6 Dec 2011: SEQ: Follow Ottawa example on proposed CBD bus tunnel

[ozbob]

Media release 6 December 2011

SEQ: Follow Ottawa example on proposed CBD bus tunnel

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers has called for public consultation on the recently announced CBD Bus link (1).  Cross River Rail is the real driver for transformation of the public transport system in south-east Queensland.  Cross River Rail has network wide capacity benefits.  A 'bus link tunnel' in its present concept is a knee-jerk reaction to the bus capacity crisis. RAIL Back On Track however welcomes Brisbane City Council's recent announcement for a feasibility study into an underground bus link under Adelaide Street.

RAIL Back on Track calls for:

1. A partnership between the State Government, including TransLink and The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and bus operators given that busways planning and construction lies with these agencies, and that such a link would impact on the broader busway network and possibly rail system (if a link between Central Station and the tunnel were established).

2. That any tunnel be operator neutral, that is all bus operators, not just Brisbane Transport, should be able to have the chance to use the tunnel.

3. Public consultation. So far there hasn't been any.

4. A proper process to review that bus is the correct mode of choice carried out by an independent engineering consultancy for the future needs of Brisbane City. Why has the mode of bus been chosen first? (it is described as a 'bus link' not a 'mass transit link' or 'rapid transit link'). The alternative options of light rail (such as Ottawa, Canada), light metro (such as Vancouver, Canada) or standard metro (such as Toronto, Canada) options should be evaluated as previous Brisbane City Council Reports, such as the Mass Transit Report 2007, have done.

For example, by choosing metro-grade light rail rather than buses, Ottawa expects to save $100 million dollars in operational costs in its first year alone. It also means that passengers will not have to wait for "their" bus, but can catch the first service that turns up. This reduces crowding at platforms. Metro options may also allow capacity of the busway to be doubled, and options are available that can handle busway gradients (e.g. Vancouver Skytrain or rubber-tyred metro).

5. That comparable overseas examples are reviewed.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Brisbane's busways were modelled on the Ottawa Transitway system in Canada (2). Incidentally, the Ottawa Transitway is experiencing the same bottleneck issues that Brisbane is experiencing, with buses piling up and blocking city streets. After an extensive community consultation and options analysis, a bus tunnel was rejected in favour of converting the core section of their transitway to metro-standard light rail capable of carrying around 25 000 passengers/direction/hour. To put this in perspective, this is almost three times the throughput of what the Cultural Centre Busway can handle right now in peak hour - approximately 9000 passengers/direction/hour."

"A project of this scale and cost is too important to not have public consultation, not to have a proper analysis that determines which particular mode (bus/light metro/metro) is suitable for the future needs of the city. Political games have no place in proper transport planning process."

References:

1. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/council-push-to-drive-buses-out-of-cbd/story-e6freoof-1226214567762

2. Ottawa Light Rail
   http://www.ottawalightrail.ca/en/
   http://www.ottawalightrail.ca/en/benefits#15
   http://www.youtube.com/user/OttawaLRT#p/a/u/4/nY_b7iZbHSg

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

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