Brisbane - bus network proposal

[ozbob]

3 March 2016

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times --> Public transport still a sham across Brisbane

RAIL Back on Track has long called for Brisbane City Council's bus contracts to be discontinued and legislation passed banning Brisbane City Council from operating public transport. All other States and Territories organise public transport at the State level and do not subcontract a local government to deliver services.

Brisbane City Council has a long history of resisting bus reform. Its network is obsolete, enormous 'black holes' exist in coverage, there is waste, inefficiency and duplication galore. Fares have exploded, no doubt due in large part to the increasing costs at Brisbane City Council.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk was handed carte blanche to make whatever changes he wanted to the bus network in 2013. It was made very clear that the bus network needed reform. The opportunity to reform was wasted.

Bus reform would have given Brisbane Australia's best bus network and provided excellent services to 'black hole' areas such as Bulimba, Yeronga, The Centenary Suburbs and the Northwest.

Now the bus network has collapsed, as we had been constantly warning for years.

The reliability is the worst in South East Queensland by a large margin, and this is with exclusive busway infrastructure in Brisbane that all other regions do not have.

Is it just one performance standard for private bus operators, and another standard for Brisbane City Council?

What exactly has to happen before the Transport Minister and State Government act?

Transport Minister, fire Brisbane City Council as a bus operator.

If Brisbane City Council knows that its monopolist contract for bus services is just going to be renewed no matter how good or bad its performance is, why would it change?

Brisbane City Council isn't even meeting TransLink performance standards!

The State Government should take over bus operations, just like it is done in Sydney with State Transit Buses.

Is there any leadership left at City Hall or George Street?

We have shown that bus network reform will deliver. Time to act!

ROBERT DOW Rail Back on Track

[ozbob]

Twitter

Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow 8s

Public transport still a sham across Brisbane

> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11047.msg170186#msg170186 ...

#qldpol #bnevotes bus reform now!

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

21st March 2016

Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe - Start Bus Review

Greetings,

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has been returned to office. This means the entire bus network will congest and gridlock on itself, damaging economic productivity in the State's capital. Our assessments show that Quirk Metro in its current form is unworkable and thus we believe it is a delay device intended to forestall much-needed bus reforms.

Here are the bus network black hole areas:

196 Yeronga BUZ
230 BulimbaGlider
359 Eaton's Hill (parts of this run in the MBRC local government area)
400 CentenaryGlider
911 Mitchelton to UQ St Lucia via Ashgrove and Toowong

The routes listed would plug the black hole areas identified in our New Bus Network Proposal.

The State Government's strategy to deal with Brisbane City Council is essentially the same as Brisbane City Council's - dawdle, delay and distract. Why is the State Government 'frozen at the wheel' on Brisbane City Council's bus network waste, duplication and inefficiency? Even further pressure will be put on fares to rise and this is likely to take centre stage in a future state election.

We suggest the Transport Minister re-purposes the existing State Government Fares Review Panel to review the Brisbane City Council bus network and  support for Queensland Rail train network within Brisbane.  As a former head of Brisbane Transport, the bus division of Brisbane City Council, Mr Neil Cagney's contributions will be extremely valuable.

Quirk ' Metro ' will not be in operation for another decade, if ever. Bus congestion will block the busway system in this time. Already Brisbane City Council is failing to meet mandated State Government bus on time standards. Is it one standard for private bus operators, and another standard for Brisbane City Council?

So much for integrated transport planning. 12 years after TransLink was formed, we have this ridiculous situation where the State Government and Brisbane City Council are off on entirely different tangents, working on their own pet projects in their protected silos. This situation cannot continue. Transport responsibilities must be stripped from Brisbane City Council.

Best wishes
Robert

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

References:

New Bus Network Proposal
http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

Note: Review of the QR train network will be limited to establishing whether service frequencies on rail lines within the BCC area are suitable for turn up and go service, and where works are required to properly interconnect rail and bus networks.

Quirk Metro Capacity
300 passengers / train x 40 trains/hour = 12 000 passengers / direction (this is already what the busway carries in peak hour)

[ozbob]

Media release 27th March 2016

SEQ: Moving on with public transport

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 it is now time to move to sort out public transport in Brisbane and SEQ.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The overall strategy for sorting out public transport in SEQ and Brisbane is simple."

"First: Steps must now be taken to sort out the Brisbane bus network. Turn Victoria Bridge into a green bridge, fix up the Cultural Centre Bus station, start reforming the bus network so that the number of near empty buses in the CBD can be reduced and buses deployed to the suburbs where they can actually service our community. Roll out frequent feeder buses to key bus and rail stations."

"Second: Fare review, time this was completed. Continuing to delay this essential reform is not acceptable."

"Third: Advance Cross River Rail - this will enable the needed capacity on the rail network in SEQ, and importantly also deliver significant mass transit capacity into and out of Brisbane CBD.  Cross River Rail is equivalent to a 30 lane highway in terms of increased passenger mobility."

"The recent Brisbane Council election highlighted the idiocy of public transport policy in Brisbane . It is clear what needs to occur from here."

Contact:

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

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

3rd April 2016

Bus Reform: Frozen At The Wheel?

Greetings,

A key test of government is if it will act and start reforming the failed Brisbane bus network.

We have been calling for bus reform since before 2012. It does not take half a decade to fix up the bus network.

