Roads - articles and discussion

[James]

^ Just listen to that background music. You know this project is going to be a huge success with every politician from the Cape to Coolangatta there for the opening!

CRR would have been off the ground years ago if they'd had videos with that sort of music!

[verbatim9]

https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1153077879606956032

^ Just listen to that background music. You know this project is going to be a huge success with every politician from the Cape to Coolangatta there for the opening!

CRR would have been off the ground years ago if they'd had videos with that sort of music!

I didn't see one bus in that simulation just a lot of private vehicles banked up at traffic lights. At least there is the cycling improvement. The music is inappropriate for the video because it implies that the future is humble and fantastic with added road lanes for private vehicle use. That freeway will be four lanes each way 8 lanes across in total with in the decade. A step towards Los Angeles transport planning. I think Centenary has one of the highest car ownership ratios and use in Brisbane (3 cars per household). It's a heavenly abode for baby boomers and their children.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> How much it will cost to drive on the Second Range Crossing

It will cost motorists just $2.50 to drive on the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing.

The Courier-Mail can this morning reveal the cost of the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing tolls.

Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said trucks would pay $22.85, light commercial vehicles $5.70, cars $2.30 and motorbikes $1.15.

The toll will come into effect three months after the crossing's September 8 opening, with the first three months toll free.

The toll regime gets ride of the super heavy vehicle class of toll that was planned for the crossing in the original 2012 business case.

That would have seen heavy trucks such as b-doubles charged $34.25.

"Under the Palaszczuk Government's plan, trucks will pay a maximum toll of $22.85, not the $34.25 signed off by the LNP," Mr Bailey said.

"These trucks will be mandated to use the new road and pay the toll, because they were the terms signed off in the LNP's business case.

"Cars will pay the cheapest toll of any toll road in Queensland at $2.50. Motorbikes will pay $1.15, and light commercial vehicles $5.70."

Mr Bailey last night confirmed the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing will open to motorists on September 8.

"The opening of the $1.6 billion Toowoomba Second Range Crossing in September will mark the culmination of the dedication and hard work of many people across decades to see this road built," Mr Bailey said.

"It will be a historic day for Toowoomba and the Darling Downs and I look forward to sharing more information about what is being planned in the near future.

"There will be a number of events happening over that weekend on the new road and in Toowoomba itself, ahead of the road officially opening to all traffic."

It is believed one of those events will include a marathon run by the Toowoomba Road Runners group.

Toll prices

Motorbike: $1.15
Car: $2.50
Light Commercial Vehicle: $5.70
Trucks: $22.85

Queensland Trucking Association CEO Gary Mahon said the toll price was a fair one.

"At that price you have every chance it'll get as full use as possible in time," he said.

"The road freight industry has been making its views clear on this for some time and we'd like to acknowledge the Government has listened and applied a fair result.

"That price compares to the Gateway Motorway toll, which is something we were always calling for."

Mr Mahon said the Government also made the right decision scrapping the super heavy vehicle category.

"The main reason we are pleased with that is because multiple trailers on trucks mean fewer trucks on roads, less congestion, more efficient freight," he said.

"It's good for the community and is a real incentive for efficient freight movement."

Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts welcomed the toll announcement.

"This is a good outcome for freight and logistics companies and other users of the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, who have been battling with years of uncertainty over the price of the tolls," Mr Watts said.

"These companies now have the certainty they need to secure long-term haulage contracts and the future of their businesses."

Second range crossing?  It is the third,  two road, one rail.

[ozbob]

Heavy vehicles are no longer able to travel down James Street, and if caught avoiding the bypass toll truck drivers may be fined. @sophie_tetzlaff #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/GpX0C6mszZ

— 7NEWS Toowoomba (@7NewsToowoomba) July 31, 2019

[verbatim9]

^^This is great that Council and TMR will introduce measures to ensure that trucks don't unnecessarily use James street. Looking forward to traffic calming and urban renewal along James st as well. There is also an opportunity along with the traffic calming iniative to build a segregated cycle path along James street, now that traffic flows will be reduced along that corridor.

Toowoomba is an ideal place for cycling as the city is relatively compact. Active Transport should be one of the main initiatives. Buses in that area should also be equipped with a bike rack that can hold up to two bikes similar to whats done in Canberra. Also I hope that Governemt will now focus on a fast electric train connection from Brisbane to Toowoomba,  as the key road infrastructure around the area is basically complete.

