On the Ferries

[ozbob]

Chronic congestion at peak on the Brisbane river is leading to many CityCat passengers being left stranded.

The Brisbane mX reported tonight (16th August) that during April 235 services at capacity, 131 in May, and 50 in June, a total of 416 services to full to pick up passengers for the three month period. As it warms up these numbers will more than likely increase again.

Three new CityCats are on order, first expected to enter service January 2008.  Other than using ferries to pick up stranded passengers, not a great deal that can be done.  Where possible avoid peak times, or perhaps use bus or train.

The CityCats will always have a limited capacity, but are certainly a useful additional transport mode in Brisbane. A great tourist activity as well, and at times this can cause problems with providing space for commuters.

Rail will be the bulk people mover.

Regards
Ozbob

[ozbob]

Article from: Brisbane MX

Cameron Atfield

September 21, 2007 04:00pm

BRISBANE'S CityCat fleet is expected to double within a decade to meet growing demand from commuters.

Six new terminals have also been earmarked for an expansion of the CityCat network.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said CityCat patronage had almost doubled in recent years, rising from 3.7 million to 6 million passengers a year.

"You would speculate that the CityCats would be carrying at least 12 or 13 million passengers in 10 years time," he said. "Whenever we put one on, we get an immediate jump up in demand."

Cr Newman said he expected 20 CityCats to be on the Brisbane River within a decade, doubling
the existing fleet of 10.

A new terminal at Apollo Rd, Bulimba, is due to open next March, while terminals are also planned for the north shore at Hamilton, Newstead, Teneriffe, Riverside Drive at West End and Park Rd at Milton.

The Brisbane Inner West Chamber of Commerce has been lobbying for a Park Rd terminal for several years.

Chamber treasurer Margaret Marshall said it would be a boost to local business.

"There's Lang Park, the (Fourex) brewery and it's also easy access to the Park Rd area for people on the other side of the river," she said. "It means that people will be able to have a very regular
and cheap way to get here from all the major precincts on the river in Brisbane."

A Suncorp Stadium spokesman said 84 per cent of patrons used public transport to attend events at the ground.

From http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22457854-3102,00.html

[ozbob]

Overcrowded CityCats just cannot cope

Sunday Mail 28 Oct

Click here!

FRUSTRATED commuters say Brisbane's CityCat fleet is foundering under heavy passenger demand.

Many people are stranded at ferry terminals during peak times because CityCats are too crowded to stop and pick up more passengers.

Commuters complain the service is becoming unreliable and say some mornings two full CityCats pass their stop before they are able to board, making them late for work.

Tracy Goddard from inner-city New Farm said Brisbane City Council had failed to expand the fleet in line with passenger demand.

Ms Goddard said CityCats filled up quickly at outer stops and had no room for passengers waiting at inner-city terminals like Sydney St in New Farm.

"It's frustrating some mornings because we're the last stop before the City (and) they cruise past and just say sorry we're full," she said.

"If I try to catch one any later than 7.16am, then you can stand here for an hour until everyone else gets to work. It's unfair; they just need more services at this time of day."

Chantal Fry, from the Gold Coast, drives to New Farm every morning to catch the CityCat to work but said she often had to wait up to an hour before being able to board.

"It happens nearly every day. Two can go past before you can fit on one," Ms Fry said.

"You just have to stand and wait. I leave home early so I'm not late for work."

A common complaint among passengers was the unpredictability of the service. CityCats were normally due every 15 minutes, and as often as every six minutes during peak periods, but heavy demand has resulted in timetables being severely disrupted.

New Farm resident Tim Fowler said the situation was worse later in the week and Bulimba resident Toni Simmonds said trying to catch a CityCat home was near impossible some afternoons.

BCC has 10 CityCats to cater for more than 4.8 million passenger trips each year and only nine operate at any one time.

Another was expected to be built by December, but will have to undergo trials before it can be added to the fleet.

A BCC official said the new catamaran, along with another two due for completion in May and September next year, will help ease congestion.

Demand for the CityCats has increased by 63 per cent in the past four years.

[ozbob]

City Cat network to expand in new year

From Brisbanetimes  click here!

City Cat network to expand in new year
Georgina Robinson | November 8, 2007 - 11:34AM

Bulimba residents will have a new City Cat stop in their neighbourhood in the new year when the long-awaited Apollo Road terminal reopens.

The stop has been out of use for about six years but a large barge is now on site hammering pylons into the river, signalling the start of the $760,000 upgrade.

It was originally slated for refurbishment as a cross-river ferry terminal, but council officers found timetabling and other operational problems meant it was more cost-effective to make the terminal a City Cat stop.

It was hoped the new terminal would be operational by June this year but delays in the delivery of three new City Cats led to a revised completion date of January 2008.

The budget for the project was also revised upwards from $400,000 to $760,000.

