City Glider

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Tunnel opening to hasten new bus service

Tunnel opening to hasten new bus service
TONY MOORE
February 15, 2010 - 5:51AM

Brisbane's first 24-hour bus service - the CityGlider - will start next month to coincide with the opening of the Clem7 tunnel.

Commuters will be able to use Go Cards on the "cashless" service after Brisbane City Council and Translink sorted out difficulties.

The first CityGilder bus stops will be built shortly, while the council last week approved storage of the new vehicles at Bowen Hills bus depot.

The service was announced as part of last year's council budget and will cost an estimated $4.5 million a year.

Buses will run in a loop between West End, South Bank, the CBD, Fortitude Valley and Newstead.

The service is expected to run every five minutes in peak times and every 15 minutes at other times.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman confirmed last week that the Clem 7 tunnel would open in the first or second week of March.

"CityGlider is very nearly ready to go," council's public transport chair Cr Jane Prentice said.

However, planned changes to Adelaide Street to accomodate the new buses have been delayed until impacts on inner-city traffic can be judged, she said.

"At this stage there won't be any changes to the city because we want to see the effect on the traffic with the opening of Clem 7 and then the opening of the Go Between Bridge," Cr Prentice said.

Brisbane City Council estimates two-thirds of city traffic is trying to pass through the city.

The CityGlider will run 24 hours a day on Friday and Saturday, and 17 hours a day from Sunday to Thursday.

Commuters can board in middle of the bus - like a tram - using their Go-Card to swipe on and off.

"There will be no cash at all and it will all be Go Card," Cr Prentice said.

Translink have checked the details of the dedicated CityGlider route and co-ordinated it with Cubic, the private operator running Brisbane's Go Card system, she added.

Thank goodness GO commonsense has prevailed ...

[ozbob]

A plea from the past, answered ...

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

Media release 19th August 2009

SEQ: City Glider needs to GO!

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has welcomed the news of the  City Glider bus services, but has called for complete integration with the TransLink network and ticketing (1).

Robert Dow, spokesperson for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Initiatives to further provide public transport options as detailed for the City Glider services for citizens are very welcome."

"RAIL Back On Track is concerned that there is no clear indication that the services will be properly integrated with the present TransLink bus services and ticketing arrangements.  A failure to achieve that will make the services unattractive to regular TransLink public transport users and will simply mean that there will be duplication of bus services."

"This will be inefficient and counter productive to the overall strategy of a properly integrated efficient public transport network. We doubt that the City Glider services will be sustainable in the longer term unless full integration is achieved. We urge all parties to ensure that normal ticketing including the go card is valid on these new City Glider services."

References:

1.  http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25946911-952,00.html

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[stephenk]

This is good news, otherwise the City Glider would have been an unintegrated white elephant from day 1!

[Jon Bryant]

Why is it that any public transport improvements (i.e Adelaide Strret) are contingent on traffic not being impacted or some new road space and even then it is a wait and see.  Keep this article because the Council is going to find that the Clem 7 does little to reduce traffic in the CBD and overall congestion will increase.  Bring on the tunnel so we can shut them down as useless a
sooner. 

[#Metro]

This is excellent news. Can't wait to use it myself...

[ozbob]

...However, planned changes to Adelaide Street to accomodate the new buses have been delayed until impacts on inner-city traffic can be judged, she said ...

Sooner cars get the flick the better IMHO ...    Some vehicle access for delivery vans, work vehicles and disabled users, that is all.

[ozbob]

There is a map here --> here!  (External PDF)  Not sure if this is the confirmed final route.

[longboi]

Ah that would explain the work that is going on around the Bowen Hills bus depot - they're expanding to fit the new buses in the depot.

Great to see it will come under Translink fare structure 

[somebody]

That's good news (about the TL fare structure).

Why's it to be Brisbane's first 24 hour service?  In what way is it more 24 hour than the 199/N199?

[ozbob]

"There will be no cash at all and it will all be Go Card," Cr Prentice said.

