BCC Elections - 2024

[ozbob]

https://x.com/railbotforum/status/1758277827185840135?s=20

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

Stop Lying to the Public - Widening Roads has Never Busted Congestion

16th February 2024

RAIL Back On Track calls on all candidates in the fast-approaching Queensland Local Government election to stop lying to the public about busting congestion by widening roads.

Never Has. Never Will.

Even demanding reviews into the Queensland transport department to speed up widening roads doesn't change the fact that these projects have always encouraged the existing population to drive more for no economic benefit.

It's called Induced Demand.  Google it.

If widening roads was the answer to our congestion problems surely after all the investment over the last 50 years would have resulted in less congestion.  Yet congestion is worse than ever.

It's not population growth. It's not immigration. And it's certainly not economic growth.

It's the projects themselves that has created today's congested mess. Just ask Engineers Australia (1).

"Increasing capacity for urban road networks induces demand and is a major reason for increased traffic on the
network. Evidence of induced traffic demand has existed for more than 20 years."

"This makes attempting to "bust traffic congestion" through road construction, self-defeating. In this context, Australia's past transport investment strategy may be seen as questionable."

Even the conservative economists at the OECD are calling out the failure of the last 50 years in transport investment (2).

RAIL Back On Track welcomes Brisbane City Council Mayoral candidates calling out that widening roads will not bust congestion, and outlining policies to prioritise active and public transport.

They have clearly listened to the experts (3).

References:

1. Engineers Australia  https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/2022-01/Urban-Transport-Systems-TAS-Discussion-Paper-December-2021-revised.pdf

2. Video: The well-being lens applied to transport - OECD https://youtu.be/TkNmv6LHVrI

3. Brent Toderian: Don't "Balance" Modes — Prioritize Walking, Biking, and Transit https://denver.streetsblog.org/2017/02/09/brent-toderian-dont-balance-modes-prioritize-walking-biking-and-transit/

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

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Metro charging station to be built on Brisbane's northside under LNP plan $

"The LNP's northside electric bus charger - what is planned?

The Fitzgibbon depot will have the same chargers installed at Rochedale which can charge a Metro vehicle in less than six minutes.

It makes a future northern Brisbane Metro service - Metro 3 - viable and opens discussions on a potential northern Brisbane Metro link with Queensland Transport.

The location potentially allows northside electric bus services to run at 5-minute frequencies along Gympie Road.
Brisbane Metro stage 1 will begin on two lines, using 18 bus stations in 2024."

Extra electric buses and a future stage 3 of the all-electric Brisbane Metro will expand into Brisbane's northside, if Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner's LNP team wins the March council elections.

Schrinner will on Sunday announce a new electric charging station built on council-owned land at Fitzgibbon, near Carseldine, allowing electric buses to be charged in six minutes. ...

[ozbob]

^ I was waiting for Team Schrinner to roll out some big PT policies.  Here you go ...

[ozbob]

https://x.com/ozbob13/status/1758830923615985863?s=20

[#Metro]

Great Stuff.

Between Blue Team and Green Team, Red Team haven't really singled out route upgrades.

LM Candidate Tracey Price has painted themselves into a corner by promising not to take Brisbane Metro further.

Also good news- Brisbane metro on the northside means bus reform there as well.

[achiruel]

Have they reached any agreement with DTMR regarding running the oversized buses on public roads yet?

[ozbob]

Facebook ...

Interesting policy development. Team Schrinner will be announcing that the electric bus rapid transit ( ' Brisbane...

Posted by RAIL - Back On Track on Saturday, 17 February 2024

[Jonno]

Low capacity solution where a high capacity need exists

[HappyTrainGuy]

Hang on. They already have a 5 minute frequency RBWH-Chermside...

[Gazza]

Just the same as there was pretty much that frequency on the South East bus way lol (111, 555, 160, 169)

[ozbob]

https://x.com/bne_lordmayor/status/1758954834420797441?s=20

[ozbob]

Sunday Mail 18th February 2024 page 23

Mayor makes Metro charge

[GonzoFonzie]

Does anyone know how many "metro" vehicles the BCC currently has taken possession of?

[verbatim9]

Isn't around 60 give and take. There are 3-4 already here in the country.

[verbatim9]

This new line will be good especially for people wanting to get to Chermside to shop and work from the Northern areas.

There was also a plan to move more public servants to Chermside as well. Not sure how that is progressing?

The ATO recently moved back to the city, but I think the plan is to move more state based public servants to Chermside and possibly Ipswich.

[aldonius]

The 333 isn't even running bendy buses yet!

(But yes, Chermside expansion is a natural next step.)

[ozbob]

It is up the Greens and Labor camps to counteract this latest LNP policy.

My gut feeling is that this has shifted the goal posts a bit.

I think if we are going to have the electric bi-artics, and we are,  it makes some sense to extend to Chermside and Carindale.  BNE airport is still moot.