The new terminal will have full disability access, a refurbished waiting shed and a kiss-and-ride drop-off facility.

Brisbane City Council public transport chair Victoria Newton said parking restrictions in surrounding neighbourhood streets would remain and commuters would need to walk or catch a bus to the terminal. "We are currently working with Brisbane Transport to identify opportunities to better integrate bus and ferry timetables to make it more convenient for people to catch buses to and from the terminal," Cr Newton said.

The Liberals' transport spokesperson, Graham Quirk, was out at the terminal site today and said the upgrade was an election promise of Lord Mayor Campbell Newman.

"People were having to catch a smaller ferry across the river so they could link up with the City Cat service so this upgrade will be a winner," Cr Quirk said.

"It will save time and provide a new launch point for bigger ferry services."

The first of three new City Cats will also be ready in January.

Another two City Cats will follow in July and August 2008.

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail December 4 click here!

CityCat demand overflows

BRISBANE'S much-loved CityCats have become so popular they are regularly becoming overloaded in peak hour and leaving passengers behind.

The CityCats are struggling to cope at peak times, with Brisbane City Council now collecting figures on the number of full CityCats each month.

In September and October, 152 CityCats were too full to pick up any more passengers ? 83 in September and 69 in October.

Data released by City Hall earlier this year showed 416 services were overcrowded between April and June.

Mowbray Park, Sydney St and New Farm Park were among the worst-affected terminals.

The Courier-Mail's own survey of the CityCat network on Wednesday, November 21, found peak services in the morning and afternoon were regularly crowded, and at one stop the ferry was too full to accept any more passengers.

Demand for the CityCats has surged by 63 per cent in the past four years as the city's population has grown.

In 2003-04, 3.6 million passengers rode a CityCat or ferry and annual patronage has swelled to more than six million people.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said that three new, larger CityCats to be delivered within the next 18 months would only increase demand.

"We're going to see an explosion in carrying capacity," he said. "We've seen before these boats frequently fill up and there seems to be a huge, insatiable demand."

The Lord Mayor said future locations for CityCat terminals included Riverside Drive at West End, Milton, Teneriffe, Newstead and Hamilton.

The long-awaited Apollo Rd ferry terminal, at Bulimba, will be reopened in January and will be refurbished to cater for CityCats.

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

New ferries on line for February

New ferries on line for February
Tony Moore | December 10, 2007

The newest of Brisbane CityKat ferries should be operating from the new Apollo Road terminal at Bulimba from early February, Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said.

Another two ferries should be completed in 18 months, meaning three ferries should be added to the fleet by mid-2009.

Cr Newman yesterday inspected work on the "Meeandah", the soon-to-be-completed 11th of Brisbane's CityKat fleet.

The CityKat's interior is still to be fitted and the motors are still being fitted out while it is moored at the boat-builders, Norman Wright and Sons at Bulimba.

The new ferry's name is the Aboriginal name of the spit of land at Hamilton which runs out into the Brisbane River.

"I am very happy that we are now getting some headway for the introduction of three new CityKats - with this one - and another two to come on line in the next 12 to 18 months," Cr Newman said.

Brisbane's CityKat fleet moves about 6 million passengers a year and Brisbane City Council plans on increasing that figure to 8 million passengers a year in two years' time.

"We'll probably go from six to eight million and that's probably a conservative estimate," Cr Newman said.

"Not only are we doing that but we are also investing in the much-needed ferry infrastructure," he said, referring to the adjacent new Apollo Road ferry terminal under construction.

"This should be complete by the end of January next year," Cr Newman said.

"So we will open up the new Apollo Road service with a new timetable for the entire CityKat network and as commission Meeandah to provide that extra capacity."

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

CityCat crashes into pontoon

CityCat crashes into pontoon
Georgina Robinson | January 2, 2008 - 8:27AM

Three passengers were thrown off their feet on a ferry this morning when a CityCat crashed into a pontoon.

At this stage it is believed the ferry's engine stalled as it was making its way towards the New Farm Park terminal about 7am.

No passengers or crew were injured in the collision but a spokesman for Brisbane City Council's public transport chair Victoria Newton said three people were knocked off their feet.

A passenger on board also reported some people fell out of their seats.

The spokesman said neither the CityCat nor the pontoon were damaged and the ferry continued on its journey up river.

A council spokesperson said the vessel was taken out of service when it reached the University of Queensland terminal and returned to the slipway, while a spare CityCat took its place.

Metrolink would investigate the incident and reported to Maritime Safety Queensland, he said.

[ozbob]

From The Sunday Mail click here!

Plan for CityCats to grow

Plan for CityCats to grow
Article from: The Sunday Mail (Qld)

By Edmund Burke

January 12, 2008 11:00pm

DESIGNS for bigger CityCats are under consideration as the first of three new ferries to be built this year was launched in Brisbane yesterday.

