TransLink: New Farm changes - information session

[Golliwog]

BrizCommuter agrees with DWB that the slip lane off Brunswick St to Ivory Street is dangerous to pedestrians. In fact it's probably one of the most potentially dangerous locations for pedestrians in Central Brisbane.

Fair enough, you are entitled to your opinion.

Would a pedestrian (zebra) crossing sort this issue in your opinion?

I don't think it would. If anything, either a traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing, or put up barriers to prevent pedestrians crossing there at all and get them to use the Ivory/Berwick St traffic lights.

[somebody]

I think either would be going way too far.  One of the things which annoys me about living in Brisbane is the obsession with slowing down everything with traffic lights.

Fair dinkum, if a zebra crossing is dangerous to get across a single lane, then you are saying that is a dangerous option anywhere aren't you?

[SurfRail]

I can't remember if it has been mentioned previously, but I know that TransLink want at least one of the 196 or 199 to use Ivory St full time.  This is meant to be assessed as part of the second stage of New Farm improvements some time in the year following 6 June 2011, which is apparently also going to be looking at the upper 470 and the 393.

[Golliwog]

I think either would be going way too far.  One of the things which annoys me about living in Brisbane is the obsession with slowing down everything with traffic lights.

Fair dinkum, if a zebra crossing is dangerous to get across a single lane, then you are saying that is a dangerous option anywhere aren't you?

Or you could modify the pedestrian crossing lights. The ones in London are only red for maybe 5 seconds? Something quite short. They then flash yellow. When they flash yellow, it basically means, if pedestrians are still crossing, stay stopped, but if they're not, then go for it. Work much better as you avoid the possibility of having an Abbey Rd happen.

[dwb]

Below is the opinion of a friend of mine who's been living on the peninsular for about the last 10 years... long story short, she doesn't believe the inbound "shortcut" through the tunnel really is that much faster and it does indeed confuse passengers but she does see it as an afternoon outbound frustration. Her suggested compromise is to send the routes inbound via Brunswick Ann St but to avoid it on the afternoon... now that does make the route sort of 'unbalanced' but it could be a better approach to compromise between Somebody's obsession with bypassing the Valley for speed (which is mostly an outbound thing) and not losing the legibility of servicing the centre of the valley (at least for inbound customers).

i've never understood the purpose of the 195. it just seems to provide gratuitous express services at peak time to anyone willing to walk to Brunswick Street. by the way the express sevice on any of these makes little difference in the mroning (except confusing and inconveniencing people who want to get off in the valley and don't realise that their only opportunity is at Bravo). The win is in the afternoon, particularly in peak, when the alternative is to do a lap of the valley in monster traffic before heding to new farm. I'd be happy if they ditched the express in the morning and made them all express in the afternoon!

[dwb]

BrizCommuter agrees with DWB that the slip lane off Brunswick St to Ivory Street is dangerous to pedestrians. In fact it's probably one of the most potentially dangerous locations for pedestrians in Central Brisbane.

Fair enough, you are entitled to your opinion.

Would a pedestrian (zebra) crossing sort this issue in your opinion?

1) entitled to your opinion are you serious? i've seen so many almosts a this point it is not funny.
2) no a zebra crossing would not help

[somebody]

Below is the opinion of a friend of mine who's been living on the peninsular for about the last 10 years... long story short, she doesn't believe the inbound "shortcut" through the tunnel really is that much faster and it does indeed confuse passengers but she does see it as an afternoon outbound frustration. Her suggested compromise is to send the routes inbound via Brunswick Ann St but to avoid it on the afternoon... now that does make the route sort of 'unbalanced' but it could be a better approach to compromise between Somebody's obsession with bypassing the Valley for speed (which is mostly an outbound thing) and not losing the legibility of servicing the centre of the valley (at least for inbound customers).

i've never understood the purpose of the 195. it just seems to provide gratuitous express services at peak time to anyone willing to walk to Brunswick Street. by the way the express sevice on any of these makes little difference in the mroning (except confusing and inconveniencing people who want to get off in the valley and don't realise that their only opportunity is at Bravo). The win is in the afternoon, particularly in peak, when the alternative is to do a lap of the valley in monster traffic before heding to new farm. I'd be happy if they ditched the express in the morning and made them all express in the afternoon!

