Carindale Connect - letter to editor

[ozbob]

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Letter to the Editor: Transport at Mt Gravatt East

Letter to the Editor: Transport at Mt Gravatt Eas

July 19, 2011

I find the public transport available to me at Mt Gravatt East insufficent to say the least. I only need to go to Southbank however the 180 is full and the other buses take forever to get there. I instead drive a few minutes down the road to the Holland Park Busway. I probably have to walk further but the buses come frequently however my problem is that as I finish work at 5.30 it's very dark by the time I get off the bus.

I would like better lighting all the way up Sterculia Avenue or better parking closer to the busway. I walk about 4 blocks up the hill often not really being able to see what I am walking on and any bumps in the path.
Thanks.

Melinda.

[Bulimba30A]

I think what this highlights is that there are significant pockets of Brisbane (and surrounds) in which the public transport options are less that optimal compared to others and that people will drive to frequency.  I'm not saying that driving to public transport is a good or a bad thing (as I know there are some strong views out there) but it says much about human nature and the decision making process of a commuter in deciding the best option for them. That said, the Cavendish Rd corridor is certainly not the worst.

To be honest, subject to any required infrastructure costs to make it work, I think the Holland Park West busway station could be so much better used as an interchange point to provide much better coverage (and frequency) for most of Mt Gravatt, Mansfield, Mt Gravatt East, Holland Park, Tarrigindi and possibly even the southern end of Coorparoo.  It might also work for a connection point for cross-town routes?

Going back to the original article, a busway-connection service that uses Holland Park rather than Buranda for access to the busway would assist both the southern end of Cavendish Rd and Mansfield.  It would be seriously painful to be going down Holland Rd (which heads straight for the busway) even on 180 to have to then turn right to head up Logan Rd to connect at Buranda. 

Also something to think about for that area is the lack of direct options to shopping centres (particularly Garden City and Carindale).  Sure there are one-seat options to Garden City but they do tend to either be a milk run through Mansfield/Wishart (180 and 185) or Mt Gravatt East (184).  Depending where the 590 stops, an interchange point at the corner of Creek and Cavendish Rds could at least provide good direct connections to both centres and provide much better network access for that area (I wonder if the 590 and GCL will be evenly spaced to provide 15 min frequency or better up Creek Rd).  That said, the layout of that intersection does not lend itself to easy transfers.

[MaxHeadway]

I think the Holland Park West busway station could be so much better used as an interchange point to provide much better coverage (and frequency) for most of Mt Gravatt, Mansfield, Mt Gravatt East, Holland Park, Tarrigindi and possibly even the southern end of Coorparoo.  It might also work for a connection point for cross-town routes?

Yes! Why is Holland Park West not being used in this way, given that it's a raised station where non-Busway routes can pull in underneath? Perhaps the 170 could terminate there, with vastly improved frequency, instead of going into the city via Greenslopes busway station. And Simon mentioned how busy Buranda busway station gets; very true, so there'd be merit in having more routes connecting with Holland Park West, providing the option of transferring to trunk routes on the Busway to get to Buranda, to take pressure off Buranda.

[O_128]

I think the Holland Park West busway station could be so much better used as an interchange point to provide much better coverage (and frequency) for most of Mt Gravatt, Mansfield, Mt Gravatt East, Holland Park, Tarrigindi and possibly even the southern end of Coorparoo.  It might also work for a connection point for cross-town routes?

Yes! Why is Holland Park West not being used in this way, given that it's a raised station where non-Busway routes can pull in underneath? Perhaps the 170 could terminate there, with vastly improved frequency, instead of going into the city via Greenslopes busway station. And Simon mentioned how busy Buranda busway station gets; very true, so there'd be merit in having more routes connecting with Holland Park West, providing the option of transferring to trunk routes on the Busway to get to Buranda, to take pressure off Buranda.

Well its to politically difficult to move it so we will introduce the 180.5 which joins at Holland Park west.

[Bulimba30A]

I think you hit the nail on the head as to the real benefit of a system overhaul.  You are just turning up for a fight if you just change routes in isolation, its a very reactive way to do things and the C-M will always be able to find that one person who is perceived to be worse off.

You can present a new system in such a way that, sure there are trade-offs (eg one seat service v frequency in some cases), it provides a better, usable, efficient, intuitive, easy-to-understand system for everyone.  If the new network itself is sound and logical, it is much easier to convince people a change is not only desirable but necessary.