The $2.6 million vessel, named the Meeandah, will start carrying passengers on February 4 at the new Apollo terminal in Bulimba.

It joins the fleet at a time the decade-old service is so popular that boats regularly become full in peak hour and leave passengers behind.

Politicians were the ones queueing up for the new CityCat yesterday as Brisbane City Council transport chairwoman Victoria Newton, Bulimba councillor Shayne Sutton and Labor lord mayoral candidate Greg Rowell took the opportunity to jump aboard.

Cr Newton said: "This new boat will have an immediate effect on services and with two more under construction we are confident things will have improved by the end of the year.

"The reality is that the service has become so successful that we are going to have to consider different designs."

Two possible designs are for a 30m vessel to replace the current 25m model, or a 34m "double-decker" ferry. Either would have at least 50 more seats than the present ones.

Bulimba boatbuilders Wright & Sons construct the CityCats, and company owner Ian Wright said both designs were already on the drawing board.

"The 30m vessel would be quite easy to do although the 34m one might be more difficult. But they both could be built here," he said.

[ozbob]

I think it is great that more river transport asset is being introduced. 

CityCat service details click here! PDF

CityFerry service details click here!

The river is an under-utilised public transport option in some ways.  There is the potential to introduce more services running from further upstream, eg. Riverview.  The additional CityCats are a great start and increasing ferry capacity is also much needed.

[Mozz]

I agree Bob - river travel definitely has potential.

Does anyone know if any academic or other study has been undertaken with respect to the the potential benefits of increased brisbane river public transport? Obviously trains and buses carry significantly more people however I still believe expansion of river transport to more sites, particularly up the river would be of benefit.

[ozbob]

This is an interesting link from an historical perspective

Brisbane River History: ABC Brisbane

--> http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/stories/s1767541.htm



Map from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_River

[ozbob]

http://riverconnections.com.au/

Information on Brisbane river services.

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

All aboard the Apollo Rd ferry

All aboard the Apollo Rd ferry
Scott Casey | February 2, 2008 - 12:59PM

The unofficial Brisbane City Council election campaign was in full swing today as Lord Mayor Campbell Newman opened the new Apollo Road Ferry Terminal at Bulimba.

Along the route from Mowbray Park to the ferry terminal, volunteers from Liberal and Labor Parties of the Brisbane City Council had stalls promoting candidates for the council elections scheduled for the end of March.

Cr Newman said that the new terminal would be "great for people on both sides of the river and for Brisbane commuters as a whole".

"Its a triple banger today. People in Bulimba now have a service that was removed 10 years ago and it's great for people in Hamilton and Clayfield because they can now get over to Bulimba more easily," Cr Newman said.

"Also it's great for people everywhere as well because today we unveiled the new CityCat which means we have increased the capacity of the fleet by at least 10 percent."

Further growth for the area was also factored in with more terminals along the river toward the Port of Brisbane planned for coming years.

Cr Newman said a further two CityCats would be in service before the end of the year.

"In the space of 9-10 months we are going to go from 10 to 13 in the fleet, so it's really going to provide a whole lot more capacity," he said.

The first ferry services from the new Apollo Road Ferry Stop will depart at 6am on Monday February 4.

[ozbob]

New timetables will be commencing on Monday 4 February 2008 for:

    * All CityCat services
    * The Norman Park ? New Farm Park CityFerry service

The Apollo Road ferry terminal in Bulimba will also open for CityCat services on this date.

Other CityFerry services will continue on their existing timetables.

For the new timetables click here!

[ozbob]

View from high up on a building at QUT, the river with a CityCat on the job.



Photograph R Dow 6 Feb 2008

[Zoiks]

err.. thats an old citycat.

[ozbob]

Thanks!  slips ..

[ozbob]

Steam tug Forceful
Viewed from Goodwill bridge.



Photograph  R Dow 10 mar 2008

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

Send CityCats to western suburbs: MP

Send CityCats to western suburbs: MP
Tony Moore | April 8, 2008 - 11:51AM

The State Government should expand the CityCat fleet up-river and build a rail spur from Darra or Wacol across to Bellbowrie if it is serious at tackling Brisbane's western traffic congestion, one of its own backbenchers argues.

Ronan Lee, the Member for Indooroopilly and parliamentary secretary for Main Roads, this morning described the option to bring more traffic onto Moggill Road and the Western Freeway as a disaster.

The State Government is currently considering a 19km road from the Warrego Highway at Ipswich to the Western Freeway at Kenmore, crossing the Brisbane River at Karalee.

Also still on the drawing board is a new road in the Moggill Pocket sub-arterial corridor, originally reserved by the State Government in the 1970s.

"We have too much an emphasis on cars and road projects to solve traffic congestion," Mr Lee said.

"The Moggill Pocket Sub-Arterial Corridor that they are exploring makes no sense at all in terms of traffic management."

