Capalaba park 'n' ride

[Golliwog]

Capalaba park 'n' ride
Where: Corner of Moreton Bay Road and Redland Bay Road, across from the Capalaba Central shopping centre 
Investment: $3.3 million
Start: Early 2011
Finish: Mid 2011
Contact us Phone: 1800 192 112* (freecall)
Email: capalaba@tmr.qld.gov.au
* Higher call rates apply from mobile phones and pay phones. STD rates will apply if calling outside of Queensland.

What the Capalaba park 'n' ride will provide
•Parking for approximately 230 cars in stage 1, and up to a further 100 spaces in stage 2.
•A comfortable waiting area with high quality shelters and seating for passengers.
•Drop off and pick-up areas - we call it a kiss 'n' ride.
•A safe parking area with security cameras and lighting.
•Better access for pedestrians and cyclists - there's even bicycle storage.
•Road works to allow safe and efficient access to the facility.
•Prioritised traffic signalling on Moreton Bay Road for buses.



This means people can safely park their cars and transfer to a bus to complete their journey. This encourages more people to use public transport for most of their journey.

The park 'n' ride will help to:

•reduce traffic congestion - 1 full bus = 40 fewer cars
•reduce parking demand on local streets near bus stops.

Why is it needed?
The existing park 'n' ride at the Capalaba is almost at capacity, with many bus customers needing to park within the Capalaba Central shopping centre car park to access bus services. The Old Cleveland Road corridor from Buranda to Capalaba has been identified in the TransLink Network Plan (TNP) as a "primary corridor" likely to experience high growth in public transport.

To meet this demand, the Queensland Government has committed to plan and gradually build the Eastern Busway on the Old Cleveland Road corridor. Ultimately, the Eastern Busway will provide Capalaba with high-frequency services to the city and opportunities to interchange at key destinations serviced by rail or other busways.

The staged implementation approach is proposed to include:

•A dedicated busway between Buranda and Main Avenue (Coorparoo) by 2012.
•Improving bus services by providing a mix of high-frequency bus services between the Eastern Region and Brisbane City.
•Bus lanes on Old Cleveland Road.
•Priority at intersections for buses (e.g. bus jumps).
•Improved bus stations and stops.
One of the key actions under the TNP is to construct park 'n' ride facilities at the outer ends of public transport corridors to help support the predicted increase in demand for public transport.

What is the current status of the project?
The Capalaba park 'n' ride is in the concept design stage with TransLink currently speaking to businesses and stakeholders in the area. Detailed design will be finalised in early 2011 with construction to start soon thereafter.

What's next?
TransLink will distribute a project flyer to the local community in late 2010 to invite feedback on the design in person, by telephone or email to the project team.

[Jonno]

Of course none of this new parking will be used by people vesting the surrounding businesses.  Translink still stuck in 1960's.  There is no real hope for PT with this mind set. 

[#Metro]

Of course none of this new parking will be used by people vesting the surrounding businesses.  Translink still stuck in 1960's.  There is no real hope for PT with this mind set.

I think that there is a place for P & R at line terminals.
Question is, should there be a small fee to pay if you want to bring your car, given that the car park is so huge and costly to build?
At least there are bicycle facilities there, which is close to the platform.

[ozbob]

Park and ride is needed of course, but so is local feeder bus.  As a community we cannot just continue to build more and more expensive park and ride facilities ad infinitum. Hasn't worked well anywhere that I know of, just tends to encourage more horseless carriages to spill out everywhere ..

There is a bicycle locker fee .... 

[#Metro]

There is a bicycle locker fee ....  

Groan

There is always some kind of perverse unintended result somewhere isn't there? I guess it is just easier to administer that way.
Are there dedicated bike lanes or do bicycles have to navigate the free for all sea of cars that is the
carpark.

I wonder, why not invent a new term- bikepark?!

Yes, highly expensive, agreed. There seems to be some kind of anti-feeder bus sentiment. What else could explain
the horrible frequencies that feeder buses have? And the interchange isn't good or legible either. A bus stop plonked down the road
somewhere with no information on the platform about where anything is...

Lots of work to be done IMHO. The good thing is that it shouldn't be so expensive to fix that up compared with
the costs of some of these other station projects like rail station dressups etc.

[Gazza]

There is a bicycle locker fee ....

But it's only a deposit though....

[#Metro]

I think forms and payments just put up another barrier to use.
Hopefully there will be lots of 'normal' bike racks to compensate.