[achiruel]

Of course, if the western and southern railway lines were up to scratch, there's no way 3,000, trucks per day would've been traversing Toowoomba anyway. Just another example of how roads are funded to the detriment of rail in this state.

[AnonymouslyBad]

Toowoomba is an ideal place for cycling as the city is relatively compact. Active Transport should be one of the main initiatives. Buses in that area should also be equipped with a bike rack that can hold up to two bikes similar to whats done in Canberra.

Agree, Toowoomba has a great opportunity to get more people onto bikes. It's a fairly conservative place though, so I'm not holding my breath.
Bike racks on buses aren't great. I'm not saying they shouldn't be looked at but they can be more trouble than they're worth. Brisbane Transport has had bike racks on buses in the past - probably inspired by their route planning philosophy (try to be everything to everyone, and make the whole service worse as a result ). The bike racks were poorly utilised and caused delays when they were used.
On paper, bike+bus+bike shouldn't be a common travel combination.

Of course, if the western and southern railway lines were up to scratch, there's no way 3,000, trucks per day would've been traversing Toowoomba anyway. Just another example of how roads are funded to the detriment of rail in this state.

Yep. While a Toowoomba bypass is a good thing, I can't believe we're here talking about the completion of the hugely expensive second range crossing when there's still no concrete plan at all to build new rail for Toowoomba. This should have been done 30 or 40 years ago. You can't even run modern trains on the existing western line no matter how slow they go. Shocking!

[SurfRail]

Bikes on buses failed in Brisbane mainly because it was so limited instead of being broad-spectrum, or focused on a particular pilot area.  Not enough vehicles fitted and not enough routes in the trial = no guarantee you can actually use it as intended, because a non-equipped bus could show up and you couldn't transfer anywhere except basically Indooroopilly (and only from the GCL to the handful of Moggill Rd routes in the trial).

It works in Canberra - the rollout is nearly 100% of the fleet, and more cycling happens down there in general.

I'm ambivalent.  The Americans and Canadians love the things, but they don't seem to exist in Europe or elsewhere, probably because you'd just ride your bike instead.

[aldonius]

Bikes on buses (with that front mounted rack) only works as long as you only get 1-2 cyclists on the bus at a time. And it slows the bus down quite a bit to load them up.

[verbatim9]

Impressive piece of infrastructure - Toowoomba Second range crossing (bypass)

[aldonius]

The TSRC is looking to be pretty magnificent and I can't wait to drive it.

Having said that I'll be happier still once all those cuttings have revegetated - it's a bit of a scar right now!

[ozbob]

The TSRC is looking to be pretty magnificent and I can't wait to drive it.

Having said that I'll be happier still once all those cuttings have revegetated - it's a bit of a scar right now!

Pity they didn't do a railway with it!

[ozbob]

New Logan Motorway/Gateway Extension Upgrade by @Transurban includes;

✔️ New Beaudesert Rd Interchange
✔️ 15km new lanes
✔️ Wembley Rd & Gateway Interchange Upgrades
✔️ New on/off ramps at Compton Rd
✔️ New active transport pathways
✔️ was 2 year build, 1300 jobs on site 😊👍 pic.twitter.com/Q1DhT8bkh7

— Mark Bailey MP (@MarkBaileyMP) August 18, 2019

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Cars to remain king in southeast Queensland beyond 2031

DRIVING to schools, hospitals and childcare in southeast Queensland will take up to 40 per cent longer in 2031 as surging populations put increasing pressure on creaking transport infrastructure.

Analysis of detailed traffic projections used in a landmark infrastructure report reveals that despite some public transport options improving over the next 12 years, residents will remain largely reliant on cars for their most critical journeys.

Infrastructure Australia modelling shows average driving times in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast all blowing out with the average trip to a public secondary school in Brisbane taking 9.2 minutes in 2031, compared to 6.6 minutes in 2016.

And while many public transport journeys will be quicker, it will still take 40 to 80 minutes to reach secondary schools and hospitals.

Driving times for residents on the city's fringes and high-growth areas such as Ipswich, Jimboomba, Beenleigh, Caboolture and North Lakes are set to jump the most.

The average drive to a secondary school in inner Ipswich in 2031 will take 21 minutes in the morning peak compared with 7.9 minutes in 2016, according to the report.

Ipswich mum Naomi Quinn, 37, said she could currently drive anywhere she needed within about 15 minutes but if travel times soared as forecast her two children would probably have to eat breakfast in the car.