Under this proposal, a bridge would come from the Warrego Highway at Karalee, connect traffic to Moggill Road, then to an area behind Kenmore between Twilight and Marland streets to the Western (Centenary Highway) Freeway, diverting traffic in to the Toowong Roundabout.

Both Brisbane City Council and the State Government propose building tolled tunnels from this point.

However, Mr Lee said Moggill Road and the Centenary Highway were both congested roads and the suggestion was short-sighted.

He said 19km road reserve for the Kenmore stretch was no longer suitable.

"There is not enough land for the road in terms of the road that is available," he said.

"There (are) also all sorts of drainage issues through there.

"My understanding - from talking to people within the Department of Main Roads and in private industry - is that it is broadly accepted that any road through there would need to be a viaduct.

"The topography and the drainage would mean that you would need to elevate it and as a consequence the costs go through the roof."

He also questioned if the preserved corridor was wide enough for four lanes through the Kenmore stretch.

"And why would you build a bypass that was only going to be two lanes?" he said.

"Why would spend money on any road that is simply going to funnel people on to another road that is already completely and utterly stuffed?"

He rejected any suggestion that the Western Freeway had "spare capacity" and instead suggested thinking of other transport options to tackle the road congestion.

Mr Lee said consideration of the current options was proof the Western Brisbane Transport Network Investigation (WBTNI) had failed.

"I think the Western Brisbane Transport Network Investigation has presented us a series of road proposals for western Brisbane, not a series of transport proposals," Mr Lee said.

"And I think if you limit yourself to road proposals your options are incredibly limited."

Mr Lee said a public private partnership (PPP) should examine building a rail spur from the Ipswich line across to the Bellbowrie region to encourage people out of their cars and into trains.

He also called for an immediate review of the CityCat ferry service to check the viability of ferries from Kenmore region through to the Brisbane CBD.

"I believe it is viable to extend this service because you have increasing population density in suburbs like Chelmer, Graceville, Sherwood and Jindalee and the Centenary suburbs," he said.

Mr Lee said he understood his views might make him unpopular within government, but he said he wanted to float the ideas.

"We also need to look at light rail and why so many other cities are looking at rail infrastructure, when we are continuing to look at putting more cars onto roads."

He said the services became viable when it was faster to catch a CityCat to the CBD than drive your car.

"All of a sudden it is going to be quicker to catch a CityCat from Sherwood to the CBD (rather) than drive your car."

Mr Lee - a committed cyclist - said the role of cycling would play an increasing role in tackling traffic congestion, pointing out that bicycle sales topped new car sales for the first time last year.

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

Council tackles City Cat shortfall fears

Council tackles City Cat shortfall fears
Georgina Robinson | May 21, 2008 - 12:04PM

Brisbane City Council must prolong the life of its eight original City Cats to prevent a drastic ferry shortfall in four years' time.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has promised to boost Brisbane's popular but stretched City Cat fleet from 11 to 19 in the next four years.

But council's eight "first generation" City Cats - purchased in 1996 - are due for replacement in 2012, a move that would again leave just 11 vessels on the river.

Public and Active Transport chair Jane Prentice said council was testing a first-generation vessel to see if council could do anything to prolong their lives.

"We've got a professional study being done of the hull integrity and seeing how much longer they're due to last, whether we can reinforce them and make their life even longer," Cr Prentice said.

"We can't afford to lose eight in 2012 and that's why we're doing that study now to make sure we have the incremental growth in size of the fleet."

Cr Prentice said the City Cats' hulls bore the greatest stress.

"That's the part that's in the water so it's probably going to deteriorate faster - and that's the most integrally important part of the ferry," she said.

Testing is expected to take a month.

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

Trams, light rail or giant buses?

Trams, light rail or giant buses?
Georgina Robinson | June 5, 2008 - 11:22AM

A $2 million mass transit study will decide whether inner-Brisbane gets a network of trams, light rail or giant buses.

Premier Anna Bligh and Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman today separately announced a full scale feasibility study into setting up a rapid transit network to service a route between West End and Newstead.

Cr Newman said he favoured the giant buses option, which was outlined in an options paper a Liberal councillor undertook last year.

"The conclusion from the options paper was that a bus rapid transit system could be implemented quite quickly, that it could be done for under $100 million, as opposed to $600 million for light rail," Cr Newman said.

The study, funded equally by council and the state government, was expected to take between nine months and a year, Cr Newman said.

Also today, the Lord Mayor christened the 12th and latest City Cat to hit the Brisbane River, which will add nine new services to the network each day.

"This craft today will carry 162 people, it does 27 knots it will add another nine services to each City Cat location," he said.

One more City Cat will arrive in August or September and a new council contract will guarantee delivery of at least six more vessels over the next four years, he said.

There was no update on hull testing on the eight first-generation City Cats, which were due for retirement in 2012.

Labor councillor and former public transport chair, Victoria Newton, said the prospect of their retirement was worrying.