Translink have checked the details of the dedicated CityGlider route and co-ordinated it with Cubic, the private operator running Brisbane's Go Card system, she added.

If you recall, the initial spin was that the City Glider would be a flat fare.  It is still not clear if will be a flat fare or normal TransLink zones and transfers and so forth.

I have asked TransLink via twitter

Robert_Dow
 
@TransLinkSEQ will normal TransLink go card fares (zones, transfers etc.) be available on the City Glider or just flat fares? Thanks .. less than a minute ago from web

[ButFli]

Has anything been said about what will happen to the 199? The CityGlider has the same end points as the 199 and follows a similar route. As a regular user of the 199 who will not be served by CityGlider I am very concerned that I will lose the fantastic public transport service to which I have become accustomed.

[somebody]

Has anything been said about what will happen to the 199? The CityGlider has the same end points as the 199 and follows a similar route. As a regular user of the 199 who will not be served by CityGlider I am very concerned that I will lose the fantastic public transport service to which I have become accustomed.

Well, they couldn't possibly can it, given that it's Brisbane's busiest bus route.  Worst case would be having the West End part chopped off and forcing West End people to walk up to Montague Rd.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbane mX 15th February 2010 page 1

All-day buses are go




Seems it might well be normal TransLink zones and fares ....

[#Metro]

So I could turn up at 2am on Monday morning and catch the CityGlider every 15 mins?
Is that right?
Did I actually think "24 hour bus operation?", No that can't be right...

Ok, let's see...
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/BCC:BASE::pc=PC_5855

operating 18 hours a day from Sunday to Thursday, and 24 hours on Friday and Saturday

All day... but not all night...or week...

24 hour bus for the inner city would be good. Wouldn't like to drive it at those hours though.

[STB]

I still find it curious for the Cityglider service to effectively almost replicate route 199, which does run every 24hrs on Friday and Saturday nights, except it runs hourly instead of every 15mins.

[somebody]

I still find it curious for the Cityglider service to effectively almost replicate route 199, which does run every 24hrs on Friday and Saturday nights, except it runs hourly instead of every 15mins.

And I don't trust what's been said so far will necessarily mean that it will run every 15 minutes Fri/Sat nights.  Probably still hourly like the 199.

[skippy]

A number of highrise buildings are almost complete at the Newstead Gasworks development and 4000 staff are transferring in April to the HQ building near the Emporium complex. Seems to me BCC and Translink have got City Glider timing spot on.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Brisbane's first 24-hour buses to hit the road

Brisbane's first 24-hour buses to hit the road
TONY MOORE
March 23, 2010 - 5:35AM

Brisbane's first 24-hour bus service is set to start rolling next month, it was confirmed last night.

The $4.5 million CityGlider service, which was originally scheduled to be up and running late last year, now has a likely starting date of April 11.

The CityGlider buses will run from West End to Teneriffe every five minutes in peak hour and every 15 minutes outside peak hour.

They will run 24 hours a day on Fridays and Saturdays and 18 hours a day from Thursday to Sunday from 5.30am to 11.30pm.

Previous difficulties with Translink - allowing commuters to use their Go Cards on the new service - were sorted out last month.

Public Transport chair Jane Prentice last night confirmed the service would most likely to start on Sunday, April 11.

She said staff were now painting the CityGlider bus stop "blades", which would show commuters where to catch the bus.

"Because of the success of Clem7 we are looking at bringing it forward and it is definitely around that time," Cr Prentice said.

"But as you realise with the CityGlider it is about balancing traffic movements with what is happening everywhere else as well.

"But it is looking good."

Labor councillor David Hinchliffe (Central) welcomed the new service through his area.

"But it is certainly not the answer to all the public transport problems of the inner-city," he said.

Cr Hinchliffe called for an extension to the existing free bus loop services, which ran through the inner city and Spring Hill, to create more flexibility in the inner city.

"I fully support an extension to this service either through City Council or through Translink," he said.