[Otto]

Park and ride is needed of course, but so is local feeder bus.  As a community we cannot just continue to build more and more expensive park and ride facilities ad infinitum. Hasn't worked well anywhere that I know of, just tends to encourage more horseless carriages to spill out everywhere ..

There is a bicycle locker fee ....  

I think, in the case of Capalaba, This idea will work.. In fact, it would be one of the very few places that would be suitable for a 'Proper' Park n Ride..

It has the ideal conditions for a park n ride..

1. Many feeder services already exist that radiate out from Capalaba.
2. Approx 80% of trips by private car will go via Capalaba when leaving the Redlands City area with most journeys going to destinations along the Old Cleveland Road corridor and City..
3. Capalaba is the HUB of the Redlands City Area.. Historically, all roads lead to Capalaba from any part of Redlands.

I would go as far as to say, the planned parking capacity will not be enough..
There should ba a minimum of a 15 minute frequency NOW to make the service more appealing to new commuters.. This can already be acheived by having the 270 route running half hourly all day instead of just at peak hours.. It already runs all day between Capalaba and Victoria Point.

I do mantain that the construction of the Eastern Busway should be accelerated as congestion on Old Cleveland Road is fast reaching crisis in peak times.

The only other Park n ride ( for buses ) that I would term as 'successful' would be at Eight Mile Plains..

[somebody]

There should ba a minimum of a 15 minute frequency NOW to make the service more appealing to new commuters.. This can already be acheived by having the 270 route running half hourly all day instead of just at peak hours.. It already runs all day between Capalaba and Victoria Point.

How are loads on the 250 at half hourly frequency?  Seems quite a large increase you are advocating there.  Not familiar with the service, so I'm saying anything good or bad, but would extending the current hourly 270 + another hourly service work out better?

[STB]

There should ba a minimum of a 15 minute frequency NOW to make the service more appealing to new commuters.. This can already be acheived by having the 270 route running half hourly all day instead of just at peak hours.. It already runs all day between Capalaba and Victoria Point.

How are loads on the 250 at half hourly frequency?  Seems quite a large increase you are advocating there.  Not familiar with the service, so I'm saying anything good or bad, but would extending the current hourly 270 + another hourly service work out better?

Route 250s loads are quite good, obviously not as heavy during the quiet parts but other times you can see standing loads.  The majority of the commuters in the off peak travel between Capalaba and Carindale while in peak hour it's between Capalaba and the City.  There are new loads when it reaches Capalaba to head towards Cleveland and Thornlands (a lot of people there use the 250!), where it then gains a new load, sometimes standing load, at Victoria Point for those heading down to the ferry at Redland Bay.  The peak of the 250 tends to last between 8am and 10am heading inbound and between 3pm and 5pm heading outbound where prior to those times, people tend to stick to the rocket routes (251, 257 etc).

On weekends, the 250 does get very heavy loads and standing loads despite the hourly frequency with the Capalaba-Cleveland section being extremely popular and the Victoria Pt-Redland Bay section being equally popular.

Combined with the 270 (City to Capalaba section) during the peak hour it has spread the load evenly across the two routes where now route 270 gets a fully seated/almost standing load, which I have seen continue beyond Capalaba, unlike the 250 where it loses it's load at Capalaba and gains a new load to head beyond Capalaba.

I've caught the 250 at various times of the day and the lightest loads I've seen on it have been around the 1pm to 3pm mark on the inbound and the 7am to 11am mark on the outbound where you'd be lucky to see 1 or 2 people on board, same with the 270 overlaid at those times.

[STB]

I'm not sure how the feeder services (252, 253, 254 etc) will effectively service this park and ride as obviously the rocket routes will be re-routed and bypass the main interchange during peak hour, execpt perhaps routes 271 and 273. 

It is kinda out of the way of the main interchange, but I must admit there are very few people I've seen who actually interchange from a feeder service to a rocket service. 

The people catching those feeder services I noticed in my 12 months of using my local route to get to Capalaba to interchange during the morning peak hour and vice versa, tend to catch routes 250, 260 and 270.  Route 250 and 260 being the most popular to interchange from what I've seen.

[Otto]

There should ba a minimum of a 15 minute frequency NOW to make the service more appealing to new commuters.. This can already be acheived by having the 270 route running half hourly all day instead of just at peak hours.. It already runs all day between Capalaba and Victoria Point.

How are loads on the 250 at half hourly frequency?  Seems quite a large increase you are advocating there.  Not familiar with the service, so I'm saying anything good or bad, but would extending the current hourly 270 + another hourly service work out better?

