16 May 2012: SEQ: Kippa-Ring and the high cost of 'free' parking

[ozbob]

Media release 16 May 2012

SEQ: Kippa-Ring and the high cost of 'free' parking

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 says the continued expansion of park and ride will make our traffic problems worse.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"RAIL Back On Track notes recent comments in the media by State Member for Redcliffe Scott Driscoll regarding car parking at Kippa-Ring (1). While there is some place for measured park and ride, the facts are that, due to the high cost of land acquisition, it is not surprising that calls for more park and ride have not been met."

"The fact is land costs money, so that cost has to be recovered somehow - recouped through shopping centre rents which ultimately are paid by all shoppers (even the ones that rode a bicycle or caught a bus there) or recouped through state funds (in the case of commuter park and ride). Indeed, there is no such thing as free parking (2). Just because the cost is hidden or obscured doesn't mean that we aren't all somehow paying for it."

"Car parks can easily cost $40,000 each. That's more than many brand new family cars cost at a car dealership! To fill ONE 65-seat bus using park and ride, you are looking at $2.6 million. For that amount of money you could buy two buses and employ two drivers and still have cash to spare. To fill ONE 1000-person capacity 6-carriage train using park and ride, you'd need to spend an astronomical $40 MILLION DOLLARS. Got money for that? We didn't think so either!"

"This is why you can't build your way out of car park capacity constraints. It is impossible to do."

"What is needed are decent bus services - frequent, fast and with a decent span of hours, 7-days a week. Where decent bus services exist and demand exceeds supply, charges for car parking should also be considered. Over in Perth, Western Australia, they already do this."

"The fiesta of concrete must stop, and money must go into decent around-the-clock services (3)."

"Free car parking for everyone is a myth and a fantasy. There is no such thing."

References:

1.  http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/moreton/new-redcliffe-state-member-slams-4-million-kippa-ring-bus-station-plans/story-fn8m0yu3-1226355214814

2.  How free is your parking? http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=l_O6dR7YfvM#!

3.  31 Mar 2012: SEQ: Quit insanity on park and ride woes! http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=8024

Contact:

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

[ozbob]

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