CityGlider services will run from the West End ferry terminal via Montague Rd, Mollison Rd and Melbourne St, crossing the Brisbane River on the Victoria Bridge, run through the CBD and through Fortitude Valley along Wickham and Ann streets and down to the Teneriffe ferry terminal.

The CityGlider bus service was announced by Lord Mayor Campbell Newman in his budget speech last year and promised to run around the time the Clem7 tunnel opened.

The Clem7 tunnel opened last week.

[ozbob]

This seems to confirm the rumours of an April start, good news!

[#Metro]

Why don't they just merge this with 199 to create a bi-directional closed loop?
It would only require the add on of a short Newstead-Tennerife section.

West End-Montague Rd-Newstead-Tenneriffe-West End Melbourne St....

[somebody]

Why don't they just merge this with 199 to create a bi-directional closed loop?
It would only require the add on of a short Newstead-Tennerife section.

West End-Montague Rd-Newstead-Tenneriffe-West End Melbourne St....

With a dwell at West End?  Reduces the negatives of routing the 199 via Ivory St, so I would actually support this idea, so long as there isn't a frequency imbalance, and the Ivory St routing occurs.

[dwb]

Why would they? or Why should they?

Why don't they just merge this with 199 to create a bi-directional closed loop?
It would only require the add on of a short Newstead-Tennerife section.
West End-Montague Rd-Newstead-Tenneriffe-West End Melbourne St....

[somebody]

Why should they?

How about for people near Teneriffe Ferry on the 199 route, but not handy to the CityGlider, giving them a faster service.  Also, giving Merthyr Rd and east a direct service to the Valley, even with an Ivory St routing at the Brunswick St end.  Needs to be both directions, of course.

Seems to make some sense to me, mostly because it reduces the negatives of on Ivory St routing.

[dwb]

How about for people near Teneriffe Ferry on the 199 route, but not handy to the CityGlider

As far as I'm aware the stop will be less than 50m difference for these people, so I've no idea what you're talking about.

[#Metro]

If it is that close, why not?
Makes a nice distributor inside the suburbs. Good for going to the local shops, the local park, the local markets, the main shop strip.

[dwb]

If it is that close, why not?

Yeah but you still haven't said why you think it would be a good idea. So, why x infinity.

Makes a nice distributor inside the suburbs. Good for going to the local shops, the local park, the local markets, the main shop strip.

Aren't you saying this is what the 199 does? So why slow the glider down with a complicated route like the 199.

Point is it is mean to be an east-west direct link. Those on the peninsular can still use 199/6/7, or like many of them do continue to walk.

[#Metro]

Look, if it is that frequent I guess it would not be a big deal to walk from one to the other. 

[somebody]

As far as I'm aware the stop will be less than 50m difference for these people, so I've no idea what you're talking about.

I'm talking mostly about Macquarie St pax, who would lose their direct connection to the Valley with an Ivory St routing of the 199.  If the eastbound 199 continued as a "City Glider" after Tenneriffe Ferry, they would keep their direct connection.

Make sense now?

[dwb]

I'm talking mostly about Macquarie St pax, who would lose their direct connection to the Valley with an Ivory St routing of the 199.  If the eastbound 199 continued as a "City Glider" after Tenneriffe Ferry, they would keep their direct connection.

Make sense now?

Yes it makes more sense. You'll note that I'd previously indicated that I thought the disadvantage of re-routing 199 via Ivory St was missing the actual centre/ closer connection to the train station and slightly confusing nature of that last/first stop after the tunnel on Brunswick St. However as others have said it really is only 1 block walk from that stop to the mall, or two for the train station.  Alternatively passengers in Macquarie St or Merthyr will also be able to travel east-north (ie outbound) to the Teneriffe Ferry and change to the Glider.

[somebody]

Alternatively passengers in Macquarie St or Merthyr will also be able to travel east-north (ie outbound) to the Teneriffe Ferry and change to the Glider.

Of course, I was looking at eliminating the annoyance of this option.