That was ButFli's opinion also.  I don't really support it because it makes the service less legible.  I'd agree that there is little in Ivory St vs Ann St heading inbound, but if you are using Ivory St outbound it just makes sense that it should use it inbound, as there isn't really any significant reason not to.

[Golliwog]

Theres another consultation session this weekend:

TransLink Staff will be available on Saturday 7 May to give you information and answer your questions about the upcoming changes.
Where:
New Farm Neighbourhood Centre
967 Brunswick Street, New Farm
When:
Saturday 7 May 2011
Time:
Staff available from 9am until 12pm

Also, the following is on the bottom of the page:

Are you part of a community group or organisation in the New Farm area and would like TransLink to come out to your group to give you information about these changes? Call us on 13 12 30 anytime to organise one.

[ButFli]

Below is the opinion of a friend of mine who's been living on the peninsular for about the last 10 years... long story short, she doesn't believe the inbound "shortcut" through the tunnel really is that much faster and it does indeed confuse passengers but she does see it as an afternoon outbound frustration. Her suggested compromise is to send the routes inbound via Brunswick Ann St but to avoid it on the afternoon... now that does make the route sort of 'unbalanced' but it could be a better approach to compromise between Somebody's obsession with bypassing the Valley for speed (which is mostly an outbound thing) and not losing the legibility of servicing the centre of the valley (at least for inbound customers).

i've never understood the purpose of the 195. it just seems to provide gratuitous express services at peak time to anyone willing to walk to Brunswick Street. by the way the express sevice on any of these makes little difference in the mroning (except confusing and inconveniencing people who want to get off in the valley and don't realise that their only opportunity is at Bravo). The win is in the afternoon, particularly in peak, when the alternative is to do a lap of the valley in monster traffic before heding to new farm. I'd be happy if they ditched the express in the morning and made them all express in the afternoon!

That was ButFli's opinion also.  I don't really support it because it makes the service less legible.  I'd agree that there is little in Ivory St vs Ann St heading inbound, but if you are using Ivory St outbound it just makes sense that it should use it inbound, as there isn't really any significant reason not to.

But the regular non-Ivory St service provided by 199 et al is unbalanced anyway! If you turned up at Warner St thinking you'd catch a 19x to West End you'd be disappointed. Ann St towards the city and Ivory St towards New Farm is less unbalanced than that.

I'll also toss my 2 cents into the ring and say that yes, the Ivory St slip lane is dangerous. Very dangerous. I've been through as a pedestrian, a driver and a bus passenger and I've seen so many near misses it isn't funny. People take one step out on the road and then quickly jump back when they realise they're about to get hit. Part of the problem is that you can't tell until it's too late which vehicles are going to use the slip lane. This in turn is caused by visibility of right-turn inidcators being obscured. Anyone who says it is safe hasn't been in the area very long.

[somebody]

But the regular non-Ivory St service provided by 199 et al is unbalanced anyway! If you turned up at Warner St thinking you'd catch a 19x to West End you'd be disappointed. Ann St towards the city and Ivory St towards New Farm is less unbalanced than that.

Indeed it is, but why not fix it properly, rather than a half baked fix of keeping Ann St inbound?  A minor issue is that the last stop inbound on Brunswick St is further away from Ann St than the outbound stop.

I'll also toss my 2 cents into the ring and say that yes, the Ivory St slip lane is dangerous. Very dangerous. I've been through as a pedestrian, a driver and a bus passenger and I've seen so many near misses it isn't funny. People take one step out on the road and then quickly jump back when they realise they're about to get hit. Part of the problem is that you can't tell until it's too late which vehicles are going to use the slip lane. This in turn is caused by visibility of right-turn inidcators being obscured. Anyone who says it is safe hasn't been in the area very long.

Ok, that makes sense.  I think you meant left turn indicators though.  If that's the issue though, I don't know why a zebra crossing wouldn't help.

I don't go down to this part of town at peak times.