We have suggested a 5-point plan to start the process. It fixes up the worst deficiencies within Lord Mayor Graham Quirk's bus network:

196 Yeronga BUZ (Every 15 minutes)
230 BulimbaGlider (Every 15 minutes)
359 Eatons Hill (Every 15 minutes)
400 CentenaryGlider (Every 10-15 minutes)
911 Mitchelton to UQ St Lucia via Ashgrove and Toowong

These services would plug Brisbane City Council's 'black holes'. It is cheaper and faster to deliver than any infrastructure project the Queensland Government has on its books. The fare review and concession fares for job seekers also need to be dealt with. All bus regions are suffering because of BCC's intransigence.

Will the Queensland Government act?

Or is it frozen at the steering wheel of the reform bus?

Best wishes,
Robert

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

Bus reform - our proposal media releases grouped >  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11099.0

[ozbob]

High Frequency: Why Houston Is Back on the Bus

>> http://www.streetfilms.org/high-frequency-why-houston-is-back-on-the-bus/

Every so often, every city should do a "system reimagining" of its bus network like Houston METRO did.

Back in 2012, Houston's bus network was in trouble. Ridership was down, and weekend ridership was especially weak. Frequent service was rare. Routes didn't go directly where people needed to go. If you wanted to get from one place outside downtown to another place outside downtown, you still had to take a bus downtown and transfer.

It was a system that had basically stayed frozen since the 1970s. And as you can surmise, the service it provided was not effective, convenient, or appealing for many types of trips.

METRO's solution was to wipe the slate clean. What would Houston's bus network look like if you designed it from scratch? By re-examining every bus route in the city, talking to bus riders, and making tough decisions, METRO reinvented its bus network. The new system features better, more efficient routes, shorter wait times, and increased service on nights and weekends. The changes were essentially revenue-neutral -- Houston now runs a better bus system on the same budget, because it optimized the use of existing resources.

This Streetfilm was produced in partnership with TransitCenter, the first in a series of four films looking at transit innovation in American cities.

^ Sound familiar?

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

8th April 2016

LNP still missing the bus ...

Greetings,

LNP Infrastructure Spokesman Tim Nicholls is reported by ABC News as stating with respect to Cross River Rail (1):

"This proposal doesn't seem to do anything about buses and we know that's the big problem on the Victoria Bridge," he said.

"There is a capacity constraint in relation to buses going in and out of the city."

The problem with the Brisbane Bus Network is that too many near empty buses are clogging up the city.  It does not need a massive committment in terms of infrastructure to sort.  Bus network reform will reduce the number of buses running to and from and the City and allow an increase in bus services in the suburbs where they are needed, not stuck in long conga lines in the CBD and approaches.

We have shown how this can be done with our bus network proposal (2).

It was one the major failings of the Newman Government that they failed to reform the Brisbane bus network and back the proper transport authority TransLink.  They simply jumped into bed with BCC and rolled over.

Little wonder they lost Government.

Best wishes
Robert

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

1.  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-08/brisbane-cross-river-rail-needs-innovative-funding-jackie-trad/7310824

2.  Brisbane - bus network proposal  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11047.0

[ozbob]

The Daily Post (Texas) --> Dallas Could Learn A Thing Or Two About Changing A Bus System From Houston

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> City's living and working pressures laid bare

Latest data from three million train and bus trips stored on Go Card "smart cards" shows SEQ's "north-south" public transport system is not keeping pace with the widening distance between where people live and where they have to travel to work.

The data - analysed for the first time - calculates "workplaces" and "residences" and shows south-east Queensland's "north-south" rail system funnels commuters at an "escalating rate" into the Brisbane CBD.

However it has little "east-west" flexibility to get to jobs outside the city's CBD.

Most of Greater Brisbane's "east-west" flexibility is handled by buses, which are regularly running late, with only 84 per cent running on time according to Translink, well below Translink's performance requirements.

The implications of this latest Go Card smart card research will be debated at Tuesday's Australian Institute's Jobs Summit at Queensland's Parliament House in Brisbane, where deputy premier Jackie Trad and Treasurer Curtis Pitt will be keynote speakers.

Traditionally transport data was gathered by surveys, or travel diaries, until experts in London (2011) and Shenzen (2012) analysed "smart card" data to show future work travel trends emerging.

The "smart card" research is factored into future jobs planning in London and in Shenzen in China in trying to locate future jobs closer to residential areas.

In Greater Brisbane, the Go Card research analysis by the University of Queensland's School of Geography, shows the top six destinations for commuters as:

    1 - Brisbane's CBD,
    2 - The University of Queensland (UQ),
    3 - South Brisbane,
    4 - Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
    5 - Kelvin Grove campus and
    6 – Mt Gravatt's Garden City shopping centre

It shows the seven significant "residential areas" where commuters leave from or return to - are:

    1 - Bald Hills station,
    2 - Ferny Grove station,
    3 - Northgate station,
    4 - Darra station,
    5 - Goodna station,
    6 - Garden City
    7 - Eight Miles Plains.

However areas on the outer fringes of Brisbane City are the fastest growing population belts, while jobs are still concentrated in urban CBDs.

While rail is the main form of public transport, there is limited flexibility in Greater Brisbane, the research by Ming Wei, Yan Liu and Thomas Sigler found.

"There is a linear high intensity commuting pattern running from north to the south of Brisbane via the CBD, reflecting the large number of commuters travelling by rail along fixed routes," their paper finds.

"The highlighted train corridor shows that rail service plays a more important role than other transport modes such as bus or ferry in residents' daily commuting, and the distribution of rail commuters amongst all train stations is relatively balanced."

"But there is also a lack of east-west connectivity.

"Griffith University station, Sunnybank and Eight Miles Plain are important transit locations for public transport passengers, contributing to the centrality of Garden City to a more influential sub-centre in Brisbane.