"At the moment the City Cat system is already leaving people behind," Cr Newton said.

"We need to increase the fleet to meet demand, we've got the Lord Mayor talking about increasing densities along the river so it's going to vital to make sure that the net number of City Cats on our river is increased not decreased."

But Cr Newman said council would make sure there was no shortfall.

"The bottom line is we've made a commitment to have a fleet and we will have a fleet of a certain size and it's a minimum of 19, as I said during the election campaign, and we're not walking away from that at all," Cr Newman said.

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Developers to choose CityCat ferry sites

Developers to choose CityCat ferry sites
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Darren Cartwright

June 30, 2008 01:30pm

PRIVATE developers will choose sites for new ferry terminals after Lord Mayor Campbell Newman called for expressions of interest from the private sector.

Several sites have been earmarked for construction including West End, near Davies Park, Teneriffe, opposite the intersection of Beetson and Macquarie St, Newstead River Park and Northshore Hamilton.

A shortlist of options will be released in September.

During his election campaign, Cr Newman promised a minimum of three new CityCat terminals if he was re-elected and they were to be built during this term which expires in 2012.

Labor councillor David Hinchliffe said while Labor's failed mayoral candidate Greg Rowell pushed for no private funding of the terminals, he was open to financial backing as long as there weren't too many compromises.

"We have an open mind on private sector support," Cr Hinchliffe told couriermail.com.au

"Each terminal would cost two to three million to build and usually that means the private sector want two to three million in commercial advantage and that's when you have concerns."

The $1.5 million Regatta CityCat terminal was built in 2003, with the private sector funding two-thirds of the cost. The remainder was paid by the council.

"The Regatta ferry terminal at Toowong is a great example of what can be done by the private sector and I want to build on that success," Cr Newman said.

One Labor councillor said the locations of the new terminals should be based on private sector funding but determined by where they best served the community.

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

Developers to decide new CityCat stops

Developers to decide new CityCat stops
Georgina Robinson | June 30, 2008 - 8:35AM

Brisbane City Council is calling for a show of hands from the private sector to provide new CityCat terminals over the next four years.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has promised to build at least two new terminals in his second term to accompany six new CityCats he has also pledged.

Cr Newman said the locations of the terminals would be determined by "developers, Chambers of Commerce and businesses" willing to go into partnership with the council.

"There are plenty of locations along the Brisbane River that would welcome a CityCat terminal and I would imagine developers, Chambers of Commerce and businesses would be keen to step up to the plate," he said.

Possibilities include West End near the southern end of Davies Park, Milton near Park Road, Petrie Bight, Teneriffe, Newstead River Park, Hamilton Northshore and the Gateway Bridge's southern river bank between Colmslie and Murarrie, according to Cr Newman.

However, Labor Opposition leader Shayne Sutton said the council should start with two or three locations in mind before it goes to the private sector.

"I think council should have a pretty clear idea about where it wants the terminals located and that they're located in areas where they're going to be servicing passenger needs," Cr Sutton said.

"We would hate to see that we allow private sector companies to nominate where they want to have these terminals built and end up with a situation where the terminals aren't actually near passengers who need it."

Public and Active Transport chairperson Jane Prentice said any of the locations had the population base to justify a new terminal.

"I think they all have a strong case and what we're saying is we'll let the market tell us what's more in demand," Cr Prentice said.

The $1.5 million Regatta CityCat terminal was built in 2003, with the private sector funding two-thirds of the cost. The remainder was paid by the council.

"The Regatta ferry terminal at Toowong is a great example of what can be done by the private sector and I want to build on that success," Cr Newman said.

Expressions of interest opened on Saturday and a shortlist of options is expected to be ready in September.

[ozbob]

Photograph from the Goodwill bridge.

City Cat passes by with the Steam tug Forceful in the foreground.



Photograph R Dow 28 July 2008

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

Expert eyes CityCats for London

Expert eyes CityCats for London
Tony Moore | September 18, 2008

The Englishman keeping an eye on London's inner-city congestion tax system has fallen in love with Brisbane's CityCats.

John Mason is head of enforcement operations for Transport for London, which runs London's congestion-tax system, which charges motorists to drive into London's CBD.

In Brisbane this week for the Queensland Transport Infrastructure Summit, Mr Mason said London should investigate how to introduce the CityCat scheme for the Thames River.

"I couldn't imagine a better way to go to work than go on a boat," he said.

"And they're very similar when you think about it - London and Brisbane - if you look at the way the river goes through the city centre.

"When I go back to London I will be speaking to people about what we can learn from Brisbane."

Mr Mason said London did not use the Thames effectively for public transport.

"The new (London) mayor, Boris Johnson, has said that he wants to explore using 'up the waterways' more than we do," he said.

"We do have catamarans - but I think we only have one or two and they're all for tourists."