"I'd probably move house closer to where the kids go to school and stuff like that because I don't want to be stuck in traffic," she said.

Across greater Brisbane, the average driving times to child care centres and schools will jump between 35 and 39 per cent by 2031, according to the report.

Driving to secondary schools on the Sunshine Coast will take an average of 10.4 minutes, up 22 per cent from 2016, while on the Gold Coast it will take 6.9 minutes, up 13 per cent.

The report found the deterioration in driving times was mostly due to significant population growth and limited supply of transport and social infrastructure in greenfield areas.

RACQ Head of Public Policy Rebecca Michael said southeast Queensland was continuing to boom but the roads and transport systems in the region were "majorly misaligned".

"We need governments to act now and co-ordinate land use planning so we can tackle the issues which are likely to come with rapid growth, head on," she said.

Minister for Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said congestion was a major problem in large capital cities and the Morrison Government was "massively investing" in congestion busting infrastructure.

Labor infrastructure spokeswoman Catherine King said the report was another wake up call for the Government to produce a real plan for infrastructure to protect jobs, curb rising congestion and stimulate the economy.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Editorial: Economy stalls if we are stuck in traffic

EVERY frustrated commuter knows that time spent stuck in traffic or on a delayed train is time wasted.

But projections for travel times used by Infrastructure Australia suggest those commuting times are set to blow out by 2031.

Analysis of the traffic projections, reported in The Courier-Mail today, should make anyone concerned about the time lost in transit.

In just 12 years, it will take average Brisbane residents up to 40 per cent longer to drop children off at school or childcare or to access hospitals.

The time needed to drive to a school or child care centre across the city is likely to rise from up to 6.6 minutes in 2016 to up to 9.2 minutes in 2031.

But in outer suburbs, which are growing at a faster rate, times will rise more steeply.

In Ipswich, the time needed to drive to a school is forecast to more than double from 7.9 minutes in 2016 to 21 minutes in 2031.

Policy makers at federal, state and local levels should see these figures – issued by the nation's independent infrastructure advisory body – as a wake-up call.

They point to poor planning over generations that has meant road and public transport infrastructure has not kept pace with growing regions.

With Brisbane and the greater south east Queensland area one of the fastest growing in Australia, these problems are only likely to get worse.

It will take time and considerable forward-thinking to address these delays but the longer it takes, the worse travel times will become.

It will also need different levels of government to work together and take a long-term approach, instead of buck-passing and leaving problems for the next generation.

Better urban planning and infrastructure budgets should be matched with creative thinking about how to ensure people are able to live more effectively while reaching the services they require.

The analysis paints a stark picture of the challenges, suggesting cars will continue to be a crucial form of transport into the future because most residents live too far from public transport corridors.

The federal government has already taken some positive steps by working on city deals and other long-term planning in fast-growing regions including south east Queensland.

But these initial steps must be followed up with detailed work to give residents confidence that their needs will be met in the future.

In the recent federal election campaign, Prime Minister Scott Morrison frequently spoke about his desire to reduce commuting times.

Mr Morrison argued he wanted "infrastructure that gets people home sooner and safer, that makes that commute that little bit easier" so that people can spend more time with their families.

These platitudes need to be followed up with concrete action.

It is concerning that Mr Morrison's Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure, Alan Tudge, dismissed the warnings contained in the analysis as "pessimistic" in comments reported in The Courier-Mail today.

Mr Tudge argued the analysis did not take into account recently announced infrastructure developments.

As the minister tasked with planning for the needs of our growing population, his defensiveness is not a positive sign.

Excessive travel times are clearly harmful to commuters' home lives but they also have the potential to act as a brake on economic growth and productivity if too many people are wasting time stuck in traffic.

As commuting times increase, communities, families and workplaces will suffer. Future generations rely on us to get the planning right today.

[verbatim9]

If an emphasis on car use is increased? The Government really needs to step up a gear and address emissions from these vehicles. I see and experience everyday unkept vehicles on our roads that emit black smoke. This is not good for this day and age. We need regulation for emissions on vehicles. At least Californian or European emission standards. People need to maintain their cars, or upgrade to a vehicle that is more efficient and meets emission standards as above.

Crosstown trip times by Public transport need to be improved to compete with private vehicles and on weekends as well. Waiting times at transfer points need to be addressed and decreased.

[James]

I don't see what the great concern is about an average increase of a minute or two is - it's to be expected really as a city grows. Time to encourage walking & cycling for students instead of just putting more and more cars on the road.