"However, the connection between Garden City and Sunnybank is quite weak, indicating a weak connection of public transport between the two locations."

The research analysed 3.1 million bus, train and ferry trips over five days between March 4 and March 8 2013.
What the research found

    Mount Gravatt's Garden City Shopping Centre is increasing under pressure as a transport hub for the fast-growing southern edge of Brisbane and Logan;
    Rail is the major "north-south" public transport mode to get commuters to and from work; and
    Buses are struggling to keep pace in the "east-west" connections.

The new Moreton Bay Rail Link – running "east-west" from Kippa Ring to Petrie – will bring 600 trains to Redcliffe by late July or August 2016.

Tuesday's jobs summit predicts future jobs growth from five industries.

    Health care and social assistance
    Professional, scientific and technical services
    Education and training;
    Accommodation and food services (closely linked to tourism); and
    Construction.

Economist Saul Eslake, who will also speak at Tuesday' summit, said new jobs would come from Queensland's services sector.

"The mining construction boom is over forever, and jobs growth in Queensland will overwhelmingly come from the services sector from now on."

Meanwhile a ReachTEL poll of 1200 Queenslanders shows voters think the government should try to stimulate the manufacturing sector to create future jobs (27.2 per cent), but that health (19.5 per cent) and agriculture (22.8 per cent) had the best prospects for future jobs.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

26th April 2016

Time to sort it!

Good Morning,

More evidence of the failure that is public transport in SEQ.

Brisbanetimes --> City's living and working pressures laid bare

It is not rocket science.

The overall strategy for sorting out public transport in SEQ and Brisbane is simple.

First: Steps must now be taken to sort out the Brisbane bus network. Turn Victoria Bridge into a green bridge, fix up the Cultural Centre Bus station, start reforming the bus network so that the number of near empty buses in the CBD can be reduced and buses deployed to the suburbs where they can actually service our community. Roll out frequent feeder buses to key bus and rail stations. Implement new cross suburban bus connecters.

Second: Fare review, time this was completed. Continuing to delay this essential reform is not acceptable.

Third: Advance Cross River Rail - this will enable the needed capacity on the rail network in SEQ, and importantly also deliver significant mass transit capacity into and out of Brisbane CBD.  Cross River Rail is equivalent to a 30 lane highway in terms of increased passenger mobility.

The recent Brisbane Council election highlighted the idiocy of public transport policy in Brisbane . It is clear what needs to occur from here. Brisbane City Council must either move forward with integrated public transport network reform or give all network planning over to the competent authority TransLink.

Best wishes
Robert

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

Reference:

1. 7 News  --> Brisbane outer suburbs losing on Translink incentives

[James]

With a bit of extrapolation, you can really see how Park 'n' Ride focussed our PT development still is.

1 - Bald Hills station - straight off the Gympie Arterial Rd and on to the train, avoiding the Gympie Rd crawl.
2 - Ferny Grove station - massive Park 'n' Ride at the terminus of a train line.
3 - Northgate station - junction of two lines, no significant TOD.
4 - Darra station - junction of two lines, easily accessible from the Centenary/Ipswich motorways. Probably the first station in the list with decent feeders.
5 - Goodna station - I'll let Bob comment on this one.
6 - Garden City - Probably the first example of decent development - but on the contrary, this could just be a sign of people travelling out from the CBD to Garden City, depending on how they looked at the data.
7 - Eight Mile Plains - pure P&R.

If you got to work on feeder buses I bet you'd see that list change quite a bit. Also notice how the top 5 stations are all railway stations and not busway stations. Sign that a lot of the line haul is still being done by railway lines.

[#Metro]

I am curious to know what the zoning around these stations are?

Anywhere within 800m of a busway or a train station should have much more permissive zoning.

The zoning rules apparently ban housing near transport! That's crazy!!

[HappyTrainGuy]

"But there is also a lack of east-west connectivity.

Well no sh%t.

Never going to get better zoning at northgate as its industrial. And zoning will have little when the bus network around it is non existent. For example check out Carseldine and Zillmere stations. Carseldine is a prime example. Lots of new multi story housing and yet no pt or peak flow only PT to the shops, schools and the train line. Follow the Caboolture line from Sunshine north and the pattern repeats. Zoning only makes a small impact if the pt network isnt there to support it.

[Derwan]

As James and LD mentioned, I think the top "residential areas where commuters leave from or return to" are very telling.  None of them have significant population density.  Looking at the top 5 (train stations), they are all on the edge of a TransLink zone and they all have significantly large car parks.  Northgate and Darra are junctions, making the additional frequency more convenient.

It is clear to me that people are driving for part of their journey and finding a station with parking that JUST takes them into the next zone (i.e. cheaper) and/or provides a better frequency.  (It's what I used to do from time to time when I lived in Boondall!)

If we had a sufficient frequency across the board, a bus feeder network and fares that weren't so expensive, we could get those cars off of the road.

Mt Gravatt is an interesting one and it makes me wonder if they're looking at "trips" or "journeys".  Mt Gravatt is one of the few true transport hubs outside of the city.  A lot of buses terminate there and people transfer to other buses to head to the city or uni.  If they only count trips, that would add a significant number to the figures.  I think there are a lot of drop-offs too (i.e. people driving someone to the bus station) - simply because a trip to the city is so quick from Mt Gravatt.  There is a small park'n'ride car park but that wouldn't significantly affect patronage figures.

[#Metro]

This is just sad.

Perth solved the mess a long time ago. It is similar, if not less populated than Brisbane is.

