ALP 2014 Policy Platform

[ozbob]

http://www.queenslandlabor.org/policy/

ALP Queensland - Policy Platform

The 2014 State Conference approved the new Policy Platform of Queensland Labor.

The Policy Platform will set the groundwork for Queensland Labor's agenda going into the State 2015 Election.

http://www.queenslandlabor.org/wp-content/uploads/2014QldPolicyPlatform_web.pdf

==================

7.50
Labor will deliver integrated regional transport plans in conjunction with regional land
use plans in all urban areas across Queensland.

7.51
Labor will implement targets to increase public and active transport usage.

7.52
Labor will consider demand management measures where appropriate and equitable.

7.53
Labor will consider increased penalties for wilful damage to transport infrastructure,
noting the safety and efficiency costs.

7.54
Labor recognises the particular vulnerability of public transport workers to physical
assault and will improve safety and security. Labor will increase penalties for people
found guilty of assaulting public transport workers.

7.55
Labor will maintain Queensland Rail and Brisbane Transport as vertically integrated,
publicly owned providers of public transport services.

7.56
Labor will build an inner city rail solution consistent with the Cross River Rail capacity
outcome as part of a broader vision to revitalise and transform rail services. It will
increase frequency and provide more express services. It will also deliver new links,
including to Kippa-Ring, Flagstone, Ripley, Coolangatta, Maroochydore and through
the North West Rail Link along the Trouts Road corridor, consistent with the SEQ
Connecting 2031 transport strategy.

7.57
Labor will extend Brisbane's world-class busway network, including completing the
Eastern and Northern Busways and CoastConnect on the Sunshine Coast, and rolling
out more high frequency routes and bus priority lanes.

7.58
Labor will complete the Gold Coast light rail from Helensvale to Coolangatta and
consider the feasibility of light rail in other corridors

7.59
Labor will upgrade public transport stops and station infrastructure to ensure safety,
accessibility, amenity and additional park and ride facilities for those who use and
operate the system.

7.60
Labor will maintain public transport concessions and extend them to recipients of the
Newstart allowance.

7.61
Labor will continue to subsidise and improve public transport services, including
in provincial centres, with a funding requirement being world's best practice by
contractors.

7.62
Labor will review the public transport fare system to improve affordability in South East
Queensland

7.63
Labor will ensure that all communities have access to public transport services to
connect them to the rest of Queensland, including Traveltrain and long distance bus
and air services.

7.64
Labor will release regular public reports against both performance measures and
funding provided for all subsidised public transport services

7.65 Labor will maintain regulation of the taxi industry to ensure it meets high standards of
safety, service quality, responsiveness and accessibility.

7.66 Labor will consider options to enable competing taxi companies in a single market to
cooperate where there is benefit for users.

7.67 Labor will investigate the use of taxis to provide public transport where other services
are not viable.

7.68 Labor will roll out additional secure taxi ranks where required.

7.69 Labor will ensure that all taxi districts have adequate provision of wheelchair
accessible taxis, including providing incentives for conversion, and it will implement a
passenger lift fee.

7.70 Labor will regularly publish taxi performance measures where government subsidies
are provided

7.71 Labor will expand the dedicated cycling network along key corridors, including
disused rail lines, and ensure that active transport facilities are included in all new and
upgraded roads.

7.72 Labor will pursue measures to ensure end of trip facilities are included in new
buildings where appropriate, to encourage active transport.

7.73 Labor will encourage greater use of public and active transport for school travel.

7.74 Labor will implement strategies to increase mode share for rail freight on defined
strategic rail freight networks.

7.75 Labor understands there is community concern regarding coal dust adjacent to rail
corridors in Brisbane.  Labor supports an independent, scientific review of mitigation treatments and will
implement best practices and support further technological improvements in this area.
Labor supports consultation with the relevant industry, union and community groups
as the coal industry grows in Queensland.

7.76 Labor will develop and publish a plan for the progressive priority upgrade of the North
Coast Rail Line to improve safety, efficiency and reliability.

7.77 Labor will support construction of the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing and Gowrie
to Grandchester rail line, with other levels of government and the private sector.

7.78 Labor will invest in removing conflicts between passenger and rail freight movements
where they share the same corridor.

7.79 Labor will enable construction of the Surat Basin Railway with appropriate provision for
its potential future role as part of an inland railway.

7.80 Labor will plan, design and build roads that are fit for purpose, future-proofed, and to
standards that meet the needs of road users and the wider community.

7.81 Labor understands that road infrastructure is critical to sustaining regional and
rural communities and will therefore ensure that a fair proportion of road funding is
allocated to regional Queensland.

7.82 Labor will always engage in public consultation and integrated planning approaches
to new road works.

7.83 Labor will continue to provide fair and just compensation for private property owners
directly and adversely affected by road construction.