Those Ipswich figures are quite concerning though - could it partly to be to do with Ipswich being spread out, or the streets not being 'master planned' like most major developments are these days?

[#Metro]

Those Ipswich figures are quite concerning though - could it partly to be to do with Ipswich being spread out, or the streets not being 'master planned' like most major developments are these days?

How is Ipswich 'spread out'?

It is a good size for cycling. Indeed, the possibility of making it a cycling city modeled on UK or EU cities should be looked at.

Unlike PT, cycling doesn't need a huge density. It is also good for health and affordable.

[verbatim9]

There should be more emphasis on segregated bike paths throughout Ipswich. I don't know why they need three lanes of traffic each way through the city centre. Surely some space can be dedicated for a segregated bike lane each way or one two way bike lane. I think a bike lane would enhance the city centre and contribute to traffic calming.

[James]

How is Ipswich 'spread out'?

It is a good size for cycling. Indeed, the possibility of making it a cycling city modeled on UK or EU cities should be looked at.

Unlike PT, cycling doesn't need a huge density. It is also good for health and affordable.

By 'spread out', I don't mean just the Ipswich CBD, I mean Ipswich more broadly - Goodna, Springfield, Redbank. Larger 'super state schools' located in mini-CBDs (Springfield/Ipswich) could also be inflating these figures by making state schools further away from their students, on average.

Ipswich isn't terribly dense either, not like you have any apartments popping up there like you do at Chermside or Indooroopilly...

[techblitz]

Unlike PT, cycling doesn't need a huge density

Density is a big factor though...
I would suggest getting out and observing some of the outer bike paths before coming to that conclusion......take a walk on them or peer out the window of the train like richlands - darra/springfield or along the kipparing line and its a case of 'spot the bicycle rider'......you will be lucky to see one bike rider in ten train trips.......they have wasted money building them next to the outer train lines imo...

Totally different story when you look out the train window going over the bridge at south Brisbane(looking next to coro drive) or doing the walk to buranda shops from Buranda station(I'm constantly making way for riders there)......density or major trip generators is what gets more people onto these bike paths.....wherever density lacks....riders are sparingly seen....hence a waste of money...money which could have gone into more feeder bus frequency...

[ozbob]

Police have been advised of emergency road works to occur on Victoria Bridge from 5am to 1pm, August 29. Sole outbound lane from the CBD will be closed, outbound bus lane will still operate. Diversions will be in place. Expect delays & allow extra travel time. #bnetraffic pic.twitter.com/CgF4TDCRUD

— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) August 28, 2019

[HappyTrainGuy]

Unlike PT, cycling doesn't need a huge density

Density is a big factor though...
I would suggest getting out and observing some of the outer bike paths before coming to that conclusion......take a walk on them or peer out the window of the train like richlands - darra/springfield or along the kipparing line and its a case of 'spot the bicycle rider'......you will be lucky to see one bike rider in ten train trips.......they have wasted money building them next to the outer train lines imo...

But like a pt network they have to connect or no one would use it. Something that doesn't exist at Richlands as the Springfield-Richlands connection part was removed from the plans to save on gold plating and I'm pretty sure there's no Richlands-Darra connection to the existing cycleway there because of the motorway (I think its a big detour or that's getting built now as part of the motorway upgrade or something?). In contrast the Kippa Ring cycleway is quite popular with people avoiding Anzac road, school students and its got good numbers on the weekend with families too - despite it also having sections removed for cost savings.

But like most cost savings due to "Gold Plating" it would be interesting to know if once the uni is up and running or ellen grove/springfield/surrounds keeps growing would there be a push to have these cost saving gold plating infrastructure installed.... and at what additional cost.

[ozbob]

Couriermail Quest --> Weakness found in bridge connecting Gateway Motorway to Bruce Highway at Bald Hills

The discovery of structural weakness in one of the south east's major bridges has forced the State Government to ban heavy vehicles from one lane.

Heavy vehicles will been banned from one lane of a major highway flyover in the south east after weakness was found in the structure.

Restrictions come into effect tomorrow on the bridge connecting the Gateway Motorway to the Bruce Highway northbound at Bald Hills.

More than 40,000 vehicles travel northbound over this bridge each weekday.

Transport and Main Roads (TMR) metropolitan regional director Mr Patrick Dennehy said the access changes were precautionary but necessary following structural investigations.