[SurfRail]

If you got to work on feeder buses I bet you'd see that list change quite a bit. Also notice how the top 5 stations are all railway stations and not busway stations. Sign that a lot of the line haul is still being done by railway lines.

I recall seeing a chart from some time ago which plotted the intensity of passenger traffic around the network overlaid on a map.  The Ferny Grove line had a higher passenger intensity from about Enoggera than even the innermost bits of Gympie Road.  Apart from the SEB, it was abundantly obvious the real workhorse of the transport system was the rail network and that the bus catchment while larger is significantly, significantly more spread out - even the busway corridors.

[ozbob]

With a bit of extrapolation, you can really see how Park 'n' Ride focussed our PT development still is.

1 - Bald Hills station - straight off the Gympie Arterial Rd and on to the train, avoiding the Gympie Rd crawl.
2 - Ferny Grove station - massive Park 'n' Ride at the terminus of a train line.
3 - Northgate station - junction of two lines, no significant TOD.
4 - Darra station - junction of two lines, easily accessible from the Centenary/Ipswich motorways. Probably the first station in the list with decent feeders.
5 - Goodna station - I'll let Bob comment on this one.
6 - Garden City - Probably the first example of decent development - but on the contrary, this could just be a sign of people travelling out from the CBD to Garden City, depending on how they looked at the data.
7 - Eight Mile Plains - pure P&R.

If you got to work on feeder buses I bet you'd see that list change quite a bit. Also notice how the top 5 stations are all railway stations and not busway stations. Sign that a lot of the line haul is still being done by railway lines.

Goodna is bit of a hybrid.  Officially it has 243 car parks, in reality a lot more as there is additional park adjacent to park (after 9am).
Has a ramshackle set of buses that do haphazardly feed the rail (although no indication of the buses that do connect on the rail platform).  Also a significant amount of walk up patronage as well.  A lot of people walk around Goodna and do access the rail station by foot.  There is no real close residential development, just car parks, parks pubs and clubs .. 

We love our station at Goodna.  Great views of the Ipswich car park, and is a real treat when the jacarandas are in bloom.  Of course, our station is also a strong swimmer!   

[SurfRail]

^ Has very poor bus facilities too for the role it plays - frankly all the Ipswich line stations do.

[OzGamer]

^ Has very poor bus facilities too for the role it plays - frankly all the Ipswich line stations do.

Darra and Oxley both have pretty good bus facilities - just not enough buses.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

27th April 2016

Greetings,

Bus Reform Crash Course

An important issue for that RAIL Back on Track has for the transport portfolio, is Brisbane City Council's Bus network.

Sorting out the bus network is a basic fundamental reform that will save billions of dollars.

Brisbane Bus Reform: Brisbane City Council's Bus Network - What Went Wrong?
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11175.0

Brisbane Bus Reform: RAIL Back on Track Launches New Bus Network Proposal
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11046.0

A service quality map of Brisbane City Council's Bus services:
http://tiny.cc/checkyourbus

A service quality map of RAIL Back on Track's Hi Frequency Bus Network proposal
http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

'Frequency is Freedom' Guide to Brisbane City Council Bus Network Problems
http://backontrack.org/docs/bus/reform/BusReformBlueprint.pdf

Brisbane City Council's bus network must be reformed. Bus Reform will give Brisbane Australia's best bus network within 2 years, at near-neutral cost.

Best wishes,
Robert

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

[verbatim9]

I wonder if Council will go ahead and investigate/create a Centenary Buz from Darra Station to the City?

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

15th May 2016

Comment: Des Houghton Opinion Column Courier Mail 14th May 2016 pages 32-33

Greetings,

Des Houghton's opinion piece in the Courier Mail (14/05/2016) does highlight the grim transport crisis that Brisbane now faces. There are however a few misconceptions as to why public transport in Brisbane is failing. Houghton makes the point that the subsidy per journey on rail is $17.19, compared to $3.85 on bus. But that ignores the fact that the average rail commute is much longer compared to a local trip on the bus.

Queensland Rail (QR) must pay to maintain its own tracks, whereas Brisbane City Council (BCC) enjoys the busways being paid for and maintained by the state.

On a passenger kilometre basis, QR is slightly more efficient than Brisbane Transport. It could be even more efficient if rail became a proper high-frequency spine supporting the entire public transport network, as other cities do. Of course, tit for tat about who is more efficient - Brisbane Transport or Queensland Rail - is largely redundant. Both are inefficient and poorly compare against interstate and international counterparts.

BCC trumpets its contribution to public transport as some altruistic act, but many councils already contribute to public transport. Gold Coast City Council tipped money into every stage of the Light Rail system. And Moreton Bay Regional Council kick-started the Kippa Ring railway.

The Brisbane CBD's jobs and associated commercial rates revenue would not exist for BCC without Queensland Rail.

BCC would have more bang for buck had they contributed to mass rail transit investment, rather than over-packing hundreds of low-capacity buses into the CBD in peak. City Hall's reluctance to fund rail comes down to a weak ideological 'slippery slope' argument.

Just how much of BCC's $130 million annual funding for buses goes towards subsidising waste and inefficiency? In 2012, Translink found that in peak hour, 60% or more of buses entering the CBD via the Victoria bridge were only half full! Such wanton waste is, of course, picked up by ordinary passengers who must pay the highest fares in the nation.

City Hall doesn't like the idea of a proper network based on "key interchange locations". Houghton quotes "...commuters may have to go backwards or sideways to designated railway stations before they go forward to the city by train". But some of Brisbane's longest bus routes, (including the 100, 330, 444 and 460, to name a few) already pass major train stations, getting caught in traffic congestion on their journey to the CBD. This wasteful competition between buses and trains is exactly why public transport in South East Queensland is such a money pit with extortionate fares.  Again, cities interstate and overseas just don't do this. The willingly embrace network reform and deliver much improved public transport outcomes.