In December 2022 we suggested this:

Extend Brisbane Bus Rapid Transit Metro to Chermside and Carindale to Fix Traffic Woes

https://www.facebook.com/RAILBackOnTrack/posts/extend-brisbane-bus-rapid-transit-metro-to-chermside-and-carindale-to-fix-traffi/6303182313029236

[Jonno]

They will build the depot then whinge in the media (with the Courier Mail LNP Newsletter in full support) that the State is not building the actually busway and paying for the service!

[#Metro]

Sunday Mail 18th February 2024 page 23

Mayor make Metro charge

^ By proposing this policy and using the transitway, it is implicit that the NWTC and Gympie Road Tunnel are not required to "free up space" on the surface roads.

A Northside Brisbane Metro BRT depot would force the network to be reorganised there, possibly bring forward a new Chermside Interchange and perhaps fewer posts from HTG about the state of the Northside bus network...

All very positive developments.

If the Queensland Government wants to improve PT on the Northside, they need to boost train frequency to Perth levels (15 minutes all day) on the Kippa-Ring line. It is in the Premier's own eletorate.

[ozbob]

ABC News --> LNP promises new Brisbane Metro charging depot as part of northern expansion plan

Brisbane's LNP Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is promising to build a new Metro vehicle charging station and depot in a bid to extend services to the city's north side.

The council is set to open two Metro lines – using electric vehicles – by the end of this year to predominantly serve suburbs on Brisbane's south side.

In the lead up to next month's council poll, Mr Schrinner has committed to delivering a charging station on a council-owned site in Fitzgibbon if he wins re-election.

The LNP says the move would support the creation of a third Brisbane Metro line from the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital to the city's northern suburbs.

Mr Schrinner has not said how much the depot would cost to build, but the LNP has pointed out the council's south side Metro depot at Rochedale cost about $125 million. ...

[ozbob]

I have asked the LM for a link to the actual policy ....

[#Metro]

A while ago an idealised frequent network map was put together based around 'Superbuses'.

The idea explored what a 'minimum viable product' frequent network could look like using BRT and avoiding major infrastructure construction (as I was not convinced the authorities would spend any money on new LRT or rail-based metros.)

It looks like the concept is slowly coming true. The construction costs for a depot and bus lanes are far below $1 billion.



^ Even managed to guess the Metro line number as Metro 3 correctly.

[#Metro]

And just for provenance... this is what a Brisbane BRT Metro could look like for the Brisbane Western Suburbs. Massive simplification of the network with only two bus routes going down Coronation Drive - BUZ 412 and Brisbane Metro M4 - instead of the current ~ 20 bus routes and massive duplication that comes with that.

(In theory you could also feederise the BUZ 412 at Toowong with interchange upgrades in the area, but I will leave that one open).

[HappyTrainGuy]

It's a gimmick Metro and I can bet you none of the opposition will call out the problems. There is also no guarantee that the network would be modified as it goes along a corridor that has no services or minimal services such as the 329 that has a total of 10 daily services (5 morning peak/5 arvo peak/no weekend services) or the 11 total daily 341 service (no weekend) for example. Their map doesn't even feature the 335/336/337/338/680 which run at a better frequency and span of hours than other routes on their map. The Chermside interchange can't run bendy buses let alone metro buses. Just once again bcc playing politics with pt and the state continuing to allow it. Lutyche bus station inbound is also problematic. From what I've heard only 1 metro bus can use the station meaning if there is another bus stopped the metro bus will block the entire busway and vice versa with the metro bus stopped with any other bus behind blocking the busway. Same applies if bendy buses were to be used. This is why it's the only bus station to use a stop location (Kedron Brook has one but that's a different reason).

Also as I have said multiple times before the railway line frequency has been in the works for service improvement for quite a while with translink pushing for 4tph as part of the translink network review. Due to lack of rollingstock future proofing and CRR plans this has prevented additional services from being run. They have the rollingstock to do so now but they don't have the rollingstock certainty for an implementation of CRR running. This is why the NGR rectification works and IMU160/SMU260 works are being rushed through to the point where trains are being sent incomplete from Maryborough with Mayne finishing the work or postponing the work until a later date. The obvious signs of this are "sanding" works on the tops and non window replacements. Nothing like a refurbed train with pre scratched windows

[#Metro]

Just like modifications were applied to Buranda, UQ Lakes and Cultural Centre, they will also be applied to Chermside.

 

[HappyTrainGuy]

Not in the same league though. Chermside needs a whole new interchange for metro buses as metro buses can't access or exit the existing interchange. Also a few problems with Westfield. And you still have issues with the northern busway at Lutyche and possible issues with the busway entrance portal at Albion and maybe Kedron too. Still poor planning and just bcc playing politics with it shifting most of the cost of adjustments onto the state.

[#Metro]

They will just solve it, just like they had to with every other project (e.g. UQ Lakes rebuild, Buranda platform extension).

[ozbob]

They are having a good time 

https://x.com/team_schrinner/status/1758952213811171387?s=20

[ozbob]

https://x.com/bne_lordmayor/status/1759033806328348799?s=20

[#Metro]

Team Schrinner will progress the expansion of the turn-up-and-go Brisbane Metro.