It is not uncommon to have full standing loads on the 250 service.. There is a need to ramp up the service between Capalaba and the City... On 2 occasions this year, I have travelled on a 250 that could only be described as grossly overloaded.. Pax were so packed in including up to the windscreen which is not legal in any sense of the laws governing the operation of buses. The drivers vision would have been restricted and this is on a service travelling at 80kph between Belmont and Capalaba...
The half hourly offpeak service is causing operational safety issues at times that must be addressed for the safety of all..

[#Metro]

http://translink.com.au/resources/travel-information/services-and-timetables/timetables/081215_250,N250.pdf

It looks like half hour frequency.
"BUZ" it???

[STB]

I think it'd be better to overlay routes 250 and 270 both on a half hourly frequency to/from the city all day then to BUZ route 250.  Knowing what route 250 and 270 is like in a patronage movement and load respect.  The last thing you'd want is to have a BUZed route 250 heading to the city on top of route 270 heading into the city as well on a half hourly frequency.  If that were the case you might as well truncate the 270 back to Capalaba and let them transfer onto a BUZed route 250.  And I don't think that would go down with the public all that well, plus the standing load, like I said does actually extend past Capalaba on route 270.

[Otto]

I think it'd be better to overlay routes 250 and 270 both on a half hourly frequency to/from the city all day then to BUZ route 250.  Knowing what route 250 and 270 is like in a patronage movement and load respect.  The last thing you'd want is to have a BUZed route 250 heading to the city on top of route 270 heading into the city as well on a half hourly frequency.  If that were the case you might as well truncate the 270 back to Capalaba and let them transfer onto a BUZed route 250.  And I don't think that would go down with the public all that well, plus the standing load, like I said does actually extend past Capalaba on route 270.

I agree...

I do know the long term plan is to run the 250 every 15 minutes, but that most likely won't happen till the Eastern Busway is complete..

[#Metro]

 

Sounds like a good idea. But route 250 already seems to be every half hour, except in the evenings past 5pm or so,
where some gap filling could take place to extend the 30 minute frequency later into the evening. Route 270 is hourly.

So are you suggesting more buses on route 270 and no new additions on 250?
If 250 is so overloaded, why not add more buses to that route also? Just trying to get a clearer picture here.

[STB]

I think it'd be better to overlay routes 250 and 270 both on a half hourly frequency to/from the city all day then to BUZ route 250.  Knowing what route 250 and 270 is like in a patronage movement and load respect.  The last thing you'd want is to have a BUZed route 250 heading to the city on top of route 270 heading into the city as well on a half hourly frequency.  If that were the case you might as well truncate the 270 back to Capalaba and let them transfer onto a BUZed route 250.  And I don't think that would go down with the public all that well, plus the standing load, like I said does actually extend past Capalaba on route 270.

I agree...

I do know the long term plan is to run the 250 every 15 minutes, but that most likely won't happen till the Eastern Busway is complete..

If that's the case you would need to increase the frequency on route 270 to avoid an inconsistant frequency between routes 250 and 270.  A service every 7.5 mins between Capalaba and the City anyone?

[STB]

Sounds like a good idea. But route 250 already seems to be every half hour, except in the evenings past 5pm or so,
where some gap filling could take place to extend the 30 minute frequency later into the evening. Route 270 is hourly.

So are you suggesting more buses on route 270 and no new additions on 250?
If 250 is so overloaded, why not add more buses to that route also? Just trying to get a clearer picture here.

Route 270 isn't hourly during peak hour, where it runs every 30mins and it's times is offset by the 250 times ie: in the morning peak route 250 goes :00, :30, :00, :30 to the city while route 270 goes :15, :45, :15, :45 so you get between routes 250 and 270 :00, :15, :30, :45, :00 (from Capalaba to Carindale and then onwards to the City) and so on.

The only additions to route 250 at least in the short to medium term IMO is to increase the frequency of route 250 on weekends to every 30 mins (currently hourly), and introduce at least an hourly 270 on Sundays.

You must keep in mind of the very dispersed nature of the Redlands.  Where you can effectively cut the Redlands into two distinct areas of the travelling public, the northern Redlands (Birkdale, Wellington Point, Ormiston, Cleveland) where they tend to use the train, and the southern Redlands (Capalaba, Alexandra Hills, Sheldon, Thornlands, Victoria Point, Redland Bay) where they tend to use route 250 (Capalaba, Alexandra Hills, Sheldon, Thornlands and Redland Bay passengers), and route 270 (Victoria Point passengers)

Also, Carindale tends to be more popular than the city during the off peak travel times.