"The structure is safe, and this is just a precautionary measure until strengthening works can be completed," Mr Dennehy said.

TMR said that following a structural inspection of the flyover it was identified that further investigations on the northbound route were required.

Mr Dennehy said the design of the strengthening work was underway.

Restrictions would be imposed requiring most heavy vehicles to travel in the left-hand lane only.

"Some very heavy vehicles will be required to travel in the centre of the bridge under guidance," Mr Dennehy said.

More than 40,000 vehicles travel northbound over this bridge each weekday.

For details of which vehicles are affected, see tmr.qld.gov.au/gatewaymotorwayflyover

[verbatim9]

^^This just means freight needs to go on rail. There is too much reliance on heavy semi freight road haul in Qld.  It puts alot of stress on the road infrastructure.

[achiruel]

Of course when we have a hopelessly inadequate NCL, the result is road carries too much freight.

[verbatim9]

Roundabout elimination creating headaches for local residents, motorists, cyclists and Council.


Couriermal Quest------->https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/roundabout-under-fire-and-work-hasnt-even-started/news-story/2e5f0f067ac2dbb0ee16d8e2b93d1673

LOCAL

Roundabout under fire — and work hasn't even started

Brendan O'Malley, Westside News

an hour ago

Subscriber only

Indooroopilly roundabout, one of Brisbane's most notorious chokepoints, could get either an overpass or a signalised T-intersection under two designs options released yesterday by Council.

The upgrade could save commuters as much as 43 seconds during peak periods, Council claimed.

But a bicycle lobby group has slammed both designs, saying they did not connect to the $60 million Western Bikeway — or any other bikeway

Councillor Nicole Johnston (Tennyson) also attacked the two preferred designs, saying motorists pouring off the Walter Taylor Bridge from the southside had been ignored despite her repeated pleas.

"The proposed Moggill Rd intersection upgrade will be diabolical for traffic from the southwestern suburbs if it is not done properly,'' Cr Johnston said.

"The lack of detailed design information is woeful and there is no upgrade along Coonan St, as promised by the Lord Mayor (Adrian Schrinner).


"I urge residents to attend a public meeting, ask questions and demand a better design for drivers and cyclists coming across the Walter Taylor Bridge.''

Brisbane West Bicycle User Group co-convener, Chris Cox, said while all bike lanes were welcome, the new on-road bike lanes on Moggill Rd needed to have a physical barrier separating cyclists from motorists "otherwise they will just be for the fit and the fearless''.

He said there was no detail on the extra footpaths and whether they would be shared use for both pedestrians and cyclists, which would be necessary for cyclists to access the area.

but his main concern was the lack of connectivity with the proposed Indooroopilly Riverwalk and Western Bikeway.

"To connect to Riverwalk, which they say is one of the benefits of the project, they would need something running parallel to coonan St or even on Clarence Rd, connecting up with perhaps Keating St and Lambert Rd, which is where the Riverwalk will exit,'' he said.

"The designs are of course preliminary, but these are the things we want to get on the agenda.''

Public consultation on the upgrade will be held at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre on September 14, from 9-11am, and September 19, from 6-8pm, at the food court on level three.

"Residents are now invited to give feedback on the two design options, with information sessions scheduled, giving residents an opportunity to talk about the upgrade in-person with the project team," Cr James Mackay (Walter Taylor) said.

Existing intersection.Option A.

Federal LNP MP for Ryan, Julian Simmonds, announced during the election that the Morrison Government would spend $25 million on an upgrade, with Council chipping in extra.

"The federal funds I've secured have kickstarted this long awaited project,'' Mr Simmonds said.

"Prior to the election, I spoke about the importance of fixing bottlenecks on Moggill Rd such as the Indooroopilly roundabout and I will continue to push that this project be delivered as a soon as possible.

"Residents need to get behind this project by being part of the consultation and showing their overwhelming support to help me bust local congestion."

Cr Schrinner said it was one of Brisbane's busiest roundabouts and had a high crash history, with 32 incidents recorded between 2013 and 2018 with 10 requiring hospitalisation and a further 17 requiring medical treatment.

"About 55,000 vehicles travel through the intersection every day and this high traffic volume causes major queue lengths along the approaches to the intersection," he said.

A newsletter, which was delivered to residents yesterday, said both options involved replacing the roundabout with a signalised intersection.

It said option B would cut commute times for inbound traffic using coonan St in the morning peak, improving traffic flow over the Walter Taylor Bridge.

However, it provided no estimate of time savings.