7.84 Labor will develop and publish a plan for the progressive priority upgrade of the
Bruce Highway and the construction and upgrade of other major roads that will unlock
Queensland's economic potential, such as the Warrego Highway, the Toowoomba
Second Range Crossing and the Ipswich Motorway.

7.85 Labor will review and consider reforms to calculating motor vehicle registration.

7.86 Labor will implement strategies based on world's best practice and thorough research
to reduce the road toll and improve road safety.

7.87 Labor will expand the coverage of security services and officers across the public
transport network to improve safety for users, constructors, operators and maintainers.

7.88 Labor will regulate the hours of work for train crew to ensure safety and investigate
regulation of hours of work for other transport operators.

7.89 Labor will maintain and strictly enforce chain of responsibility legislation for the
trucking industry and implement a regulatory system to provide adequate and
ongoing training to heavy vehicle operators to an accredited standard.

7.90 Labor will prioritise and progressively deliver grade separations and other safety
measures at rail level crossings.

7.93 Labor will lobby the Australian Government to provide increased transport funding for
Queensland based on the decentralised nature of the State, with a particular emphasis
on the Bruce Highway and North Coast Rail Line.

7.94 Labor will lobby the Australian Government to maintain the Road Safety Remuneration
Tribunal as an important safety initiative.

7.95 Labor will encourage the Australian Government to proceed with a premium
performance and 21st century alignment of Inland Rail through to Brisbane.

7.96 Labor will encourage the Australian Government to include purchase of public
transport tickets in salary packaging arrangements.

==================

Something to work with.  Good start ALP Queensland.

[ozbob]

... 7.62
Labor will review the public transport fare system to improve affordability in South East
Queensland ...

[ozbob]

... 7.76 Labor will develop and publish a plan for the progressive priority upgrade of the North
Coast Rail Line to improve safety, efficiency and reliability ...

[ozbob]

...
7.60
Labor will maintain public transport concessions and extend them to recipients of the
Newstart allowance ...

[ozbob]

... 7.55
Labor will maintain Queensland Rail and Brisbane Transport as vertically integrated,
publicly owned providers of public transport services ...

[ozbob]

...
7.58
Labor will complete the Gold Coast light rail from Helensvale to Coolangatta and
consider the feasibility of light rail in other corridors ...

[ozbob]

... 7.57
Labor will extend Brisbane's world-class busway network, including completing the
Eastern and Northern Busways and CoastConnect on the Sunshine Coast, and rolling
out more high frequency routes and bus priority lanes ...

[ozbob]

... 7.56
Labor will build an inner city rail solution consistent with the Cross River Rail capacity
outcome as part of a broader vision to revitalise and transform rail services. It will
increase frequency and provide more express services. It will also deliver new links,
including to Kippa-Ring, Flagstone, Ripley, Coolangatta, Maroochydore and through
the North West Rail Link along the Trouts Road corridor, consistent with the SEQ
Connecting 2031 transport strategy ...

[ozbob]

QLD votes, BaT or CRR ? 

[ozbob]

... 7.62
Labor will review the public transport fare system to improve affordability in South East
Queensland ...

Why should I believe this, they caused the problem in the first place?

True.  Hopefully some lessons learned. 

[dancingmongoose]

Good to see CRR back in the planning, I did expect them to revert back to it if elected. Certainly someone has been reading up on this site, I'm sure we all agree with most of those points. I wonder what disused railway lines they intend converting to bikeways. Wamuran?

[#Metro]

Some good things, some bad things, and some so-so things.

We have heard statements like this before, and then the delivery date gets pushed out to the year 2200.
Class A ROW (Rail and busway) is expensive to deliver, I just don't think half the items are going to be delivered.

What's missing? BUS REVIEW COMPONENT

[Golliwog]

Good to see CRR back in the planning, I did expect them to revert back to it if elected. Certainly someone has been reading up on this site, I'm sure we all agree with most of those points. I wonder what disused railway lines they intend converting to bikeways. Wamuran?

Only Wamuran and Beaudesert Branch in Brisbane are really options, maybe 1 or 2 in the west?

There's also been some talk about at least part of the old rail corridor from Ferny Grove out to Samford. Cyclists like to ride from Samford to Ferny Grove, however Samford Rd doesn't have adequate shoulders for a decent part of it and while you can indeed cycle the corridor through the forest, it's only a dirt track so the lycra gang wouldn't be likely to use it, and once back on the roads at Camp Mountain, it's not overly direct to Samford Village.

There has been discussion by the local member, but I don't know if it got anywhere. It was about whether they put funds into providing better shoulders on Samford Rd or did something more with the rail corridor.

[James]

Sounds like a lot of motherhood statements going on. I've decided to evaluate the ones I feel are most important to a Brisbane based individual.