[STB]

Just additional to the previous post...

It's far more effective for Victoria Point and Sheldon passengers to take route 270 to Carindale and the City than it is for them to catch route 250, so in that respect route 270 still is required to head to the city for that purpose.

[somebody]

Ok, would a 270 to Carindale be worthwhile, or once you go that far do you think you may as well head to the CBD?

[STB]

Ok, would a 270 to Carindale be worthwhile, or once you go that far do you think you may as well head to the CBD?

That was tried but the scheduling didn't allow a nice turn around (greater than 20mins) at Carindale to fit in between route 250, that is: it was more cost effective and operationally effective (less buses and less dead running) to send it into the city rather than just to Carindale.  Since then though the patronage has increased between Carindale and the City, although not the extent as between Carindale and Capalaba (and vice versa).

[somebody]

Ok, fair enough.

Under those circumstances, I am supportive of Otto's proposal.  Unless someone can come up with something better.  I don't use the Veolia services though.

[Otto]

Ok, fair enough.

Under those circumstances, I am supportive of Otto's proposal.  Unless someone can come up with something better.  I don't use the Veolia services though.

STB is spot on.. It has been tried before to short trip a service to Carindale, But it was not a success due to operational logistics..

I can take you back futher to the Mid/Late 80's When we ran the Bayside Bullet Express Service and Redlands Rocket Express service.. These services were very successful for Bayside Buslines at the time...

Route 621 was Vic Point to Cleveland ( passage St) and Cleveland Shops, then Express Stops only via Finucane Road to Capalaba and then Express to Tilly rd, Express to Carindale then Express to Elizabeth St, City..
Route 622 was Redland Bay to Cleveland ( smith St ) and Cleveland Shops, then as above 621 route.
These 2 routes ran hourly creating an half hourly express service to the City from Cleveland all day, Mon to Fri.. and Sat Mornings..  ( No Sat arvo or Sun trading then )..

Route 623 was Vic Pt to Capalaba via Redland Bay Road then Express to the City .
Route 624 was Red Bay to Capalaba and as 623..
These routes ran during Peak hours..

Then to supplement the above, The route 611 ran all stops from Cleveland via Finucane road to Capalaba, Carindale, City and terminating at Gotha St, Valley..
This was an hourly service and it also covered Redland Bay and Victoria Point at night and Sat Arvo and Sunday..

Then there were the feeders into Capalaba as well...

The bus interchange was located inside the Car Park at the front of Capalaba Park..

This is the only time I am aware of when Bayside Buslines ran at decent profit !!! ( pre Translink )..

[somebody]

As for the 270 discussion above, so long as it doesn't have to go into Woolloongabba!  Preferably, the 250 would cease this also.  When I've seen 250s at the Gabba, it's hardly had anyone get on or off.

[Golliwog]

As for the 270 discussion above, so long as it doesn't have to go into Woolloongabba!  Preferably, the 250 would cease this also.  When I've seen 250s at the Gabba, it's hardly had anyone get on or off.

Yeah, the plans I've seen for the ULDA development on top they seem to have consulted with Translink/TMR and come to the conclusion that they should relocate the busway station, and from the looks of the plan they are keeping the access from the area, but putting the busway station onto the through route.

[#Metro]

I think the relocation of the Wooloongabba busway to an "online" station is a potential catastrophe.

There are a lot of buses exiting Wooloongabba, the busiest point of the busway system is that intersection before the turn-off on to the Captain Cook Bridge.

Placing a station on line there will mean buses are going to get in the way of rocket services and other buses which are exiting
at peak hour. Which will cause a bottleneck.

[somebody]

I hate these plans also.  You might as well just close the station and just have the CRR1 train station there.

But post Eastern Busway this station I expect might only be used by Balmoral+Stanley Bridge services.  I don't know how Buranda is going to cope.  There might be more routes which do not serve it.

[Golliwog]

Too my knowledge the plans also change how buses access the Captain Cook Bridge. IIRC they plan to have a straight ramp from the busway to the bridge unlike the current loop with traffic lights.

[STB]

As for the 270 discussion above, so long as it doesn't have to go into Woolloongabba!  Preferably, the 250 would cease this also.  When I've seen 250s at the Gabba, it's hardly had anyone get on or off.