If bus passengers connected to the rail network where appropriate, the subsidy per passenger would fall. Funds would be freed up for better bus services to cover the rest of the city. Bus and rail services would be more frequent.

There is too much pride in some quarters to just take the proven "textbook" approach to public transport planning. Rather than being judicious with our public transport investments, we spread money thinly, in an un-coordinated manner - and it shows!

Thanks to Des for highlighting the crisis.  It is real.

Best wishes
Robert

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

[ozbob]

Lord Mayor Quirk et al have realised buses cannot do it and that rail capacity is needed, albeit in the form of his half baked metro proposal.

Would save billions to actually use what we have existing properly first hey?

NO BRAINER !  But not in BrisBANE !

[ozbob]

Letter to the Editor Courier Mail 16th May 2016 page 22

Waste widespread in city transport journey

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

30th May 2016

Sorting out the bus network

Good Morning,

Does anyone seriously think the Quirk Metro will do anything for our public transport network?  No it will not, we have shown clearly it is a seriously deficient proposal.

Can we wait for years and years hoping that something will fall from the sky to sort out the bus network failure?  Or should we, as a community bite the bullet and get on with it, as they have in many other jurisdictions.

Sorting out the bus network is a basic fundamental reform that will save billions of dollars.  We have shown how this can be achieved as follows:

Brisbane Bus Reform: Brisbane City Council's Bus Network - What Went Wrong?
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11175.0

Brisbane Bus Reform: RAIL Back on Track Launches New Bus Network Proposal
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11046.0

A service quality map of Brisbane City Council's Bus services:
http://tiny.cc/checkyourbus

A service quality map of RAIL Back on Track's Hi Frequency Bus Network proposal
http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

'Frequency is Freedom' Guide to Brisbane City Council Bus Network Problems
http://backontrack.org/docs/bus/reform/BusReformBlueprint.pdf

Brisbane City Council's bus network must be reformed. Bus Reform will give Brisbane Australia's best bus network within 2 years, at near-neutral cost.

Best wishes,
Robert

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

Attached: [ http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11952.msg174652#msg174652 ]

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

13th June 2016

Brisbane Bus Reform: Capitalise on Success!

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 on the Palaszczuk government to capitalise on its fare review success and bring in bus reform.

Success with the fare review has restored confidence in the Queensland Government. A taskforce approach, where a non-government chair and a diverse set of experts, advocates and general community members tackle an issue with departmental secretariat support has worked well.

We call on the Palaszczuk Government to capitalise on its success and take the next step: Reform Brisbane City Council's bus network. Much of the necessary work has been done by the previous government. An SEQ Bus Review Taskforce could be modelled on the Fare Review Taskforce, with Mr Neil Cagney remaining as chair and perhaps minor addition to the taskforce to take in business and student representatives.

Brisbane City Council should also be part of a Bus Review Taskforce. We would welcome it.

Bus reform can be introduced while retaining 100% public ownership of the Brisbane bus network. And it can be broadly cost neutral. TransLink (2013) has already done much of the work, as have our members here at RAIL Back on Track. Our New Bus Network Proposal is available publicly http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

What is Lord Mayor Graham Quirk's answer to Brisbane's bus problems?  A 'Quack' Metro - a dead duck proposal, in our view, that doesn't pass basic mathematical and basic transport sense. Sorry Lord Mayor, but we don't have time for daydreaming like that. Reorganising what we have already is the fastest, cheapest and most effective way to tackle the bus issues plaguing Brisbane.

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

References:

1. MRCagney - Neil Cagney Profile
http://www.mrcagney.com/team/neil-cagney/

Mr Neil Cagney's background:

"Neil, in his role as Divisional Manager (CEO) of Brisbane Transport, firmly established a reputation for excellence in the strategic development of transport services. He oversaw numerous major operational programmes including a complete redesign of the city's public transport services, major industrial reform, the introduction of the iconic CityCat ferry service, the functional design of the city's busway project and the initiation of the SE Busway itself, plus numerous, road and fleet acquisition programmes."

2. SEQ Fare Review Taskforce

• Mr Neil Cagney (Chair) – MRCagney Pty Ltd
• Mr Mark Tucker-Evans – Chief Executive of COTA
Queensland
• Mr Jarrett Walker – Consultant, Jarrett Walker and
Associates
• Associate Professor Matthew Burke – Griffith
University
• Mr Robert Dow – Rail Back on Track
• Ms Sharon Boyce – Chair, Queensland Disability
Advisory Council
• Mr Neil Scales – Director-General of the
Department of Transport and Main Roads
• Mr Trent Zimmerman – Deputy Chief Executive of
Tourism and Transport Forum (27 Jul 15 to 3 Nov 15)

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

4th July 2016

Brisbane: We Need Bus Reform Now

Greetings,

The Federal Election result is not clear and Cross River Rail funding remains in doubt. The Queensland Government's
tactic of releasing the business case just days before the election hasn't helped to progress CRR in a timely manner. Funding
is now in the hands of Infrastructure Australia and political uncertainty.

We again call on the Queensland Government and Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe to
initiate bus reform of the Brisbane bus network. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk should also come
on board. The basic reality is that even if Cross River Rail is funded, it will not be operating
for many years, and there is a need to take pressure off the bus network right now.