[longboi]

Makes sense to me. For a small extension Teneriffe ferry pax have the choice of a direct connection to the city of cityglider to New Farm/Brunswick St/Valley.

[ozbob]

City Glider Brochure click here! PDF 1.2 MB

Extract route map




Thanks to DWB for forwarding this.

[ozbob]

Map has zones 1 and 2 marked.  Normal TL zones and fares ..  but free till the 30th April ...  starts 11th April.

[ozbob]

City Glider Timetables 11th April click here!

City Glider Timetables 12th April click here!

[dwb]

How did you get those Bob? I did both a PDF and HTML timetable search and couldn't find them?

[ozbob]

Glider timetables from a link on the ATDB site. 

[ozbob]

Feedback received from some West End residents:

PRESS RELEASE

Residents of Orleigh Street, Hill End object to the CityGlider Bus Service.

On 11 April 2011 Brisbane City Council will introduce the CityGlider Rapid Bus Service that is intended to provide Brisbane with a world-class inner city transit system featuring modern, dedicated buses operating along key routes through the city with priority measures in place to minimise delays.   However, many of the residents of Orleigh Street, Hill End are angry that the terminus for Brisbane's first 24 hour bus service will be in a residential area that is already well served by public transport and they have raised their objections to the Lord Mayor and to Councillor Jane Prentice, the chairman of public transport.  The objections raised include:-     


(a)   The neighbourhood around the West End Ferry terminal is a residential area with a near static population that is very well served by public transport, ie the CityCat ferry and the No.'s 191, 192 and 199 bus services that operate until 5:00am at the weekends.  The Local Plan for West End shows that Brisbane City Council is proposing dramatic increases in the population in the Riverside Precinct of West End (Montague Road and Victoria Street area) where the new development will include the building of a new CityCat stop.  It would make perfect sense to incorporate the CityGlider terminus in Victoria Road as part of the new major development and not in an existing residential area already well served by public transport.

(b)   While there may be a demand for a 24 hours-per-day bus service plying between Vulture Street, West End and Fortitude Valley via the CBD, Brisbane City Council has yet to provide to the residents of Oreligh Street any supporting information to justify the demand for such a service between Vulture Street and Orleigh Street.  The Council's stated reason for the CityGlider service to extend to the West End Ferry Terminal is so as to provide an integrated public transport service; in fact there already is an integrated public transport service between the Teneriffe Ferry stop and the West End Ferry stop, namely the City Cat and the 199 bus service.  The reality is that more often than not the No.199 buses arrive at and depart from the West End Ferry Terminal with very few passengers; there is absolutely no need for the CityGlider service to duplicate the existing bus services. 

(c)   As we all know big buses are very noisy vehicles.  The introduction of an additional 845 buses per week plying along Orleigh Street will significantly increase the traffic noise and air pollution adjacent to Orleigh Park which is one of Brisbane's foremost riverside parks providing refuge for wildlife and tranquillity for local families and visitors alike.  Furthermore, the regular passage of buses will increase traffic congestion and adversely impact on the safety of pedestrians and other road users, including the many recreational cyclists who transit along Orleigh Street.


The residents of Orleigh Street request that Brisbane City Council responds to the above points as a matter of urgency.   

[somebody]

Ha Ha.  Buses aren't that noisy when compared to 10 cars.  Cutting the CityGlider before the Ferry would be a pretty stupid decision in my view.  If anything, the 199 could be truncated.

Who put out that press release?

[ozbob]

Residents of Orleigh Street, they are entitled to their express their concerns of course.  Not all will agree, but we are not gate keepers.  Happy to post their view.  My view is that light rail would be the best option, but happy that there is the introduction of a new service.  I agree that maybe the 199 route could be looked at as well.  Up to BCC to respond and address the concerns of the residents as they see fit.

[O_128]

Are there still plans to make the city gliders those trackless trams or are they just normal buses, Light rail would be near silent but im sure the residents of west end/hill end would have an issue