The newsletter also said Council was "investigating providing additional benefits'' on Coonan St but did not specify what those were or any time frame.

Both options provided significant safety improvements for all road users, with option B providing extra travel time benefits, the newsletter read.

"Bicycle lanes will be added to both sides of Moggill Rd, to improve safety and accessibility for cyclists,'' it read.

"These will improve active transport options for residents in Brisbane's southwest suburbs,

linking into the future Indooroopilly Riverwalk, and create opportunities for potential future active transport infrastructure in the broader cycling network.

"The project will improve safety for all road users, by removing all right-turn movements at the Keating St and Coonan St intersection.

"Option B offers travel time benefits for road users, particularly travelling along Moggill Rd in the morning and afternoon peak periods.

"Morning commuters will save 43 seconds travelling inbound and approximately 26 seconds in the afternoon peak outbound along Moggill Rd.

"Council are (sic) investigating providing additional benefits to the broader Indooroopilly road network, including Coonan St and Westminster Rd intersection and Coonan St and Allwood St, near the Indooroopilly Train Station.''

After the community feedback, the business case would be finalised and released to the public. Detailed designs were due by mid-2020.

Option B.

OPTION A (T INTERSECTION):

• two through lanes in each direction on Moggill Rd

• two right turn lanes and two left turn lanes from Moggill Rd into Coonan St

• two right turn lanes and two left turn lanes from Coonan St on to Moggill Rd

• changed access at Keating St and Coonan St to left in, left out, to improve safety and traffic flow on Coonan St

• changes to left turn movements at the Moggill Rd intersections with Payne S and Nelson Pde, removal of the right turn movements at Nelson Pde

• new on-road bicycle lanes along Moggill Rd, between Payne St and Indooroopilly Shopping Centre

• extra sections of footpath through the project

OPTION B (OVERPASS)

• construction of a new road bridge, taking Coonan St over Moggill Rd, this will allow through traffic on Moggill Rd to flow freely

• upgrade to the existing service road to connect the Coonan St bridge with Moggill Rd

• changed access at Keating St to left in, left out, to improve safety and traffic flow on Moggill Rd

• changes to left turn movements at the Moggill Rd intersections with Payne St, Nelson Pde and Stamford Rd, removal of the right turn movements at Nelson Pde

• new on-road bicycle lanes along Moggill Rd, between Payne St and Indooroopilly Shopping Centre

• extra sections of footpath through the project

[verbatim9]

^^The overpass solution (Option B) seems the most logical and safest for all concerned. Can easily add and integrate safe segregated cycling options then.

[verbatim9]

In two weeks, four families need to be out of their homes to make way for the M1 expansion, but they're not going without a fight. @ajhegarty9 #9News https://t.co/Zudj1LaZoj

https://twitter.com/9NewsQueensland/status/1173158996301103106

[verbatim9]

Kenmore Village Roundabout removal ----

The pain of long-suffering western suburbs drivers might soon be over, with work underway to solve the Kenmore roundabout headache. @lcalcutt #9News https://t.co/KznMyxfjIJ

https://twitter.com/9NewsQueensland/status/1174966114641563649

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Nine traffic hot spots set for congestion busting funds

CONSTRUCTION to fix nine of Brisbane's most notorious traffic hot spots will start within 12 months under a $4 billion Morrison Government fund to ease urban congestion.

The Urban Congestion Fund set up last year has earmarked a string of projects such as intersection and roundabout upgrades to ease worsening traffic woes across southeast Queensland.

Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge said kicking off construction on nine projects, revealed today and worth a combined $115.5 million, in an agreement with the Brisbane City Council, was one of his top priorities for Brisbane.

"These projects will bust congestion, they will deliver lifesaving road safety improvements and they will bolster commuter and freight connections that underpin the state and national economies," he said.

"The Morrison Government promised we will get the people of Brisbane home sooner and safer, and we will deliver."

The move follows Opposition infrastructure, transport and regional development spokeswoman Catherine King questioning the government last week about why none of the projects under the fund announced nearly 18 months ago had started.

"Prime Minister Morrison used the Urban Congestion Fund as a key campaigning opportunity fully aware no work was underway and nothing would start for months or years," she said.

The Federal Government is providing the majority of funding but must reach agreement with state governments and councils, which are responsible for delivering the projects, before construction can begin.

Much of the work on Brisbane's northside centres around Bracken Ridge with intersection upgrades and a $50 million improvement of Beams Rd.