He said most of the ferries and catamarans were expensive and directed to tourists, not to help London's inner-city workers.

He said a tourist-style ferry trip for his family on the Thames of an equivalent distance from South Bank to St Lucia cost ?70 ($157) for four people.

In Brisbane, a return off-peak trip on a CityCat would cost $15.40 for three adults and one child.

Mr Mason said he appreciated there might be overcrowding on the Brisbane's CityCat service during peak times, but said London could learn from the Brisbane example.

"The way that you use the river here, I think is fantastic," he said.

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

CityCats 'too crowded' after 7pm

CityCats 'too crowded' after 7pm
Tony Moore | September 22, 2008 - 2:15PM

Lengthy queues at Brisbane's CityCat stops after 7pm show consumer demand for late-night ferries is not being met by recent changes to public transport timetables.

The recent addition of Brisbane's 12th CityCat has added 45 extra services each week and an extra four services between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays.

But no new services have been added after 7pm.

An extra CityCat comes online before the end of this year, but consumer demand shows the evening peak is stretching later into the night.

Outbound CityCat services, which run downriver to Apollo Road, run mostly at seven- or eight-minute intervals from 4.30pm, but, after the 6.56pm service, this decreases to every 30 minutes.

One regular CityCat commuter, who catches the ferry from Riverside but did not wish to be named, said there were often queues of up to 100 people - mainly city office workers - for the 7.54pm service.

"It's only a matter of time before those of us at the back of the queue can't get on and then we are forced to wait until nearly 8.30pm. There needs to be some acknowledgement that peak hour doesn't end at 7pm any more," she said.

Both Brisbane City Council (BCC), which owns the CityCats, and Translink, which arranges the timetable, say they are aware of the situation.

The council plans to have an extra six CityCats by 2012 and has asked Translink to begin planning how to use the new services.

Last week, the chairwoman of BCC's public transport committee, Jane Prentice, told delegates at a Queensland infrastructure conference it was planning pre-paid only buses and ferries to streamline services.

Cr Prentice said bus services were already stretching to meet the later peak demand.

"In relation to the [evening] peak, the peak frequency on all of our BUZ routes [every 10 minutes during peak hour] now extends well past 6pm," she said.

She said most BUZ routes ran on peak timetables after 7pm and some even past 9pm.

Commerce Queensland's general manager of policy, Paul Bidwell, said the notion of traditional peak periods of 7am-9am and 4pm-7pm was being challenged.

"What we have is a dispersal across the day," Mr Bidwell said.

"People are working different shifts. They are negotiating different arrangements in the workforce that allow them to either start late or finish early.

"Peak hour is getting longer and the reason is not because people are working longer hours, but because they are dispersed across the working day."

He said the trend made sense in a modern city that needed to use public transport.

"More people are working, more people are coming in across different hours, so you have more people on public transport - rather than driving - at different times of the day."

The trend to different hours is also reflected in Brisbane's gym culture.

Roger Hunter has worked at Fitness First gyms in the CBD and manages its North Quay branch.

He said people were going to the gym an hour earlier than 12 months ago to avoid public transport queues.

"I have worked in the city gyms for a while now and basically about a year ago the more popular peak time was 5.30pm to 7pm," Mr Hunter said.

"But now you find it is starting an hour earlier and finishing an hour earlier. I think it is [because] they want to get home earlier."

Mr Hunter said people were having to adjust their workout times to suit their public transport needs.

"They want to get the more regular trains, rather than the less regular trains, if that makes sense," he said.

[dwb]

I was just thinking about the peak timing issue today. Why? I'd gone to Coles on the way home and then was waiting at the bus stop only just after 630pm and it was 20mins before scheduled services - and this was on the 196/7 route only 1km from the city centre!

Peak tickets are from 330pm to 7pm right? so why has the frequency dropped in half even before 7pm!?

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail 8 October 2008

Call to record CityCat use

Call to record CityCat use

OVERCROWDING on Brisbane's CityCat ferries has prompted calls for increased monitoring to ensure better services. Brisbane City Council Opposition Leader Shayne Sutton said the council should regularly record the number of CityCats too full to take all who wanted to use them.

"The number of overcrowded buses is recorded monthly, so there is no reason why a similar system should not be in place for our CityCats,'' she said. In a statement, BCC public transport chairwoman Jane Prentice said Lord Mayor Campbell Newman had provided for enough new CityCats to more than double the ferry fleet by the end of his second term.

[ozbob]

From TransLink full details click here!

Disruptions to CityCat services

Saturday 18 October to Sunday 19 October 2008
Time of route diversion    7am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday

Passengers travelling between Bulimba and Apollo Road

Services terminate at Bulimba (Oxford Street) terminal, therefore passengers wishing to travel to Apollo Road terminal should catch a free shuttle bus service between both locations:

Passengers travelling between Bulimba and Bretts Wharf

Passengers wishing to travel to Bretts Wharf should catch the free shuttle bus (timetable above) to Apollo Road and then access the cross river CityFerry service operating between the Apollo Road and Bretts Wharf terminals from 7am to 6pm each day.