7.55 Labor will maintain Queensland Rail and Brisbane Transport as vertically integrated, publicly owned providers of public transport services.

= BCC will continue to run air everywhere. FAIL.

7.56 Labor will build an inner city rail solution consistent with the Cross River Rail capacity outcome as part of a broader vision to revitalise and transform rail services etc.

TICK. The first non-BaTty idea from the ALP in the list. Would still have been nice if Beattie had started building this thing in 2008. Think about how lovely the rail network would be then, rather than waiting until at least 2016 for a tunnel to be possibly built on an indefinite timetable.

7.57 Labor will extend Brisbane's world-class busway network, including completing the Eastern and Northern Busways and CoastConnect on the Sunshine Coast, and rolling out more high frequency routes and bus priority lanes.

Motherhood statement. Please provide specifics, and please tell me that the Northern Busway to Chermside will NOT cost as much as heavy rail! FAIL.

7.60 Labor will maintain public transport concessions and extend them to recipients of the Newstart allowance.

TICK.

7.62 Labor will review the public transport fare system to improve affordability in South East Queensland

You failed to reform the fare system last time despite the cost explosion, why should we think you will fix it this time?

7.65 Labor will maintain regulation of the taxi industry to ensure it meets high standards of safety, service quality, responsiveness and accessibility.

If taxis smelling of vomit and body odour with drivers who don't know directions is 'high standards', I hate to see what 'poor standards' are! FAIL.

7.71 Labor will expand the dedicated cycling network along key corridors, including disused rail lines, and ensure that active transport facilities are included in all new and upgraded roads.

What disused rail corridors actually have commuting value to the cycle network? Most of the disused rail lines are in the suburban fringes where nobody cycles due to the distances involved/demographics. FAIL.

7.76 Labor will develop and publish a plan for the progressive priority upgrade of the North Coast Rail Line to improve safety, efficiency and reliability.

Don't finish at Landsborough if you don't win the Division of Glass House Mountains this time, though!

Overall, I don't actually see any real direction, just a bunch of 'nice to have' motherhood statements. Sure, all ideas start somewhere, but can we please at least get something firm?

Also, 2x FAIL marks for failure to even mention reforming the high-waste anti-transfer anti-patronage BCC bus network. The fact that people in suburbs 5km from the CBD can walk faster to the City compared to catching a bus at 12pm on a Sunday, or even on a weekday, says volumes about the current network.

[pandmaster]

This is pretty good from Labor, I think. Given that it is Queensland, a right-leaning state, and one of the established parties, there are a lot of specifics about PT and just a pledge to have decent roads. Hallelujah!!!

7.57 Labor will extend Brisbane's world-class busway network, including completing the Eastern and Northern Busways and CoastConnect on the Sunshine Coast, and rolling out more high frequency routes and bus priority lanes.

Motherhood statement. Please provide specifics, and please tell me that the Northern Busway to Chermside will NOT cost as much as heavy rail! FAIL.

I absolutely agree. The Lutwyche Road section largely defeats the purpose of having a busway. I have lived in the area for two years and have never had issues with traffic on Lutwyche Road, only when you get to Gympie Road and the AirportLink do you get traffic. The actual busway from Lutwyche to Kedron runs along a largely uncongested road and pops out right where the congestion is. Extending the busway from there to Chermside will be difficult and expensive. It is a planning crime that all the development that has taken place there has not been slightly further east where the Caboolture line is.
TL;DR: The Northern Busway does not provide any real bus priority and extensions along the worst section will be expensive.

My main concern with the plan is with extending the Busway in general. They are a corruption on the original busway concept and unfortunately we are stuck with them. Extending to Carindale and Springwood I think would be okay, but other than that it is just continuing a flawed paradigm of having overlapping rail and bus networks. Thankfully it can be converted to a fun and bouncy rubber-tyred metro in future. 

Let us hope () there are no more crazy transport ideas and future governments of any persuasion can just get down to business and build rail infrastructure for bus to feed into and with that create an integrated bus/rail network.

[#Metro]

Busways are just as expensive, if not more expensive than rail due to the ROW. Rail would be competitive from an marginal perspective if ATP and DOO were followed because dilutes the link between labour costs of putting on 1 extra additional service and frequency.

It makes little sense to built the Eastern Busway to Carindale as Class A due to the need for resumptions (huge cost both economic, socially and politically) and because even if you build it, the buses are going to empty into Buranda, Captain Cook Bridge and Cultural Centre where they will absolutely overload the system without a bus tunnel (or terminating the buses at Buranda/Park Road rail station and then transferring to rail).

I would like to see the service network and existing networks fixed first. New lines and extensions are sexy, but when they cost $465 million for 1km (enough to saturate the entire city in PT, in fact enough to double every bus service in Brisbane given BT's total costs to operate is around 400 million/pa) or when they run at half hourly frequency, then it's not so appealing.