Projects in Mt Gravatt and Rochedale on the southside will focus on intersection upgrades as will an upgrade of the Commercial Rd and Doggett St crossing at Newstead.

The Indooroopilly roundabout in the city's west will undergo a $25 million revamp.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said he wanted to "get residents out of traffic and able to spend more time doing what they love".

"I have a clear vision for the future of our city and we are committed to managing growth, building better transport networks while protecting our fantastic quality of life," he said.

[verbatim9]

Couriermail --> Nine traffic hot spots set for congestion busting funds

CONSTRUCTION to fix nine of Brisbane's most notorious traffic hot spots will start within 12 months under a $4 billion Morrison Government fund to ease urban congestion.

The Urban Congestion Fund set up last year has earmarked a string of projects such as intersection and roundabout upgrades to ease worsening traffic woes across southeast Queensland.

Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge said kicking off construction on nine projects, revealed today and worth a combined $115.5 million, in an agreement with the Brisbane City Council, was one of his top priorities for Brisbane.

"These projects will bust congestion, they will deliver lifesaving road safety improvements and they will bolster commuter and freight connections that underpin the state and national economies," he said.

"The Morrison Government promised we will get the people of Brisbane home sooner and safer, and we will deliver."

The move follows Opposition infrastructure, transport and regional development spokeswoman Catherine King questioning the government last week about why none of the projects under the fund announced nearly 18 months ago had started.

"Prime Minister Morrison used the Urban Congestion Fund as a key campaigning opportunity fully aware no work was underway and nothing would start for months or years," she said.

The Federal Government is providing the majority of funding but must reach agreement with state governments and councils, which are responsible for delivering the projects, before construction can begin.

Much of the work on Brisbane's northside centres around Bracken Ridge with intersection upgrades and a $50 million improvement of Beams Rd.

Projects in Mt Gravatt and Rochedale on the southside will focus on intersection upgrades as will an upgrade of the Commercial Rd and Doggett St crossing at Newstead.

The Indooroopilly roundabout in the city's west will undergo a $25 million revamp.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said he wanted to "get residents out of traffic and able to spend more time doing what they love".

"I have a clear vision for the future of our city and we are committed to managing growth, building better transport networks while protecting our fantastic quality of life," he said.

Location of the upgrades here----->

^^I guess the Beams road upgrade includes the level Crossing removal?

[verbatim9]

Work to upgrade nine notoriously busy Brisbane roads and intersections will start in the next two years. Brisbane City Council is going halves with the Federal Government on a plan that should slash travel times. @GreenhalghSarah #7NEWS https://t.co/wta8Br0fgh

https://twitter.com/7NewsBrisbane/status/1176412351869796353

[verbatim9]

Work to upgrade nine notoriously busy Brisbane roads and intersections will start in the next two years. Brisbane City Council is going halves with the Federal Government on a plan that should slash travel times. @GreenhalghSarah #7NEWS https://t.co/wta8Br0fgh

https://twitter.com/7NewsBrisbane/status/1176412351869796353

^^Great to be here with the Lord Mayor of Melbourne LOL!

[verbatim9]

Brisbanetimes.com.au----> Are tradies creating unnecessary road congestion?

Don't blame parcel delivery vans for clogging up city traffic, look to the tradies

DAVID M. HEROLD SEPTEMBER 29, 2019


Parcel delivery vehicles makeup a small fraction of commercial traffic in our cities.Credit:Paul Rovere

Who's on our city roads?

The unfair focus on parcel delivery neglects other commercial sectors using vehicles on a city's roads for transport and parking. In fact, there is a lack of studies investigating specifically to what extent parcel delivery impacts and contributes to urban road traffic in major cities worldwide.

To examine the true impact of parcel delivery – technically known as CEP for courier, express and parcel deliveries – our team at the Vienna University of Economics in Business was commissioned by the Austrian postal organisation to study the traffic composition in Vienna, Austria, between March and June 2019.

Vienna may be very different to Brisbane, but its congestion levels are similar.Credit:Vienna Tourism

The goal of the study was to identify the share of parcel delivery and other specific categories of light commercial vehicles used in the city.

The city's traffic was videoed and manually counted at key times over a 15 week period on main and secondary roads. In addition, we used secondary data from the city of Vienna for validation.

The results showed passenger cars accounted for 86.5% of urban road traffic. The remaining share of light and heavy commercial vehicles comprised 13.5% of traffic.