[ButFli]

I'll also toss my 2 cents into the ring and say that yes, the Ivory St slip lane is dangerous. Very dangerous. I've been through as a pedestrian, a driver and a bus passenger and I've seen so many near misses it isn't funny. People take one step out on the road and then quickly jump back when they realise they're about to get hit. Part of the problem is that you can't tell until it's too late which vehicles are going to use the slip lane. This in turn is caused by visibility of right-turn inidcators being obscured. Anyone who says it is safe hasn't been in the area very long.

Ok, that makes sense.  I think you meant left turn indicators though.  If that's the issue though, I don't know why a zebra crossing wouldn't help.

I don't go down to this part of town at peak times.

A left turn for the car. The indicator is on my right when I look at the car, though. :p

A zebra crossing might work, but I suspect it would cause traffic to back up significantly which in turn blocks a lane of Brunswick St.

[somebody]

A zebra crossing might work, but I suspect it would cause traffic to back up significantly which in turn blocks a lane of Brunswick St.

A possibility, but I would still resist having a full signalised crossing here. Maybe the "Pelican" crossing referred to by someone above.  i.e. lights flash yellow after a short red cycle.

[dwb]

Do you know of any "pelican" crossings in Queensland?

[somebody]

Do you know of any "pelican" crossings in Queensland?

No.  They have introduced them in NSW in the past though.  Pretty sure they still have something along those lines in some places.

[ButFli]

A zebra crossing might work, but I suspect it would cause traffic to back up significantly which in turn blocks a lane of Brunswick St.

A possibility, but I would still resist having a full signalised crossing here. Maybe the "Pelican" crossing referred to by someone above.  i.e. lights flash yellow after a short red cycle.

Woah settle down. I don't want a signalled crossing. That would cause even more problems than a zebra. I think people should be discouraged from needing to cross there as much as possible and this includes adjusting the position of the last inbound bus stop on Brunswick St if necessary.

[Golliwog]

Let me first say that I'm in favour of getting people to cross somewhere else. However if we're putting some form of crossing in then I would go with a Pelican rather than a Zebra. The problem with zebra crossings is pedestrians will generally assume that cars will stop for them, but this is not always the case, especially when the car driver might not see the pedestrian waiting. Pelicans (In my experience anyway) is the best of a traffic lighted crossing and a zebra crossing. They make sure the car stops and then allows them to go again as soon as the pedestrain is clear, unlike some traffic light crossings which stay red for a rather large period of time, as if they were expecting a whole class of students to be crossing single file.

[dwb]

Do you know of any "pelican" crossings in Queensland?

No.  They have introduced them in NSW in the past though.  Pretty sure they still have something along those lines in some places.

That is a different transport department, I doubt Qld Transport would install just one such light.

[dwb]

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/brisbane-bus-services-boosted-20110516-1epnz.html

Brisbane bus services boosted
Daniel Hurst
May 17, 2011 - 5:35AM
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Brisbane commuters heading to the University of Queensland, New Farm and southside suburbs will gain more frequent bus services from next month.

Under changes coinciding with new train timetables on several rail lines, the state government will fund extra services on five popular Brisbane Transport bus routes.

The measures will see two existing routes – 196 (New Farm to Fairfield via the CBD) and 120 (Upper Mt Gravatt to CBD) – converted to high-frequency commutes.

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This means passengers should never have to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus in peak times or 15 minutes in off-peak times including weekends and public holidays.

"Turn-up-and-go" services will also be available to commuters transferring from the Indooroopilly railway station to UQ at St Lucia.

Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said people making this trip would have a bus at least every 10 minutes in peak times or 15 minutes in off-peak times on either route 427, 428 or 432.

"This package recognises that Indooroopilly train station will become an even more important hub in the network as it forms part of the new simplified express train stopping pattern," she said in a statement.

Ms Palaszczuk said the extra services would result in an extra 47,000 bus seats being available to commuters on the network each week.

A TransLink spokesman said minor changes would be made to other route timetables but there would not be a reduction in services.

He said New Farm's 196 and 197 routes would be combined into one route as part of the overhaul.

However, boosting 196 to a high-frequency route would still result in an extra 19,000 seats being available to New Farm each week, he said.

Ms Palaszczuk said TransLink consulted with the New Farm community about the restructure and the feedback was "overwhelmingly positive".