The first cross river CityFerry will depart Bretts Wharf at 7.20am each day and continue to operate in general accordance with the existing weekend CityCat timetable. The last cross river CityFerry service will depart Bretts Wharf at 5.58pm each day (prior to normal CityCat services resuming).

[O_128]

If only hte city cats could go to cleveland and manly. If onky

[ozbob]

From Quest City News 16 October 2008 page 6 

Claws out over busy City Cats

Claws out over busy City Cats
CAT FIGHT
WORDS: NICOLE CARRINGTON

ANGRY CityCat passengers are being regu-larly left stranded due to overcrowded ferry services, says Labor Leader Shayne Sutton.

Cr Sutton is calling on the Lord Mayor to start monitoring the number of overcrowded CityCats, saying the Brisbane City Council?s current policy was ?extremely lax?.

"Our advice is that the number of over-crowded CityCats was only monitored for one month in June this year," she said. "It is essential that Brisbane City Council monitors demand for our CityCats so we can effectively plan future services.

"The number of overcrowded buses is recorded monthly so there is no reason why a similar system should not be in place for our CityCats."

Cr Sutton said she was concerned for passengers? safety when left behind at CityCat stops at night.

University student, New Farm?s Andrea Dawson, said she?d all but given up trying to catch overcrowded CityCats.

"I actually decided to start riding my bike to university because I became frustrated with not being able to get on CityCats," Ms Dawson.

"But I watched as many city commuters also had to wait because they were full. "If they want us on public transport, they have to provide that transport."

Despite repeated City News questions asking how often CityCats were audited, a Brisbane City Council spokesman would only say "audits are conducted as they are required".

The Lord Mayor himself called for commuters? patience, with new CityCats on the way.

"We are working hard to deliver CityCats, which cost about $2.5 million each or five times the price of a bus. By the end of this term Brisbane will have 19 CityCats compared to just eight when I was elected," Cr Newman said.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Council in talks over new CityCat stops

Council in talks over new CityCat stops
Tony Moore | October 21, 2008 - 2:47PM

Brisbane City Council is in talks with big business over the construction of new privately-funded CityCat terminals along the Brisbane River.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman this morning revealed developers had submitted proposals in a second-stage plan to build several new stops, now under consideration by City Hall.

In March, the LNP Lord Mayor signalled his intention to approve up to three new terminals over the next four years, with possible locations identified at at West End, Teneriffe, Milton, North Shore and Newstead.

The council has since received expressions of interest from the private sector, he said.

Cr Newman was tight-lipped about the exact details of the submissions, citing commercial-in-confidence reasons.

"We are in commercial negotiations with a number of parties who have put on the table proposals - not only to deliver a terminal (at West End) - but along the Brisbane River," Cr Newman said.

"What we did is we said here are the locations that require new CityCat stops, and they were based on public transport studies and proper principles.

"We said 'here is where we would like them to go', then we asked the private sector if they would like to bid for these terminals.

"We have had bids from various parties and we are evaluating them at the moment."

The council's Labor opposition has changed its position on the use of private cash to build the CityCat stops after ALP mayoral candidate Greg Rowell first voiced opposition to the proposal ahead of the last election.

Senior ALP councillor David Hinchliffe has since promised to consider the arrangement.

"We have an open mind on private sector support," Cr Hinchliffe has said.

"Each terminal would cost two to three million to build and usually that means the private sector want two to three million in commercial advantage and that's when you have concerns."

The $1.5 million Regatta CityCat terminal was built in 2003, with the private sector funding two-thirds of the cost. The remainder was paid by the council.

Comment from Brisbane City Council's Labor opposition leader, Shayne Sutton, is being sought.

[Otto]

I noticed an older CityCat heading downstream under the Gateway Bridge recently.. They don't come anywhere near it in the normal course of duty.

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

No CityCat stop for Tennyson

No CityCat stop for Tennyson
Tony Moore | October 24, 2008

Tennis fans will have to wait for a CityCat stop near the new Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane City Council said yesterday.

At yesterday's launch of the centre, Sports Minister Judy Spence said talks were underway with the council about building a CityCat stop to service tennis fans, even though it would unlikley be ready by the Brisbane International in January.

"I know that Mirvac and all of us are in discussions with the Brisbane City Council about the possibility of getting a CityCat platform to this precinct," Ms Spence said.

But a council spokesman said there were no discussions about a CityCat terminal at Tennyson.

"There may have been a briefing note early on, but there is no ongoing discussions at all," he said.

Brisbane City Council says wash from the CityCats causes erosion upstream from the CBD and university regions because the river edges do not have suitable walls to prevent soil washing into the river.

