2 Feb 2012: SEQ: Connections reduce waste and inefficiency in bus network

[ozbob]

Media release 2 February 2012

SEQ: Connections reduce waste and inefficiency in bus network

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 calls for a simplification and consolidation of the bus network.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Brisbane is in the unenviable position of running more bus routes than Toronto, Canada, a city far larger in both population and area than Brisbane. The result is a 'low frequency direct to everywhere' style of service composed of multiple 'legacy' routes running air to the CBD and locking up valuable funds."

"One stark example of waste is the hourly route 203 which runs down O'Keefe Street at Buranda. There are four stations within walking distance - three busways (PA Hospital, Buranda, Stones Corner), a train station (Buranda) and the BUZ 100. Perhaps it should be re-routed and reviewed?"

"The public would be better served if many legacy routes were consolidated into existing services, and new services extended along major arterials (BUZ 230 Bulimba, BUZ 245 Wynnum Rd, BUZ 400 Centenary, BUZ 359 Eatonvale). The need for true cross-town services would be met by reforming the Great Circle Line services."

"Simplification and consolidation is an essential and proper part of maintaining a simple, frequent, legible and efficient network that does not waste money or time. A city against streamlining and connections is a city, also against a simple, efficient and frequent network, as a messy bush of low frequency legacy routes are the direct consequences of failing to review old routes that have long passed their utility (1).

"Connections will also play a greater role in allowing more people access to high frequency services. Some simple calculations show why direct to everywhere services are a wasteful, inefficient strategy. To connect Brisbane's top 5 bus routes with every other, to save people changing buses would mean 10 point to point bus routes would be needed. To connect our top 10 bus routes increases this figure to 45. To connect our top 20 routes with the others results in a whopping 190 route combinations being needed (2)."

"Brisbane transport has around 220 bus routes, to eliminate interchange on these you would need to run 24,090 bus routes.  This is why the basic premise behind the 'Maroon CityGlider' is flawed (3), apart from the fact that it is just adding to an existing high frequency bus corridor and starving the rest of the network of much needed improvements."

"With fares going up 15% each year, passengers rightly expect efficiencies to be found in the network, that means reviewing legacy routes and more emphasis on connections, which reduces waiting time and overall journey times for all."

References:

1.  San Francisco: sometimes cuts are an improvement  http://www.humantransit.org/2009/11/san-francisco-cuts-for-effectiveness.html

2. "Transferring" can be good for you, and good for your city  http://www.humantransit.org/2009/04/why-transferring-is-good-for-you-and-good-for-your-city.html

3.  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=7575.0

Contact:

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

[#Metro]

Legacy Routes

Deleting it:



Leaving it in place:




References
http://www.diyweek.net/news/images/13450.jpg
http://www.unitedgs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/cut-costs-china-product-sourcing.jpg

[SurfRail]

 

[SurfRail]

Part of me wonders if we should sit down with BCC one day and thrash all this stuff out.  I'd prefer it if that was not even possible (in a sane world they wouldn't be running a bus fleet), but that is not presently what we have to work with.