Labor's Tracey Price will cut it.

Well unlike Green Team, Tracey hasn't come out and said she will boost the BUZ, CityGlider or Brisbane Metro.

It's just been general and vague statements that aren't route or corridor specific.

And the half price bus fare policy for buses only is not good.

People value Cheap Fare < More Service so it's a losing policy position.

That said, if we do see a Green /Red coalition the bus boost policy is likely to be incorporated into her platform.

[ozbob]

TBH I think LNP is odds on now. This reminds me of when former LM Quirk ran out the rubber-tyred ' Paris ' metro.  The various other parties couldn't counter it, despite Victoria Bridge unable to be used for it.

Labor is boxed in now.  The Greens despite some good messages. are too broad on too many big impact issues other than transport.  Public perceives this as a risk in my view.

I wouldn't mind seeing some polling.

 

[ozbob]

https://www.teamschrinner.com.au/news

Still no sign of this latest M3 policy ...

[HappyTrainGuy]

They will just solve it, just like they had to with every other project (e.g. UQ Lakes rebuild, Buranda platform extension).

Who will solve it? And who will solve what? TMR? BCC?? This isn't a cheap modification here and there. TMR has no intention of constructing the Northern busway to Bracken Ridge otherwise they wouldn't have just spent $15 million building a permanent car park there. Gympie road is TMR controlled. Chermside interchange and internal road layout is Westfield owned. Northern Busway is State owned. It's just BCC bashing the state again because they know no one will call them out on it. The state has plans for the busway but no timeline for it. All political and no one can call them out on it.

[#Metro]

Well, so what? BCC doesn't own Buranda busway either and it's being modified. They don't own the land at UQ Lakes too. Didn't prevent UQ Lakes station being reconstructed for the Brisbane BRT Metro.

[#Metro]

TBH I think LNP is odds on now. This reminds me of when former LM Quirk ran out the rubber-tyred ' Paris ' metro.  The various other parties couldn't counter it, despite Victoria Bridge unable to be used for it.

I think Jono has a good chance to take the Mayoralty. Remember, a large area of Brisbane is Green team represented at the federal level. And the council elections don't run the same way as at state or federal level.

IIRC it's possible to mix and match mayor and council.

Campbell Newman was Lord Mayor with a red team civic cabinet in his first term IIRC.

The major parties are alarmed about this, but that's what competition does.

[HappyTrainGuy]

State didn't pay for it. Feds coughed up 400 million. BCC is footing the rest of the 1.4 billion. Metro works to state owned infrastructure are quite small in the grand scheme of things. The northern section also doesnt have the same cost return benefit that the southern section has so federal funding will be more difficult to source. BCC can promise the world but they can also bail on it by saying we can't build it because the state doesn't want to build the busway. Political bullsh%t. They have a history of political grandstanding and a history of you lapping it up. As Bob said the lnp are going to take office. Labor have put up terrible and vague plans along with not responding to other party ideas. Greens are going to hard once again which is alienating voters. While Jono might have good intentions his personal image is his biggest downfall in attracting new voters.

[#Metro]

Metro works to state owned infrastructure are quite small in the grand scheme of things.

Good to see we've established it can be solved and isn't insurmountable.

BCC can promise the world but they can also bail on it by saying we can't build it because the state doesn't want to build the busway.

It is well documented how Brisbane got its first busways and how BCC managed to get the State to pay for them.

The initial Metro BRT vehicle has been running around on all sorts of off-busway roads during testing. It's been to Mt Cotton and Mt Coot-tha which both don't have a busway there.

They'll work around this issue too.

[HappyTrainGuy]

And it's well documented that bcc loves to play political games. You can keep skewing things to suit your argument like you normally do to everyone but you only continue to demonstrate that you have a very poor understanding of what you are talking about. And last time I checked a Westfield entrance wasn't mt cootha.

And it's cool that you pointed out on street running. One problem the Virginia depot had was the new Optimus buses had quite a number of issues bottoming out on detours. I remember one 335 that detoured around a crash on Webster road/gympie road intersection only to bottom out at the next intersection outside the Aspley hotel. But that's not the point.

[#Metro]

And it's well documented that bcc loves to play political games. You can keep skewing things to suit your argument like you normally do to everyone but you only continue to demonstrate that you have a very poor understanding of what you are talking about. And last time I checked a Westfield entrance wasn't mt cootha.

Disagree. If they can rebuild UQ Lakes busway station on land they don't own to accommodate Brisbane BRT Metro, why can't a rebuild of Chermside interchange happen too?

On your second point - BCC is a creation of the Queensland Parliament. If the State wants to remove PT from BCC they can.

They won't because on some level, the current setup works for them, despite the politics. 

The state enjoys outsourcing the planning to BCC and some of the funding responsibility as well.

The Queensland Government have had over 40 years to change this dual transit agency setup - they have never really addressed it.