"We might be open to consider 'special services' - perhaps CityCat services on one-off type of events," the spokesman said.

"We would have to look into whether there would be any environmental damage at all. But there definitely won't be a permanent CityCat site there at all."

This was confirmed by a Mirvac spokesman yesterday afternoon.

"There is no current discussions underway with Brisbane City Council for a CityCat terminal," a spokesman said.

"As part of its applications, Mirvac did have some discussions with Brisbane City Council, but BCC ruled it out as not applicable."

Five other sites, not including Tennyson, are being considered for new CityCat stops.

In June, the council called for expressions of interest at seven sites - West End near Davies Park, Milton near Park Road, Petrie Bight, Teneriffe, Newstead, North Shore at Hamilton and the Gateway Bridge.

Brisbane City Council this week said it was examining the expressions of interest it has received for five sites, believed to be West End, Teneriffe, Milton, North Shore at Hamilton and Newstead.

[ozbob]

CityCat and CityFerry service changes - effective 17 November 2008

Full details --> here!

Reason for the changes is the introduction of Brisbane City Council?s 13th CityCat Ya-wa-gara.

[O_128]

"Chantal Fry, from the Gold Coast, drives to New Farm every morning to catch the CityCat to work but said she often had to wait up to an hour before being able to board."

This is the stupidist thing i have ever heard.you most likely have a train station within 20mins of your house instead you congest the roads and the ferrys.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Lucky 13 as Rice launches newest CityCat

Lucky 13 as Rice launches newest CityCat
Georgia Waters | November 13, 2008 - 3:27PM

A CityCat launch might not be the most glamourous of occasions but throw in an Olympian gold medallist and a bottle of Champagne and you're on your way.

The latest CityCat to join Brisbane's fleet of ferries was christened with a shower of bubbly today by Brisbane-based swimming star Stephanie Rice.

The CityCats are named after Aboriginal words for places along the Brisbane River - Yawagara being the name for Breakfast Creek, which is near Rice's home at Clayfield.

Rice arrived at the inner-city Riverside terminal for her christening duties dressed in shorts, ballet flats and her hair in its trademark knot.

"Having travelled to Beijing and back I've realised just how lucky we are to live in such a special city as Brisbane," she said.

"I hereby christen this CityCat the Yawagara and wish it and its passengers many safe journeys."

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said the CityCat's launch brought the council a step closer to its goal of 19 ferries in service by 2012.

"Ladies and gentleman, we started the year 2008 with 10 CityCats. And this is number 13 and the year is not yet over," he said.

"What it means is seven extra services each day and improved frequency of services, for example at Mowbray Park most CityCats will be coming in every four minutes during peak hours," he said.

Another CityCat will be launched by April or May next year.

Cr Newman said the council was also seeking expressions of interest for private contractors to provide at least three more, possibly up to five, CityCat terminals.

The new terminals may be built at Milton, Newstead, West End and Hamilton, Cr Newman said.

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

CityCat services cancelled

CityCat services cancelled
Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Alison Sandy

November 20, 2008 05:45pm

ALL Brisbane ferry and CityCat operations will cease from 6pm due to debris in the Brisbane River, and will not resume until the morning.

Commuters can expect significant delays getting home, with key roads also being shut due to flooding.

The last CityCat services depart Riverside for the University of Queensland at 6.02pm and Riverside for Apollo Road at 6pm.

Gateway Bridge tolls will be waived for the afternoon peak, and the Inner City Bypass in north Brisbane will remain closed this afternoon due to extensive flooding in the RNA tunnel from last night's downpour.

The closure of this major north-south connector route is expected to cause severe disruption to peak-hour traffic flow.

Main Roads is encouraging motorists to use the Gateway Bridge to cross the river as an alternative to help ease congestion on Gympie and Wynnum roads and both the Story and Captain Cook bridges.

Premier Anna Bligh has announced that tolls are free from 3-6pm today in order to encourage motorist to use alternative routes out of the city.

To keep updated on the latest traffic conditions and road closures, you can call the traffic hotline on 13 19 40, or visit the site online at 131940.qld.gov.au.

Authorities are recommending where possible that motorists consider staggering their departure time for their journey home, given the impact of recent severe weather on the road network in the greater Brisbane area.

They advise given the number of road closures there is a strong possibility of significant delays during the afternoon peak.

Motorists should expect traffic congestion around the Woollongabba precinct, with the cricket Test and repair work being conducted to the facility in Vulture St.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

CityCats running, Inner City Bypass reopens

CityCats running, Inner City Bypass reopens
Christine Kellett | November 21, 2008 - 4:41AM

Police have advised CityCats will resume service this morning after being suspended last night due to fears of debris in the Brisbane River following recent heavy storms.

However, the Cats will be running at a reduced pace ....

[O_128]

when going over the merivale this mornign there was heaps of debris in the water it looked dirtier than usual