RAIL Back on Track's New Bus Network Proposal was released in November 2014. It will extend
more buses to more places, improve service frequency to 'black hole' areas and is cost-neutral.
The Queensland Government had much success with the fare reform. We believe the same model
can be re-purposed for the bus reform that Brisbane so desperately needs.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has proposed a metro. But we believe his proposal, in its current
form, is both physically and mathematically impossible. His 300-person trains simply do not
have the capacity to transport the promised 30,000 passengers/hour. We challenge Brisbane
City Council to provide us with worked calculations proving us wrong. We calculate that a
metro train needs 750 passengers/train capacity to reach 30,000 passengers/hour. That means
longer length trains that won't fit at Mater Hill station and heavier trains that will be too
heavy for the Victoria Bridge to bear.

Transport Minister, our New Bus Network Proposal is here > http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

Best wishes
Robert

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

[ Attached: http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11952.msg175996#msg175996 ]

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

5th July 2016

Re: Brisbane: We Need Bus Reform Now

Good Morning,

Serious questions need to be asked now of Brisbane City Council, TransLink and the State Government.

Why is Brisbane's bus network being allowed to continue in a shambolic state?   Brisbane Transport cannot even achieve the minimum on time performance standards demanded of all bus operators in SEQ.

Lord Mayor Quirk and BCC resisted the bus reform that TransLink attempted to do in 2013, claiming that people would not want to transfer.  Lord Mayor Quirk now proposes a half baked metro proposal that would force massive transfers and in fact demand bus network reform.

Would it not be more logical to actually carry out bus reform now?  This would save billions of dollars and deliver a functional bus network for Brisbane with flow on benefits to all bus regions in SEQ?

We are being screwed by failing administrations, bureaucracy and Government.

Time to extract the digits don't you think?

Appalling situation.

Best wishes
Robert

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

[ Attached: http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11047.msg176219#msg176219 ]

[ozbob]

Media release 24th March 2016 re-released 7th July 2016



Brisbane: Start Fixing Bus Network with Five Point Plan

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 floated a five point plan to fix Brisbane City Council's broken bus network.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Proposing a ' metro ' on the Brisbane busways is a clear admission by Lord Mayor Graham Quirk that his bus network is well and truly broken. Brisbane City Council has been in denial about this for years, despite it being clearly foreshadowed in its own 2007 Lord Mayor's Mass Transit Report."

"The ' Quirk Metro ' is a vote bait pipe-dream that would not increase busway capacity in our measured opinion. It is time for the Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe to move on with achievable bus reforms. This will be a key opportunity for the Palaszczuk Government to demonstrate that it is capable of fixing broken bus services within the State's capital, or whether it is truly 'frozen at the wheel'."

Our Five Point Plan is:

196 Yeronga BUZ (Every 15 minutes)
230 BulimbaGlider (Every 15 minutes)
359 Eatons Hill (Every 15 minutes)
400 CentenaryGlider (Every 10-15 minutes)
911 Mitchelton to UQ St Lucia via Ashgrove and Toowong

"These bus services would plug Brisbane City Council's 'bus black holes'."

"Services should have all door boarding, and improved frequency up to at least 9 pm on weeknights. These five services could be funded by minor changes to existing routes through amalgamations, simplifications and truncations. As the Quirk Metro will serve none of these areas, there is no reason to delay these service changes."

"Can we wait a decade sitting in bus jam hoping for bus reform?"

Contact:

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

References:

1. New Bus Network Proposal
http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

2. Quirk Metro Capacity Calculation

300 pax / train x 30 trains/hour = 9,000 pphd, less than what the busway carries now (12,000-15,000 pphd).
Even if 90 second headways could be achieved, unlikely unless a fully automated system, capacity would only be 300 x 40 = 12,000 pphd.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

10th July 2016

Re: Brisbane: Start Fixing Bus Network with Five Point Plan

Good Morning,

Cross River Rail is stranded.  The Quirk Metro is a non-deliverable absurdity.

We can sort out public transport in Brisbane with flow on benefits for all of SEQ now though.  We need to accept that the bus reform process originally attempted in 2013 for Brisbane now has to proceed in essence.  There is not billions of dollars for pipe-dreams and concrete, we need to work on what we have.  Brisbane is well placed in terms of busways and railway lines.  We can improve our public transport network by making the bus and rail networks work properly.  We can improved frequency on rail and core bus routes, reduce the number of near empty buses clogging up the CBD and re-deploy those to the suburbs where they are needed.

We need to start making changes.  Our ' Five Point Plan ' is a good start point.

We need to bring the community along with the process. Lord Mayor Quirk and BCC need to agree to incremental reform from here.  They have acknowledged the Brisbane bus network is broken by floating their bizarre metro proposal - albeit flawed as it is.

It is time the State Government stood up for the community and directed BCC to engage with TransLink and commence reform.  To allow the ongoing shambles to continue is unacceptable.

Best wishes
Robert

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

Media release 24th March 2016 re-released 7th July 2016



Brisbane: Start Fixing Bus Network with Five Point Plan

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 floated a five point plan to fix Brisbane City Council's broken bus network.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Proposing a ' metro ' on the Brisbane busways is a clear admission by Lord Mayor Graham Quirk that his bus network is well and truly broken. Brisbane City Council has been in denial about this for years, despite it being clearly foreshadowed in its own 2007 Lord Mayor's Mass Transit Report."

"The ' Quirk Metro ' is a vote bait pipe-dream that would not increase busway capacity in our measured opinion. It is time for the Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe to move on with achievable bus reforms. This will be a key opportunity for the Palaszczuk Government to demonstrate that it is capable of fixing broken bus services within the State's capital, or whether it is truly 'frozen at the wheel'."