Kippa Ring will almost certainly be a 30 minute cycle affair.

[James]

At the risk of going off topic, I disagree with the sentiment that the busways will end up being constantly congested. We should simply start to run the busways like tram or train lines, with limited other services feeding into the busway network. Of course, this kind of defeats the point of having a busway in the first place, but unfortunately I don't see the rest of the busway network becoming heavy rail any time soon. Maybe rubber-tyred metro with an electrified third rail, if possible.

[ozbob]

At the risk of going off topic, I disagree with the sentiment that the busways will end up being constantly congested. We should simply start to run the busways like tram or train lines, with limited other services feeding into the busway network. Of course, this kind of defeats the point of having a busway in the first place, but unfortunately I don't see the rest of the busway network becoming heavy rail any time soon. Maybe rubber-tyred metro with an electrified third rail, if possible.

Agree James.  The busway network will end up running as rail network with bus feeders.

Electric bi-artics on the busways.  Single unit buses as feeders in the main.   If BaT is built I have no doubt this will happen in B as well.

[#Metro]

I disagree with the sentiment that the busways will end up being constantly congested. We should simply start to run the busways like tram or train lines, with limited other services feeding into the busway network

\

If they were going to do this, they would have done it already. The busway is an 'open' system. There are problems with QSBS snake and the Melbourne street portal, plus would have to offend BT with creating transfer EVERYWHERE, can you imagine the political blowback from that given politicians could not get the bus review through..., hence the proposal for the bus tunnel.

[James]

If they were going to do this, they would have done it already. The busway is an 'open' system. There are problems with QSBS snake and the Melbourne street portal, plus would have to offend BT with creating transfer EVERYWHERE, can you imagine the political blowback from that given politicians could not get the bus review through..., hence the proposal for the bus tunnel.

I'm sure something can be done to fix it - I know it is like another world down there, but I would look at it. Also, I am still of the opinion the bus review was canned because the LNP didn't want to attack itself in a council vs. state battle. I am very sure if we had an ALP-led council, Emerson would have come out all guns blazing with "LNP saving ratepayers $400 a year by ending Labor waste" and similar anti-Labor sentiments.

As far as I'm concerned, state govt. needs to grow a pair and remove all control of BT from Brisbane City Council. I don't care if I 'offend' grandma because she can no longer catch the tram bus from Stafford like she has since she was a little girl growing up and going to school at All Hallows, move on. Life changes.

Re: Bi-artics - I like them as an approach, but I'm concerned about their speed. One thing I love about the busway is its speed - especially on the express services. I've read somewhere that bi-artics can only reach about 70km/hr. If they can get up to 90km/hr like the current buses can, go for it, I just don't want us stringing up wires for electric bi-artics on the busway only for them to turn into slugs. Bi-artic buses would also allow for limited direct services into the busway (Mains Rd and Warrigal Rd on the southside, Kelvin Grove Rd and Webster Rd on the northside), yet force transfer (and make forced transfer practical) for other services (Stafford services, 135/155, Logan P-rockets etc.).

[ozbob]

Electric buses will not need wires James.  Great advances happening at present.  Rapid charging is looking good.  A number of trials happening around the globe.  Even London has some electrics on trial now.

BrisBANE ?  WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  lol

[techblitz]

Electric buses will be the go....2016 is shaping up to be the intersting year.....next gen ticketing,more trains,probable implentation of the tendered contracted routes(bus review),and hopefully rock solid picture of where we sit with either BAT/CRR...

Good ol james
Expert at rewording the same bt/grannies sentence....
I have a question james?...does it upset you when the grannies sign petitions down at the local shopping center? Im curious....

[James]

Good ol james
Expert at rewording the same bt/grannies sentence....
I have a question james?...does it upset you when the grannies sign petitions down at the local shopping center? Im curious....

James gets upset/cranky over few things, although it frustrates me that grannies seem to have all the political clout in designing our bus network, when these grannies are people who will be forced to use the service regardless of what it does. I have my own first-hand experience watching local councillors/MPs deal with grannies, and the kind of crap they can carry on with is ridiculous.

If we design a network for coverage, we are going to get a network which only gains pax who are reliant on PT. And right now, off the BUZ and Cityxpress network, for the most part, that's what we have. We need to design a proper network which deals with coverage functions, yet avoids dilly-dallying and tries to maintain direct routing where possible.

Electric buses will not need wires James.  Great advances happening at present.  Rapid charging is looking good.  A number of trials happening around the globe.  Even London has some electrics on trial now.

BrisBANE ?  WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  lol

I was just going off the concept of a 'tram on rubber tires' that I've seen somewhere on this forum. My main concern is ensuring the electric buses can hit the 90km/hr (maybe even 100km/hr?) mark necessary for fast, high-frequency busway operations.