Good luck with convincing the majority of the Redlands travelling public with that idea Somebody!  The best bet is a trade off which I have suggested in the past, which is, route 270 to turn off to Logan Rd after servicing Stones Corner to access Woolloongabba busway station and Route 250 to continue on as it does to Buranda busway station then continuing through to Mater Hill (omitting Woolloongabba).

[somebody]

As for the 270 discussion above, so long as it doesn't have to go into Woolloongabba!  Preferably, the 250 would cease this also.  When I've seen 250s at the Gabba, it's hardly had anyone get on or off.

Good luck with convincing the majority of the Redlands travelling public with that idea Somebody!  The best bet is a trade off which I have suggested in the past, which is, route 270 to turn off to Logan Rd after servicing Stones Corner to access Woolloongabba busway station and Route 250 to continue on as it does to Buranda busway station then continuing through to Mater Hill (omitting Woolloongabba).

If they don't have to change going to the city the users of the 270 would still be up in arms about it not going in to the Gabba?

Isn't Logan Rd (a la the 204) the slowest option of all?

Actually, I find it really annoying that I have had to endure the ridiculousness that is the 4xx service and haven't had a say, but the Redlands people would be able to stop what is a positive move!

If I knew about E-Petitions two years ago, I am sure that I would have organised one to have the 425/430/435/450/453/454/460 move in to KGSBS.  I don't know what their reasons could have been for not doing it.  They can hardly say that other routes are a bigger priority when they are not putting them there either.

[#Metro]

I wonder when the Eastern Busway (Buranda to Main Avenue) will be finished. There might be a route re-organisation once that opens.

[cartoonbirdhaus]

I wonder when the Eastern Busway (Buranda to Main Avenue) will be finished.

It's supposed to be finished early 2012.

[somebody]

I think it'd be better to overlay routes 250 and 270 both on a half hourly frequency to/from the city all day then to BUZ route 250.  Knowing what route 250 and 270 is like in a patronage movement and load respect.  The last thing you'd want is to have a BUZed route 250 heading to the city on top of route 270 heading into the city as well on a half hourly frequency.  If that were the case you might as well truncate the 270 back to Capalaba and let them transfer onto a BUZed route 250.  And I don't think that would go down with the public all that well, plus the standing load, like I said does actually extend past Capalaba on route 270.

I agree...

I do know the long term plan is to run the 250 every 15 minutes, but that most likely won't happen till the Eastern Busway is complete..

At least some people are supportive of two routes which coordinate with each other!

As for the "problem" with 250 running evey 15 minutes while the 270 only runs half hourly, I would suggest a stagger.  i.e. the 250 runs at :00, :10, :30, :40 and the 270 at :20 and :50.  A possibility would be having the 250 start at Capalaba to meet the :20 & :50 270s.  It is still an increase to 20 minute gaps from 30 minute gaps.

If the 250+270 is running every 15 minutes Carindale-city on Old Cleveland Rd, what would people say about removing the 200 Carindale Heights service from Old Cleveland Rd, and have it run down Winstanley St/Samuel St/Chatsworth Rd?  Would the 15 minute service be of insufficient capacity?  On paper it seems a logical plan.  Politically, I am sure it would be difficult at best.

[STB]

Erm, no to removing route 200 from Old Cleveland Road.  Route 200 serves a different travel market to routes 250 and 270.  It's the flagship route for Old Cleveland Road.  Route 250 is the flagship route for Old Cleveland Road to Capalaba and beyond.

The original reason for routes 250/270 to stop at Cityxpress stops along the way between Carindale and the City was twofold, to increase the capacity for increases in patronage between these two major areas and also to introduce legibility on routes 250/270 for primarily the Redlands passengers and to equality on the Brisbane based passengers to chose between routes 200, 250 and 270 for local travel (Carindale to City and vice versa).  Plus simply it's more built up with both commercial and residential. 

Chatsworth Rd is for the majority, residential, and so is served by a local based route (it's not a major corridor).  It also links up the PA Hospital with that area of Carina/Carindale, again a different travel market.

That is in a nutshell, it's a common major corridor with two main routes (200 & 250) and a supplementary route (270) which is primarily to spread the loads and increase capacity on route 270 between Capalaba and Carindale and the City, the main areas of patronage from the Redlands.  It's also to ensure consistency and equality along Old Cleveland Rd for both BT/BCC based passengers and the Redlands passengers and to ensure both travel markets are met.

I hope this explains it.

[somebody]

Erm, no to removing route 200 from Old Cleveland Road.  Route 200 serves a different travel market to routes 250 and 270.  It's the flagship route for Old Cleveland Road.  Route 250 is the flagship route for Old Cleveland Road to Capalaba and beyond.

