You can see in the left image that Brisbane does indeed have a few PT black holes, however, post 2031 a lot of these gaps would be filled quite well. There are still some lingering ones (orange), but I reckon they could be filled quite easily by doing spur lines off the existing/future line haul routes.

The second rule I have is that everybody should be within 1 km of some sort of high frequency route, this could be the line hauls themselves, or buses/LRT feeding the line haul routes. For those who live within say Zone 2, these could also be buses into the city (Since there would be little benefit in changing mode so close to the city for them.

My fundamental goal is to  weave a web and have everyone within close proximity to decent PT.
The basic idea is that its usable and 'there', and you can look at it and know that any time of the day or night, it will take X amount of time to do your trip, because of how the system is laid out.

This is why I feel that a transfer based system should be established, by all means, have direct services to the low hanging fruit, like hospitals, higher education campuses, shopping centers, and CBDs/Mini CBDs.
But for everywhere else, it should be feeders because it uses less route kilometers yet allows for higher frequency, and doesn't attempt to second guess where people are going.

It's sort of like McDonalds, it's not the best food out there, but at least you can visit and know it will be the same every time.

Even if it's not initially well used because it might require transfers,Iin the future it will begin to show its worth once congestion and oil prices begin to bite. There will be a tipping point where the utility of predictability and legibility in a congested city will outweigh the inconvenience of transferring.

[#Metro]

It's sort of like McDonalds, it's not the best food out there, but at least you can visit and know it will be the same every time.

Even if it's not initially well used because it might require transfers,Iin the future it will begin to show its worth once congestion and oil prices begin to bite. There will be a tipping point where the utility of predictability and legibility in a congested city will outweigh the inconvenience of transferring.

McTransLink

[Gazza]

McTransLink

-Low prices
-Located everywhere
-Fast service
-Available 24 hours
-Very clean toilets

[ozbob]

 

[mufreight]

Good one Gazza but dont depend on the oil prices factor, 15% fare increases have already taken that factor out of the field of play, ongoing increases which it would seem is the intent of Translink to restrict public transport usage and delay their having to provide additional services.   

[#Metro]

http://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/fares/planned-fares
The single ticket paper price is missing for later years.


If you fight on fares, you will lose. There are many trips that are not transit-competitive because of the way the network is designed and the focus on work trips to and from the CBD. These are trips like picking the kids up from school, taking your daughter to ballet or swimming after school, going shopping straight after work, visiting IKEA or Bunnings on the weekend (this is very popular thing to do in Brisbane).

Until we have McTransLink in operation- a frequent, fast, all-day and weekend core frequent network and proper core rail frequency, we're going to be in trouble. This is why i feel BUZ expansion to fill in the arterial roads and improved rail frequency on is so important. If that means running it in Class C ROW or Class B ROW as interim measures, so be it.

Somebody asked in another thread 'why not catch a train to interchange to 140/150/130'. The reason is very simple, these are illegible interchanges and the frequency of the trains is half hourly. Nobody, except the really really transit dependant, such as students and pensioners are going to do this kind of thing. It is like trying to use a freeway that is only open every half hour. Why bother?

[Stillwater]

Actually, TT, there is an Adelaide example of a freeway that opened in either direction, depending on the time of day.

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

[#Metro]

How bizzare!!! It is up there with Moggill Ferry I suppose.

[Golliwog]

How bizzare!!! It is up there with Moggill Ferry I suppose.

Whats bizarre about the Moggil Ferry?

[#Metro]

Um, that it exists. 

[colinw]

On the basis of those maps, the importance of both the busway to Capalaba and rail down the interstate corridor can be seen. Both of those lines will bring frequent public transport with a high quality right of way to as many or more people than will be served by the Springfield line.

In terms of bringing Class A ROW to a public transport deprived area, only the Kippa-Ring line is more critical.

I wonder if a busway to Capalaba will bring about a crisis of capacity on the inner city part of the Busway network, in particular the cultural centre & Victoria bridge.

[somebody]

Somebody asked in another thread 'why not catch a train to interchange to 140/150/130'. The reason is very simple, these are illegible interchanges and the frequency of the trains is half hourly. Nobody, except the really really transit dependant, such as students and pensioners are going to do this kind of thing. It is like trying to use a freeway that is only open every half hour. Why bother?

Not in the PM peak, which is what was being discussed at the time.

Um, that it exists. 

I'm with others.  I don't see what is strange about the Moggill Ferry.  If you mean: why isn't it a bridge, that would be different.

[Gazza]

My younger years were spent in the South Australian riverlands, and car ferries were a common sight.

[#Metro]

I hate to say this, but I'm not sure if the picture is a good representation of mobility.
See, if the train is every 30 minutes off peak, then most of those stations disappear entirely off the map.

I feel that 15 minute frequency is the bare minimum that people will bother to consider PT.
Under a feeder and transfer model this green section would probably increase enough to allow 15 minutes as the map shows, but if they don't do it
it will be far far less.

A 15 minute map of Brisbane would show that Brisbane is a bus city, rail is really only good in peak due to poor frequency on it.

[colinw]

Call it a good representation of potential mobility then.

[#Metro]

I would agree with that colinw. Brisbane would be all in the green zone if they fixed up rail frequency. Look how much coverage you get from all 140+ stations all over the QR network.
Rail is the sleeping giant.

[Gazza]

I hate to say this, but I'm not sure if the picture is a good representation of mobility.
See, if the train is every 30 minutes off peak, then most of those stations disappear entirely off the map.

I feel that 15 minute frequency is the bare minimum that people will bother to consider PT.
Under a feeder and transfer model this green section would probably increase enough to allow 15 minutes as the map shows, but if they don't do it
it will be far far less.

A 15 minute map of Brisbane would show that Brisbane is a bus city, rail is really only good in peak due to poor frequency on it.

In 2031, there will be 15 minute frequency.

[O_128]

I hate to say this, but I'm not sure if the picture is a good representation of mobility.
See, if the train is every 30 minutes off peak, then most of those stations disappear entirely off the map.

I feel that 15 minute frequency is the bare minimum that people will bother to consider PT.
Under a feeder and transfer model this green section would probably increase enough to allow 15 minutes as the map shows, but if they don't do it
it will be far far less.

A 15 minute map of Brisbane would show that Brisbane is a bus city, rail is really only good in peak due to poor frequency on it.

In 2031, there will be 15 minute frequency.

15min frequency in 2011, by 2031 im expecting minimum of 10 off peak, once the track constraints are fixed theres simply no excuse.

[#Metro]

15 min frequency in 2011, by 2031 im expecting minimum of 10 off peak, once the track constraints are fixed theres simply no excuse.

Here's a challenge for Queensland Rail: Become more like Paris RER.

By 2031, the QR Rail network be capable of operating trains every 10 minutes, in both directions at the same time.
That doesn't mean 10 minutes to the Gold Coast or whatever, but capable of doing this.

So in greater Brisbane

Every 10 minutes to Manly
Every 10 minutes to Beenleigh
Every 10 minutes to Ipswich
Every 10 Minutes to Ferny Grove
Every 10 minutes to Caboolture
Every 10 minutes to Shorncliffe
Maybe every 10 minutes to Doomben/Hamilton.

The QR Rail system is a multi-billion dollar asset. It needs to be worked like a workhorse.

With frequencies like this in the off-peak, you don't need to bother about bus-rail co-ordination, it is automatic.