[ozbob]

Media release 20th September 2014

Queensland: ALP Queensland broad policy platform released

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 welcomed the public release of the Policy Platform by ALP Queensland (1, 2).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The ALP has listed priorities in Government in their policy platform. Of much interest to us particularly are those policies that relate to Public Transport, Taxis, Active Transport, Freight, Roads, Safety and Security."

"A committment to a proper fare review for SEQ is very welcome. The former ALP Government set up the failed fare structure, and the LNP Government has just continued on with the failure, despite a committment by Premier Newman in the January 2013 Six Month Action Plan to sort it. The fare structure for SEQ is now nothing but an anti-public transport, high cost diabolical mess!"

"The policy platform will contribute to debate and  better policy outcomes for public transport as campaigns proceed for the next state election."

"The Bus and Train tunnel (BAT) versus Cross River Rail (CRR) is a key issue for SEQ and for the forthcoming state election. Good to see that the ALP have recognised this in their policy platform.  The BaT tunnel is by no means certain (3)."

"We would like to see a committment to a proper bus review process and implementation  for Brisbane in the policy platform!  A proper redesign of the bus network will remove the need for a bus tunnel!"

"Well done Queensland Labor for a very worthwhile policy platform!"

References:

1. http://www.queenslandlabor.org/policy/

2. http://www.queenslandlabor.org/wp-content/uploads/2014QldPolicyPlatform_web.pdf

3. 14 Sep 2014: SEQ: Will the BaT fly? http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=10955.0

Contact:

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

[techblitz]

7.67 Labor will investigate the use of taxis to provide public transport where other services
are not viable.

err...flexilink mk11? its already proven to b a failure....leave the taxis out of it...they need the bigger fares to cover the exhorborant licence costs..... create a seperate bus service....funded by local councils/shopping centres/housing estates etc...everyone chips in...
For future housing developments....they would be better off enacting legislation whereby developers of these culdesac style housing estates...must contribute to a permanent rostered bus service fund...
not that hard....

ps: with all these pretty stringent taxi promises by labor...how on earth could UBER ever get thier foot in the door now


@james
would be good if you could actually answer the question ive put to you on petitions....do you think an elderly person(granny to you) who relies on that service heavily and doesnt want to accept translinks proposals......because of: either increased walking distances or inconvenient transfers resulting in increased commute times........who heads down to thier local councellors office and/or shopping center to sign a peition is pathetically selfish?
Straight answer...yes or no...

[#Metro]

Public Transport

7.55 Labor will maintain Queensland Rail and Brisbane Transport as vertically integrated, publicly owned providers of public transport services.

Not consistent - Sunshine, Gold Coast, Ipswich have private bus operators, what's so special about BT? Why retain the monopoly? The real threat to jobs is falling pax numbers, and buses aren't going to drive themselves, private operator or not.

7

.56 Labor will build an inner city rail solution consistent with the Cross River Rail capacity outcome as part of a broader vision to revitalise and transform rail services. It will increase frequency and provide more express services. It will also deliver new links, including to Kippa-Ring, Flagstone, Ripley, Coolangatta, Maroochydore and through the North West Rail Link along the Trouts Road corridor, consistent with the SEQ Connecting 2031 transport strategy.

Park Road Station - this could be achieved by creatively 'moving' Dutton Park station. LOL. No support or Flagstone or Ripley - spend the money upgrading the existing network please. Even Trouts Rd can wait.

7.57 Labor will extend Brisbane's world-class busway network, including completing the Eastern and Northern Busways and CoastConnect on the Sunshine Coast, and rolling out more high frequency routes and bus priority lanes.

This will take a long time and cost heaps. $465 million for 1 km could have paid for saturating Brisbane in PT for an entire year. Also the overloading problem on the busway. Bus lanes are unlikely to make a large impact IMHO, in any case, the assertions by Hale et al need to be proven using an actual evaluation model. ~ 9000 pphd comes over the Captain Cook Bridge in peak hour, the maximum for a bus lane with passing is around this maximum limit already anyway.

7.58 Labor will complete the Gold Coast light rail from Helensvale to Coolangatta and consider the feasibility of light rail in other corridors.

Support to C/Gatta. No support for other corridors, BRT or just frequent buses may be better as they avoid capital cost.

7.59 Labor will upgrade public transport stops and station infrastructure to ensure safety, accessibility, amenity and additional park and ride facilities for those who use and operate the system.

Will it rationalise stops or repeat the 402 situation? P+R charges like Perth?

7.60 Labor will maintain public transport concessions and extend them to recipients of the Newstart allowance.

Supported, but needs to show where funding is coming from.

7.61 Labor will continue to subsidise and improve public transport services, including in provincial centres, with a funding requirement being world's best practice by contractors.