She said changes would take effect on June 6, when sweeping timetables changes on the Rosewood, Ipswich, Caboolture and Sunshine Coast railway lines would make an additional 150,000 seats available to customers on train services each week.

"This Brisbane bus package, together with the new train timetables will be the most significant enhancement to our network ever," she said.

"It delivers the final piece of our commitment to add an additional 305,000 weekly seats to the network in the current financial year, on top of the 300,000 additional weekly seats added last year."

The changes

Routes 196, 197

Route 197 (New Farm-City-Fairfield Gardens) will be amalgamated into the similar Route 196 (New Farm-City-Fairfield).
Route 196 will become high-frequency with services every 10 minutes for a bus in peak times or 15 minutes in off-peak times including weekends and public holidays.
The government says this will result in an extra 19,000 bus seats each week on this corridor.
Route 120

This route, connecting Upper Mt Gravatt to the CBD, will become high-frequency with services every 10 minutes for a bus in peak times or 15 minutes in off-peak times including weekends and public holidays.
The government says this will result in an extra 19,000 bus seats each week on this corridor, meeting growth around Coopers Plains, Annerley, Salisbury, Tarragindi and Nathan.
Routes 427, 428, 432

A bus on one of these routes between Indooroopilly station and the University of Queensland will leave every 10 minutes in peak times or 15 minutes in off-peak times on weekdays.
However, services on Saturdays will be every 30 minutes and on Sundays every hour.
The government says this will result in an extra 9000 bus seats each week on this corridor.

Ed. Oops sorry for the double post. Hadn't seen the new thread when I posted the article.

[ozbob]

   no harm here as well ..

[somebody]

As for Ivory St being one of the most dangerous places for pedestrians, try getting between the centre or north end of Centro Indooroopilly and Moggill Rd opposite the BP (cnr Stamford Rd) and get back to me!  Ivory St is in the kindergarten of dangerous by comparison.

[dwb]

As for Ivory St being one of the most dangerous places for pedestrians, try getting between the centre or north end of Centro Indooroopilly and Moggill Rd opposite the BP (cnr Stamford Rd) and get back to me!  Ivory St is in the kindergarten of dangerous by comparison.

Sure, if you jaywalk, however isn't there a signalised crossing there?

[somebody]

Sure, if you jaywalk, however isn't there a signalised crossing there?

Further along Moggill Rd there is, but you would also need to cross Coonan St to reach that.  You need to get to Allwood St for a signalised crossing to cross that.

[dwb]

Sure, if you jaywalk, however isn't there a signalised crossing there?

Further along Moggill Rd there is, but you would also need to cross Coonan St to reach that.  You need to get to Allwood St for a signalised crossing to cross that.

I must be confused as to where you mean... this is the crossing I was referring to, it takes you in a two stage crossing over Moggill Rd from the northern end of Indooroopilly shopping town. Did you mean in a different place?

[somebody]

Sure, if you jaywalk, however isn't there a signalised crossing there?

Further along Moggill Rd there is, but you would also need to cross Coonan St to reach that.  You need to get to Allwood St for a signalised crossing to cross that.

I must be confused as to where you mean... this is the crossing I was referring to, it takes you in a two stage crossing over Moggill Rd from the northern end of Indooroopilly shopping town. Did you mean in a different place?

Indooroopilly shoppingtown isn't the centre I meant.  Centro Indooroopilly is a strip of shops along Moggill Rd/Coonan St.

[dwb]

Sure, if you jaywalk, however isn't there a signalised crossing there?

Further along Moggill Rd there is, but you would also need to cross Coonan St to reach that.  You need to get to Allwood St for a signalised crossing to cross that.

I must be confused as to where you mean... this is the crossing I was referring to, it takes you in a two stage crossing over Moggill Rd from the northern end of Indooroopilly shopping town. Did you mean in a different place?

Indooroopilly shoppingtown isn't the centre I meant.  Centro Indooroopilly is a strip of shops along Moggill Rd/Coonan St.

Ahh ok, yes indeed.

BCC bought the denmac ford site, so maybe if TMR buys Centro, they could build a new railway station, bus interchange and rejig the intersection with proper pedestrian crossings? Would put all this forum's complaints about existing Indro station having low platforms and no bus interchange to sleep.... would cost a fair bit of mullah though!