Moreton bay (Northern) bus network

[ozbob]

The present network map for Moreton Bay Region

>> http://backontrack.org/docs/bus/moretonbus140120.pdf

From http://translink.com.au/travel-information/network-information/maps

[ozbob]

Media release 14th August 2015



SEQ Moreton Bay: Miss the Bus, Miss the Train

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 is deeply concerned about the lack of public consultation or advice about what the Moreton Bay region's public transport network will look like when the Moreton Bay Rail Link is opened in 2016.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Recent rail extensions to Varsity Lakes, Richlands and Springfield Central have all involved poor outcomes for bus – train interchange, with limited or no upgrades to bus services.  In some cases bus network changes occurred several months out of phase with the train service changes, and in the case of Springfield Central it has been nearly 2 years and there has been no attention to the inadequacies of the local routes like the 522."

"Even the opening of the Gold Coast light rail project was plagued with problems which have still not been resolved, including several 'connecting' bus routes like the 743 not even operating after 5pm and leaving entire suburbs unconnected to the wider system."

"Over $1bn is being spent on MBRL, yet we don't know how often the trains will run, what the stopping pattern will be, where connecting bus routes will go, how frequently they will run and how late at night they will run?  This is absurd."

"The Moreton Bay bus network is currently one of the most woefully under-serviced regions in SEQ, with many services not running after sunset and many not running on weekends or on Sundays and public holidays.  Even trunk routes like the 680 are critically under-serviced compared to other outer parts of the system in Logan and Ipswich."

"TransLink and Queensland Rail's recent form gives us little comfort that the same issues which arose during the last 3 rail extensions and the light rail opening will be dealt with adequately here.  The public needs to know what is proposed and there needs to be genuine consultation about timetables and route planning well before the first trains start carrying passengers.  Ignoring the problem until the last minute, as usual, is utterly unacceptable."

"RAIL Back On Track calls on TransLink and Queensland Rail to immediately commence a public consultation program to set out proposed timetable and route changes for both bus and train services so the public can be consulted appropriately.  The changes should only be finalised for implementation after it has properly engaged with the public and not simply 'managed expectations'."

"RAIL Back On Track also calls on TransLink and Treasury to ensure that the bus network is designed to grow local patronage and encourage bus-rail interchange, and not just pay lip service to these goals. A top-down approach to route planning intended to ration the existing resources will result in further failure."

Contact:

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

[SurfRail]

What we really need to do is put out maps which compare the network at different times of the day and on different days to highlight the silly gaps.

Weekday v weekend would be a good starting point for Moreton Bay - a lot of Hornibrook routes still don't run on Sunday.