7.62 Labor will review the public transport fare system to improve affordability in South East Queensland.

Sounds good, is the bus review going to be done to enable this or just pretend the cash will appear from nowhere?

7.63 Labor will ensure that all communities have access to public transport services to connect them to the rest of Queensland, including Traveltrain and long distance bus and air services.

7.64 Labor will release regular public reports against both performance measures and funding provided for all subsidised public transport services.

BUS REVIEW MISSING!!!

[#Metro]

err...flexilink mk11? its already proven to b a failure....leave the taxis out of it...they need the bigger fares to cover the exhorborant licence costs..... create a seperate bus service....funded by local councils/shopping centres/housing estates etc...everyone chips in...
For future housing developments....they would be better off enacting legislation whereby developers of these culdesac style housing estates...must contribute to a permanent rostered bus service fund...
not that hard....

ps: with all these pretty stringent taxi promises by labor...how on earth could UBER ever get thier foot in the door now

My approach is mode neutral. Let the taxis put in their 2c. Who knows what they will put on the table, it might actually be functional and better than current. Sending a 65 seat bus to pick up 4 pax on a coverage run seems odd and there is no reason why a maxi taxi cannot run a fixed route. There are also many areas not on a bus service route and in areas that are too steep or fragmented, narrow or awkward for a bus service to access (i.e West End 198 which runs a one way loop because of geographical and topographical barrier issues).

In areas that demand service where it would be difficult to justify, local residents should be given the option to increase their own rates to fund a service in their area if they choose to.

@james
would be good if you could actually answer the question ive put to you on petitions....do you think an elderly person(granny to you) who relies on that service heavily and doesnt want to accept translinks proposals......because of: either increased walking distances or inconvenient transfers resulting in increased commute times........who heads down to thier local councellors office and/or shopping center to sign a peition is pathetically selfish?
Straight answer...yes or no...

Of course they are selfish. Everybody is selfish. People want to maximise benefits for themselves/their group and shift the cost of that on everyone else to the maximum extent possible. They have a right to complain but so does James, he's funding the pool that is paying for these services too.

[STB]

Public Transport

7.55 Labor will maintain Queensland Rail and Brisbane Transport as vertically integrated, publicly owned providers of public transport services.

Not consistent - Sunshine, Gold Coast, Ipswich have private bus operators, what's so special about BT? Why retain the monopoly? The real threat to jobs is falling pax numbers, and buses aren't going to drive themselves, private operator or not.

I spoke to some ALP people about it and their fears are more based on the working conditions and pay conditions for BT workers, however it has been made clear to me that they do want to remove the powers that BCC have over BT .  To me, I think they are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to their union based membership versus doing what's best for the city overall.

[#Metro]

I spoke to some ALP people about it and their fears are more based on the working conditions and pay conditions for BT workers, however it has been made clear to me that they do want to remove the powers that BCC have over BT .  To me, I think they are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to their union based membership versus doing what's best for the city overall.

This isn't the 1980s. 14,000 public servants were fired within this administration's term, proving once and for all beyond all doubt that the goverment job = job security theory is well and truly dead. ANYONE can lose their job regardless of sector.

If pax numbers keep falling, services are going to be cancelled and cut, just like they were removed during the BCC/BT bus review. And if that keeps going, then the next stage down that road is redundancies. I'm not advocating that position but that is the logical outcome of falling pax numbers.

[STB]

I spoke to some ALP people about it and their fears are more based on the working conditions and pay conditions for BT workers, however it has been made clear to me that they do want to remove the powers that BCC have over BT .  To me, I think they are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to their union based membership versus doing what's best for the city overall.

This isn't the 1980s. 14,000 public servants were fired within this administration's term, proving once and for all beyond all doubt that the goverment job = job security theory is well and truly dead. ANYONE can lose their job regardless of sector.

If pax numbers keep falling, services are going to be cancelled and cut, just like they were removed during the BCC/BT bus review. And if that keeps going, then the next stage down that road is redundancies. I'm not advocating that position but that is the logical outcome of falling pax numbers.

Even in 2014, unions have quite a massive say in the policies for the ALP, and they have an expectation that the ALP will tend to their matters such as pay conditions and workers rights in return - it's a union based party, although I know that they have in recent years been trying to reduce the power that unions have over the party itself - it's a slow process though.

I'm all for unions, they've done some great stuff over the decades, but I know as others here will know, they can be their own worst enemy at times and do silly things like hold cities to ransom until they get their way, or to keep the status quo - hello RTBU!

[techblitz]

yes LD..i already know your stance...question is to james and on petitions specifically.....

In areas that demand service where it would be difficult to justify, local residents should be given the option to increase their own rates to fund a service in their area if they choose to.

indeed...still think more parties should bear responsibility....

