12 Oct 2012: SEQ: Centenary Highway upgrade - creates costly congestion

[ozbob]

Media release 12th October 2012

SEQ: Centenary Highway upgrade - creates costly congestion

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 said the Centenary Highway upgrade changes have come with hidden costs (1).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"With some fanfare the Minister for Transport has announced an upgrade to the Centenary Highway from two to four lanes between Richlands and Springfield (1).  The planned bicycle/foot path linking Richlands and Springfield has been discarded in favour of a road upgrade. Without the bike-way and with the extra road lanes, the Centenary Highway will reach its capacity more quickly."

"Rather then address the real basis for congestion, too many people travelling in cars, they have chosen to further worsen congestion by also not optimising the railway presently being constructed from Richlands to Springfield."

"The planned park and ride facilities at Springfield and Springfield Central are inadequate being a total of around 950 parking spaces for the three stations. Richlands 650 spaces, Springfield 200, and Springfield Central 100. The Mandurah line in West Australia, a similar situation and demographic as for the Springfield railway has around 3700 car parking spaces for three stations!"

"There are plans to build a railway station at Ellen Grove in about 5 years.  Building the station today would cost around $20 million, easily funded from the savings identified by Minister Emerson.  A station at Ellen Grove would relieve a lot of the parking issues at Richlands railway station, and provide relief at Springfield and Springfield Central stations, stations with planned inadequate park and ride facilities."

"To come back at build the railway station at Ellen Grove in 5 or so years will cost a lot more than 'greenfield' construction now, with the added complexity of building it on a working railway."

"This failure at Ellen Grove highlights admirably the flawed transport planning processes that occur in Queensland.  It is not to late to build Ellen Grove railway station ' greenfield '."

"Is the Government smart enough?"

References:

1. http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2012/10/10/lnp-review-delivers-centenary-highway-boost

Contact:

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

[ozbob]

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