Of that, we found parcel delivery vehicles accounted for only 0.8% of the traffic. This clearly contradicts the often-heard and reported claim that they are a main contributor to urban congestion and delays.

Other light commercial vehicles played a much more significant part in urban road traffic.

Tradesmen and technicians had the largest share among light commercial vehicles with 6.0% of traffic. This is more than seven times higher than the share of parcel delivery.

Any transport policies that aim to deal with traffic reduction should consider all vehicle categories and the respective industry specific logistics.

Those tradespeople utes get everywhere.

From Austria to Australia

Some may argue that European cities differ from Australian cities, but we believe our findings are also relevant to cities here and in other industrialised counties.

For example, Vienna is not that different to Brisbane, in Queensland. Vienna is a city with almost 2 million people – similar to Brisbane (depending on how you define the area).

Moreover, Vienna's traffic is - like Brisbane's - impacted by a significant share of commuters travelling in and out of the city every business day.

Both cities have similar congestion rates – Brisbane 27% and Vienna 25% – and are served by all major local and global parcel delivery companies.

But more importantly, the traffic composition in Austria and Australia's bigger cities seems to be very similar. Researchers in Melbourne measured the share of light commercial vehicles entering the CBD and found 13.4% cent of the vehicles entering the central business district were light commercial and service vehicles.

This corresponds almost exactly with our Vienna findings.

Congestion is getting worse

Traffic is on the rise in many cities around the world, including here in Australia, which already creates traffic congestion.

Traffic in Brisbane and other cities is only getting busier.Credit:Michelle Smith

One area of growth in Australia is also the number of light commercial vehicles on our streets, up from 39.3 billion kilometres travelled in 2008 to 54 billion kilometres in 2018. That means potentially more such vehicles in our cities.

Read more:
Urban growth, heat islands, humidity, climate change: the costs multiply in tropical cities

When it comes to looking at who needs to do more to try to cut congestion, you need to consider more than just the parcel delivery companies.

Studies show that further consolidation efforts within the parcel delivery industry would only lead to a maximum saving of a further 10% of delivery vans, that's 9 instead of 10 delivery vans on the street. Given they only have a share of 0.8% of total traffic, that would only lead to reduction in traffic of less than 0.1%.

But for tradespeople and technicians, for example, with a share of 6.0% in city traffic, developing better logistics could lead to a greater reduction in the overall traffic in cities.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Pedestrianised Streets in Austria.

[verbatim9]

^^If tradies are working on a Highrise or another urban development near a high frequency Public Transport stop or station? They could utilise something like this or a smaller version?  It's a solution and good way for Tradies to utilise Public Transport if they need to take their tools onsite?

[verbatim9]

Today there are more mobile solutions for Tradies on the market, which makes it easier for them to use Public Transport with ease.

[red dragin]

^^If tradies are working on a Highrise or another urban development near a high frequency Public Transport stop or station? They could utilise something like this or a smaller version?  It's a solution and good way for Tradies to utilise Public Transport if they need to take their tools onsite?

How do you fit an air compressor, or welder, or a couple of acetylene bottles in one of those.

8% are tradies who need a vehicle to carry all of their equipment, whereas 86.5% are commuters who need their vehicle to carry their iPad. 

[timh]

^^If tradies are working on a Highrise or another urban development near a high frequency Public Transport stop or station? They could utilise something like this or a smaller version?  It's a solution and good way for Tradies to utilise Public Transport if they need to take their tools onsite?

How do you fit an air compressor, or welder, or a couple of acetylene bottles in one of those.

8% are tradies who need a vehicle to carry all of their equipment, whereas 86.5% are commuters who need their vehicle to carry their iPad. 

Agree 100% red. Going after tradies is dumb. The absolute majority of peak hour commuters are single drivers in cars that COULD potentially take public transport, if it was convenient to them. Again the biggest barrier for these people is lack of convenient or affordable options. Asking tradies who carry large amount of tools or equipment to use public transport is ludicrous, it's not going to happen. There will always be those who really should use a private vehicle for work.

In my line of work I quite often have to carry around a lot of very expensive equipment, it would be unreasonable to expect me to take public transport in those instances. However on other days I can just ride a bike.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[SurfRail]

There already are a very large number of tradies who commute to the inner city to work on projects there.

Overwhelmingly the traffic that doesn't have to be on the road is single occupant cars.  That's where the reductions are to be made - even moreso than for dual or more occupant cars (since those are all batting above average).