I think these larger shopping centres should start contributing to a slush fund for public transport.....simply because thanks to the supercentres they create.....are pretty much directly responsible for the demise of the local corner store.....stores where people could actually walk or ride to. Now they have no choice but to commute further to get the groceries.This specifically relates to the elderly (population is growing quickly by the way)....who simply now cannot afford a taxi.....uber is pretty much out the door now......

LD i notice on the 100buz thread you were talking about rocklea & oxley bunnings specifically needing to be serviced......its not that stupid of an idea considering that bunnings and masters have/are virtually wiping out all the smaller mom/pop hardware stores as well. When these supercentres get out of control and expand......not only are they generating more profits but they are creating havoc with the transport system....more profits they generate...the more they should be taxed and it should go directly to help fixing the mess that they create....and i think coverage bus services are a good start.....i mean...if a local rugby league or RSL club can fund a basic courtesy bus to pick up/dropoff  4 passengers then i see no reason why a shopping center cant provide this service for thier local area.

Its simple....there is a reason elderly/affirmed attack bus reviews.....call it how you like it..selfish...whatever.....they require the welfare bus route to access public services/shopping......the side benefit of these supercentres is that they have centralised everything for the elderly...banking/doctors/shopping.....the question is how to get them there and back.Expensive taxis are not an option....taxi pooling works well with a group of elderly...not a single person.....flexilink didnt work because of reliability issues...i dont see how this would change if it was trialled again....the key is a local bus route but partly funded by multiple parties....to take the pressure off the goverment....

ONLINE SHOPPING
elderly can start to embrace the online shopping craze yes...but unless the doctors can visit them @ home....its going to be a hard sell to make them stay at home...
A responsible,AFFORDABLE approach to the growing elderly population is needed...

[STB]

ONLINE SHOPPING
elderly can start to embrace the online shopping craze yes...but unless the doctors can visit them @ home....its going to be a hard sell to make them stay at home...
A responsible,AFFORDABLE approach to the growing elderly population is needed...

Doctors will come and visit you at home if required, there is also nurses that will come and visit you at home if required.  I've had that happen to me in the past on several occasions.  There is also patient transport provided by the ambulance service for elderly and sick people who require treatment and/or hospital visits but prefer to live in a home environment that has been around for decades.

  If the NBN ever gets built, then you can have virtual appointments with the doctors.

[#Metro]

indeed...still think more parties should bear responsibility....

Yes and No. See, the developer ultimately moves on, so it's not sustainable from that perspective, taxing is easier. Secondly, if you charge a developer more, they just charge the customer (home buyers) more. So ultimately you are still charging the people that live there anyway. Think of it like GST - businesses 'pay' it.... but ultimately customers bear the cost because everything they buy increased by 10%. Same idea here.

LD i notice on the 100buz thread you were talking about rocklea & oxley bunnings specifically needing to be serviced......its not that stupid of an idea considering that bunnings and masters have/are virtually wiping out all the smaller mom/pop hardware stores as well. When these supercentres get out of control and expand......not only are they generating more profits but they are creating havoc with the transport system....more profits they generate...the more they should be taxed and it should go directly to help fixing the mess that they create....and i think coverage bus services are a good start.....i mean...if a local rugby league or RSL club can fund a basic courtesy bus to pick up/dropoff  4 passengers then i see no reason why a shopping center cant provide this service for thier local area.

Interesting points.

The fact that big box stores are taking away business isn't something I considered, simply because, the reason why people are willing to travel further is because larger stores offer a larger range of things, there's often longer opening hours, possibly even childminding/play equipment. If it is making money it is doing so because people want to go there. You'd never fit something as big as that in a suburban centre like, for argument's sake, stones corner, the local residents would not like that.

It is the same thing with hospitals and universities. Much easier and effective to have one large facility doing everything than lots of small ones everywhere, simply due to overheads costs and customer 'pull' power.

On your point about being taxed, I think the land is rateable (correct me if wrong!). Further, the traffic issue is caused by people visiting the place, ultimately they are the beneficiaries, so they should be paying, and as residents they do, through rates this is already around $400 per ratepayer, per year.

I had another interesting point, yes, it was charges for cars. That will need to change. No fuel = no fuel tax revenue. That would ultimately change too.

[#Metro]

Its simple....there is a reason elderly/affirmed attack bus reviews.....call it how you like it..selfish...whatever.....they require the welfare bus route to access public services/shopping......the side benefit of these supercentres is that they have centralised everything for the elderly...banking/doctors/shopping.....the question is how to get them there and back.Expensive taxis are not an option....taxi pooling works well with a group of elderly...not a single person.....flexilink didnt work because of reliability issues...i dont see how this would change if it was trialled again....the key is a local bus route but partly funded by multiple parties....to take the pressure off the goverment....