Obviously, this can't be done overnight, but pin-pointing connection points (eg Holland Park West) and changing services around the connection points at the same time, would be an easier sell overall I would have thought.

[Gazza]

You have to admire the thought process of the woman who wrote this letter....The most direct bus is popular and always full...So in the end, the best solution for everybody is to improve the lighting in the street she parks her car on!

And she doesn't realise if walking in the dark is a problem, these days you can get those purse sized high powered LED torches for a few bucks, which is a bit more instantaneous and energy efficient then waiting for the government to beef up street lighting.

[O_128]

You have to admire the thought process of the woman who wrote this letter....The most direct bus is popular and always full...So in the end, the best solution for everybody is to improve the lighting in the street she parks her car on!

And she doesn't realise if walking in the dark is a problem, these days you can get those purse sized high powered LED torches for a few bucks, which is a bit more instantaneous and energy efficient then waiting for the government to beef up street lighting.

in other words she's lazy and doesn't like standing up on buses

[somebody]

in other words she's lazy and doesn't like standing up on buses

That's a bit unnecessary isn't it?  Full means no standing room to me, which means she can't get on.

You have to admire the thought process of the woman who wrote this letter....The most direct bus is popular and always full...So in the end, the best solution for everybody is to improve the lighting in the street she parks her car on!

And she doesn't realise if walking in the dark is a problem, these days you can get those purse sized high powered LED torches for a few bucks, which is a bit more instantaneous and energy efficient then waiting for the government to beef up street lighting.

I was thinking that too.

Yes! Why is Holland Park West not being used in this way, given that it's a raised station where non-Busway routes can pull in underneath? Perhaps the 170 could terminate there, with vastly improved frequency, instead of going into the city via Greenslopes busway station. And Simon mentioned how busy Buranda busway station gets; very true, so there'd be merit in having more routes connecting with Holland Park West, providing the option of transferring to trunk routes on the Busway to get to Buranda, to take pressure off Buranda.

Run along Sterculia Av and interchange under the station?  Interesting idea, but it does mean doubling back for the case of the 180, even if only for a short distance.  I'd also question the turnaround facilities.  But if the 180 is as busy as people say (and often a bendy) then why isn't a BUZ?  What's the point of having a full bus terminate for interchange to other buses?

[#Metro]

Run along Sterculia Av and interchange under the station?  Interesting idea, but it does mean doubling back for the case of the 180, even if only for a short distance.  I'd also question the turnaround facilities.  But if the 180 is as busy as people say (and often a bendy) then why isn't a BUZ?  What's the point of having a full bus terminate for interchange to other buses?

And this is why (1) the busway needs to be converted to something higher capacity and (2) more core frequent radial routes need to be developed. 180 is a good candidate for a BUZ.

[#Metro]

Um, why not just put more 180 services on???

[somebody]

Um, why not just put more 180 services on???

That was exactly my point!

Did you have a change of heart since you wrote this:

Run along Sterculia Av and interchange under the station?  Interesting idea, but it does mean doubling back for the case of the 180, even if only for a short distance.  I'd also question the turnaround facilities.  But if the 180 is as busy as people say (and often a bendy) then why isn't a BUZ?  What's the point of having a full bus terminate for interchange to other buses?

And this is why (1) the busway needs to be converted to something higher capacity and (2) more core frequent radial routes need to be developed. 180 is a good candidate for a BUZ.

?

[#Metro]

Did you have a change of heart since you wrote this:

No I didn't. Core Frequent Network consists of a radial CORE fed by feeders. BUZ 180 can be done now. Busway conversion of any kind is going to take ages. You need higher capacity vehicles on the busway (i.e. Trains) before you do feeding I think, unless you have a low capacity no-name route... like I don't know 172 or whatever.

[Golliwog]

I would just like to say, I don't think you need that big a vehicle to make feeding worth it. If you had a route that ran ONLY artics or triaxles, and at a VERY high frequency, I think it would work. Though in the evening peak you would probably need either a large stop on street, or 2 bays in KGS/QSBS to allow multiple buses to board at once to reduce dwell times. This may be the one case where I would support rear door boarding (mostly because the bus would be empty when they board).

The thing is though, this is a bit of a fantasy as I doubt theres enough artics/triaxles to allow a route to run like that, or if there are it would require taking them away from every other route that currently needs them.