Our Five Point Plan is:

196 Yeronga BUZ (Every 15 minutes)
230 BulimbaGlider (Every 15 minutes)
359 Eatons Hill (Every 15 minutes)
400 CentenaryGlider (Every 10-15 minutes)
911 Mitchelton to UQ St Lucia via Ashgrove and Toowong

"These bus services would plug Brisbane City Council's 'bus black holes'."

"Services should have all door boarding, and improved frequency up to at least 9 pm on weeknights. These five services could be funded by minor changes to existing routes through amalgamations, simplifications and truncations. As the Quirk Metro will serve none of these areas, there is no reason to delay these service changes."

"Can we wait a decade sitting in bus jam hoping for bus reform?"

Contact:

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

References:

1. New Bus Network Proposal
http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

2. Quirk Metro Capacity Calculation

300 pax / train x 30 trains/hour = 9,000 pphd, less than what the busway carries now (12,000-15,000 pphd).
Even if 90 second headways could be achieved, unlikely unless a fully automated system, capacity would only be 300 x 40 = 12,000 pphd.

[#Metro]

I think it is just splendid that bus reform is the last policy standing around that has survived because:

(a) it is cost neutral, and can be done even if the Queensland Government is broke/bankrupt
(b) requires no new infrastructure
(c) how to do it is already detailed in full at http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

[ozbob]

Latest: Start Fixing Bus Network
> https://t.co/UzNAORLAJJ#qldpol@StirlHinchliffe @Team_Quirk @CrPeterCumming pic.twitter.com/D6q5AP9RYj

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) July 9, 2016

^

. @StirlHinchliffe @Team_Quirk @CrPeterCumming
Letter to the Ed @qld_times 2nd February 2016 page 17#qldpol pic.twitter.com/Z7wSp2gNBi

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) July 9, 2016

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

14th July 2016

Brisbane Bus Reform: Capitalise on Success!

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 on the Palaszczuk government to capitalise on its fare review success and bring in bus reform.

Success with the fare review has restored confidence in the Queensland Government. A taskforce approach, where a non-government chair and a diverse set of experts, advocates and general community members tackle an issue with departmental secretariat support has worked well.

We call on the Palaszczuk Government to capitalise on its success and take the next step: Reform Brisbane City Council's bus network. Much of the necessary work has been done by the previous government. An SEQ Bus Review Taskforce could be modelled on the Fare Review Taskforce, with Mr Neil Cagney remaining as chair and perhaps minor addition to the taskforce to take in business and student representatives.

Brisbane City Council should also be part of a Bus Review Taskforce. We would welcome it.

Bus reform can be introduced while retaining 100% public ownership of the Brisbane bus network. And it can be broadly cost neutral. TransLink (2013) has already done much of the work, as have our members here at RAIL Back on Track. Our New Bus Network Proposal is available publicly http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

What is Lord Mayor Graham Quirk's answer to Brisbane's bus problems?  A 'Quack' Metro - a dead duck proposal, in our view, that doesn't pass basic mathematical and basic transport sense. Sorry Lord Mayor, but we don't have time for daydreaming like that. Reorganising what we have already is the fastest, cheapest and most effective way to tackle the bus issues plaguing Brisbane.

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

References:

1. MRCagney - Neil Cagney Profile
http://www.mrcagney.com/team/neil-cagney/

Mr Neil Cagney's background:

"Neil, in his role as Divisional Manager (CEO) of Brisbane Transport, firmly established a reputation for excellence in the strategic development of transport services. He oversaw numerous major operational programmes including a complete redesign of the city's public transport services, major industrial reform, the introduction of the iconic CityCat ferry service, the functional design of the city's busway project and the initiation of the SE Busway itself, plus numerous, road and fleet acquisition programmes."

2. SEQ Fare Review Taskforce

• Mr Neil Cagney (Chair) – MRCagney Pty Ltd
• Mr Mark Tucker-Evans – Chief Executive of COTA
Queensland
• Mr Jarrett Walker – Consultant, Jarrett Walker and
Associates
• Associate Professor Matthew Burke – Griffith
University
• Mr Robert Dow – Rail Back on Track
• Ms Sharon Boyce – Chair, Queensland Disability
Advisory Council
• Mr Neil Scales – Director-General of the
Department of Transport and Main Roads
• Mr Trent Zimmerman – Deputy Chief Executive of
Tourism and Transport Forum (27 Jul 15 to 3 Nov 15)

[Stillwater]

 

Having 'normal people' tackle a common problem is also working in local government circles:

http://www.noosa.qld.gov.au/community-jury

[aldonius]

If we're suggesting people from various places, I have some: student unions/guilds of UQ, QUT, Griffith, maybe ACU or SBIT too. And someone from The TransLink Ripoff, if only because they always complain about there not being enough public consultation.

For business: someone from the CBD, someone from Westfield, maybe someone from the Port.

[verbatim9]

Media release 24th March 2016 re-released 7th July 2016



Brisbane: Start Fixing Bus Network with Five Point Plan

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 floated a five point plan to fix Brisbane City Council's broken bus network.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Proposing a ' metro ' on the Brisbane busways is a clear admission by Lord Mayor Graham Quirk that his bus network is well and truly broken. Brisbane City Council has been in denial about this for years, despite it being clearly foreshadowed in its own 2007 Lord Mayor's Mass Transit Report."