ONLINE SHOPPING
elderly can start to embrace the online shopping craze yes...but unless the doctors can visit them @ home....its going to be a hard sell to make them stay at home...
A responsible,AFFORDABLE approach to the growing elderly population is needed...

There is a trend for more aged care facilities nowadays and retirement villages. I am noticing that the location of these places is often in PT inaccessable/difficult areas. These facilities perhaps could give more thought to where they locate to be 'on the way'.

In some cases it is possible to design a general purpose route that everybody can use, for example, the upgrades of 199, 196, construction of busway etc, has now largely made 198 redundant. Realignment of 192 would make the 198 totally redundant IMHO.

In other cases you do need the coverage route because the area is too fragmented and low demand to warrant a BUZ (i.e Seventeen Mile Rocks).  In fact I am not sure of what the habits of seniors are and what places they visit etc, and it does seem a study looking into that is well overdue. I would imagine medical visits would be much more common.

I also see social welfare as squarely within the realm of government, and hence gov't should fund it. But you are right too - for example, like you say, RSL and hospitals (i.e. Greenslopes Private) will often fund their own services.

[#Metro]

Sorry if I go off tangent, but some interesting things raised by others here. 

[James]

@james
would be good if you could actually answer the question ive put to you on petitions....do you think an elderly person(granny to you) who relies on that service heavily and doesnt want to accept translinks proposals......because of: either increased walking distances or inconvenient transfers resulting in increased commute times........who heads down to thier local councellors office and/or shopping center to sign a peition is pathetically selfish?
Straight answer...yes or no...

Again, it is impossible to make a blanket ruling because each scenario is different. If it is forced transfers due to a route being truncated at a major centre, I believe it to be selfish in most cases. For example, if the 411/417 were terminated at Toowong and pax complained about having to transfer (with frequency doubled for both routes to compensate for forced transfer), I see no reason why such actions should not be called out as being pathetically selfish.

In terms of walking, I am a little more divided on that one. If the walk to the alternate service is less than 400m (ignoring difficult terrain and stairs), to fight to retain the service is also selfish. If the walk to the new service is considerable (>600m), then it probably could be said to be a genuine concern.

[HappyTrainGuy]

7.57
Labor will extend Brisbane's world-class busway network, including completing the
Eastern and Northern Busways and CoastConnect on the Sunshine Coast, and rolling
out more high frequency routes and bus priority lanes.

World class my ass! Hahahahahaha! The Northern Busway was never needed in the first place. A proper network reform and the widening of Gympie Road through Lutyche/Kedron to incorporate a peak hour only bus lane from the City to Chermside was all that was needed. Instead we got a dedicated busway tunnel that the all stops 370 using surface streets is faster at using, buses that travel in convoys along and busway stops that buses run past without stopping for no valid reason.

[pandmaster]

7.57
Labor will extend Brisbane's world-class busway network, including completing the
Eastern and Northern Busways and CoastConnect on the Sunshine Coast, and rolling
out more high frequency routes and bus priority lanes.

World class my ass! Hahahahahaha! The Northern Busway was never needed in the first place. A proper network reform and the widening of Gympie Road through Lutyche/Kedron to incorporate a peak hour only bus lane from the City to Chermside was all that was needed. Instead we got a dedicated busway tunnel that the all stops 370 using surface streets is faster at using, buses that travel in convoys along and busway stops that buses run past without stopping for no valid reason.

I concur. The Nothern Busway is a joke. The huge gap between Windsor and Lutwyche is slow and defeats the purpose of a dedicated ROW. The skipped stops of Federation Street and Truro Street  makes me wonder why they were built in the first place. Maybe if it was built from Albion station to Chermside it would have made more sense.

[pandmaster]

I think these larger shopping centres should start contributing to a slush fund for public transport.....simply because thanks to the supercentres they create.....are pretty much directly responsible for the demise of the local corner store.....stores where people could actually walk or ride to. Now they have no choice but to commute further to get the groceries.This specifically relates to the elderly (population is growing quickly by the way)....who simply now cannot afford a taxi.....uber is pretty much out the door now......

Why should developers benefit immensely from free (from the taxpayer) infrastructure serving purely or wholly them? Springfield, for example, is much more appealing place to live and house prices are much higher because of the taxpayer funded train line serving it. The South-West Rail Link in Sydney is another example of a newly-developed area benefiting (and profiting) immensely from public funds. With public funds going to toll road operators to make huge profits and mining companies having their diesel funded by the taxpayer, I suppose that is just how we operate here in Australia. Do not get me wrong, I love development, but I think that developers should contribute substantially/entirely to infrastructure costs where little/none exists.

London has their act together: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/news/europe/single-view/view/northern-line-extension-contractor-selected.html

[techblitz]

checkmate.....both labor and liberal class the brisbane busways as world class......be concerned...very concerned...more northern busway style mock-ups coming to a draftboard near you...