"The ' Quirk Metro ' is a vote bait pipe-dream that would not increase busway capacity in our measured opinion. It is time for the Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe to move on with achievable bus reforms. This will be a key opportunity for the Palaszczuk Government to demonstrate that it is capable of fixing broken bus services within the State's capital, or whether it is truly 'frozen at the wheel'."

Our Five Point Plan is:

196 Yeronga BUZ (Every 15 minutes)
230 BulimbaGlider (Every 15 minutes)
359 Eatons Hill (Every 15 minutes)
400 CentenaryGlider (Every 10-15 minutes)
911 Mitchelton to UQ St Lucia via Ashgrove and Toowong

"These bus services would plug Brisbane City Council's 'bus black holes'."

"Services should have all door boarding, and improved frequency up to at least 9 pm on weeknights. These five services could be funded by minor changes to existing routes through amalgamations, simplifications and truncations. As the Quirk Metro will serve none of these areas, there is no reason to delay these service changes."

"Can we wait a decade sitting in bus jam hoping for bus reform?"

Contact:

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

References:

1. New Bus Network Proposal
http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

2. Quirk Metro Capacity Calculation

300 pax / train x 30 trains/hour = 9,000 pphd, less than what the busway carries now (12,000-15,000 pphd).
Even if 90 second headways could be achieved, unlikely unless a fully automated system, capacity would only be 300 x 40 = 12,000 pphd.

Is Eatons Hill in the BCC area? Why should Brisbane rate payers subsidise a service for Moreton residents?

Eatons Hill
QueenslandCoordinates27°20′24″S 152°56′02″EPopulation7,993 (2011 census)[1] • Density863.2/km2 (2,235.6/sq mi)Postcode(s)4037Area9.26 km2 (3.6 sq mi)Location20 km (12 mi) fromBrisbane CBDLGA(s)Moreton Bay RegionState electorate(s)EvertonFederal Division(s)Dickson

[#Metro]

Is Eatons Hill in the BCC area? Why should Brisbane rate payers subsidise a service for Moreton residents?

Eatons Hill is in MBRC.

However, BCC buses operate off TransLink subsidies, which are paid for by everyone, including outside SEQ.

And Eatons Hill residents need to get to Brisbane.

These buses should be running as if the boundary did not exist. TL or MBRC should cover the cost for the bit hanging over the BCC boundary.

We can get trains to drive over council boundaries, would be a nightmare if they could not. Gold Coast residents would have to change three times.

[verbatim9]

Is Eatons Hill in the BCC area? Why should Brisbane rate payers subsidise a service for Moreton residents?

Eatons Hill is in MBRC.

However, BCC buses operate off TransLink subsidies, which are paid for by everyone, including outside SEQ.

And Eatons Hill residents need to get to Brisbane.

These buses should be running as if the boundary did not exist. TL or MBRC should cover the cost for the bit hanging over the BCC boundary.

We can get trains to drive over council boundaries, would be a nightmare if they could not. Gold Coast residents would have to change three times.

If it was a Translink bus it wouldnt matter paid by the State Government. Its happening too on the southside where extra 130 and 140 busses have to be put on at extra expense from rate payers as logan residents drive to the boundary and use the 130 and 140. How come Translink wont supply a feeder bus to the rail or to Aspley or Chermside to connect with other existing high frequency services?

[#Metro]

If it was a Translink bus it wouldnt matter paid by the State Government. Its happening too on the southside where extra 130 and 140 busses have to be put on at extra expense from rate payers as logan residents drive to the boundary and use the 130 and 140. How come Translink wont supply a feeder bus to the rail or to Aspley or Chermside to connect with other existing high frequency services?

Well, 555 buses travel and pick up within the BCC area.

At this point we are switching to designing for administrative purposes, and not designing for people's travel needs.

TransLink could send a feeder bus to a rail station, but then it would have to take an inconvenient time-wasting route and connect. Due to this patronage and frequency would also be affected. And what for? Because of an invisible administrative boundary that passengers do not care about.

Under the New Bus Network Proposal, pax would be fed into Mitchelton (Brookside) where they would take the train to the CBD.
http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

25th July 2016

' World class Brisbane transport failure '

Good Morning,

There is no doubt bus network reform is needed and needed urgently.

Here is a report of an incident that happened yesterday.   Bus frequency needs to be improved to at least 30 minutes on the service to Lone Pine Sanctuary.

https://www.facebook.com/RAILBackOnTrack/posts/1323666244314226:0

Imagine this. You've just had a fun day at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and are ready to head home (or back to where you are staying for your holiday) - only to realise that buses only run hourly. Yes - HOURLY from one of Brisbane's biggest tourist attractions.

You wait patiently for the next bus to arrive - but when it finally does, you don't make it on board because it's FULL. You are forced to wait another hour for the next bus.

This is exactly what happened for a group of tourists today. They left Lone Pine early so they could make their way back to the Gold Coast by train. They were not able to board the 3:33pm bus and had to wait another hour for the 4:33 bus.

What image are we portraying to tourists? We offer them an seeQ card so they can get around - but that's pointless when buses only run hourly from tourist attractions and then refuse passengers because they're full.

At the other end of the spectrum, we've got buses from all over Brisbane sometimes running empty because virtually EVERY BUS goes to the city.

It's time for bus reform!! Fix the issues! Make public transport attractive, not a hinderance!


The above is not an isolated incident, people are being left stranded constantly as buses are cancelled, run late, connections missed, or buses full, throughout Brisbane and the rest of SEQ.

What is it going to take to shake the Government, TransLink and the bureaucracy on George Street out of their ignorant slumber?

The now real threat of political oblivion?  They clearly do not care much for the average punter now do they?

Best wishes,
Robert

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