I thought you would say that!

I hope this explains it.

Not really.  Carindale-city would still be covered, by 200, 250 and 270.  Perhaps the 200 would be a bit slower, but is this really an issue if they have an equivalent speed service in the 250+270, assuming the capacity is adequate.  Although the Gabba deviation would slow down the 250+270 service.

This is pretty hypothetical anyway, as it isn't going to happen, but I don't quite see why it shouldn't happen given a clean sheet of paper.

[STB]

Yeah the Gabba deviation is a bit of a problem for routes 250 and 270, but that's historical and even though TransLink did try to remove the Gabba from the Redlands routes back in 2005 when the major restructure was going to happen, it met heavy resistance by Redlands locals at consultation time and will probably continue to do so.  

I'd prefer if route 250 wouldn't service the Gabba, as it can be confusing for irregular bus users who are wanting access to Mater Hill and hit the button (on the inbound) before you reach the intersection to turn off to access the Gabba busway station.  However, with PT planning you have to compromise, hence it'd make sense to let route 250 not access the Gabba busway station and route 270 to access the Gabba busway station after leaving Stones Corner, which I think would keep the complaints low from the Redlanders.

[somebody]

Yeah the Gabba deviation is a bit of a problem for routes 250 and 270, but that's historical and even though TransLink did try to remove the Gabba from the Redlands routes back in 2005 when the major restructure was going to happen, it met heavy resistance by Redlands locals at consultation time and will probably continue to do so.  

I'd prefer if route 250 wouldn't service the Gabba, as it can be confusing for irregular bus users who are wanting access to Mater Hill and hit the button (on the inbound) before you reach the intersection to turn off to access the Gabba busway station.  However, with PT planning you have to compromise, hence it'd make sense to let route 250 not access the Gabba busway station and route 270 to access the Gabba busway station after leaving Stones Corner, which I think would keep the complaints low from the Redlanders.

Maybe that's my problem.  I haven't been loud enough in the public!  The system really isn't good enough!

Perhaps that is one reason why they are reluctant to have these consultations anymore.  So many positive changes have been stopped by them.  And I think you meant that the other way around with the 250 & 270.

I suppose a major limitation with taking the 200 off Old Cleveland Rd is that the Carindale Heights service might be slower.

[Golliwog]

They have now released the final design. For details:http://translink.com.au/about-translink/what-we-do/infrastructure-projects/capalaba-park-n-ride


http://translink.com.au/about-translink/reporting-and-publications/media-releases/release/389

Capalaba park n ride construction starts soon


Thursday 15 September 2011

Work on the first stage of Capalaba's new park 'n' ride is set to start within weeks, with the final design unveiled today.

Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk today joined Member for Capalaba Michael Choi to officially unveil the design of the new Capalaba Park 'n' Ride at the corner of Moreton Bay and Redland Bay roads.

"For every full bus, we take 40 cars off our busy roads," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"That's why the Bligh Government is working hard to deliver this important piece of transport infrastructure for the bayside.

"The first stage will be finished in the middle of next year, provide parking for about 210 vehicles, which will cater for current demand.

"Parking for a further 100 vehicles will be provided as part of a second stage, if there's an increase demand for places.

"Part of the project also involves roadworks and new traffic signals on Moreton Bay Road that will give priority to buses while increasing safety for pedestrians in the area."

Ms Palaszczuk said that after initial concepts were put out for review last year, feedback from local residents and business was used to produce the final design.

"We've been listening to local residents and business to make sure we get the best possible result for the bayside community," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"The new park 'n' ride will offer a safe and comfortable place for locals catching the bus.

"It will include high-quality shelters, seating, security cameras, lighting and a kiss 'n' ride area to drop off and pick up passengers.

"There will also be better and safer access for pedestrians and cyclists, including a bicycle storage area.

"That means that if you drive, get dropped off, ride or walk to the bus, the new park 'n' ride will make it easier and safer for you."

Mr Choi said the park 'n' ride would offer more convenient travel options for people living in surrounding areas.

"The new Capalaba park 'n' ride will give people on the bayside even better access to the outstanding public transport system we have in south east Queensland," Mr Choi said.

"The existing park 'n' ride at the Capalaba Central Shopping Centre is already very popular with locals catching the bus. In fact it's so popular, it's operating at capacity.

"The new park 'n' ride will cater for the increasing number of people that are choosing to smart thing and catch a bus to where they want to go."

The park 'n' ride is funded by the Bligh Government's $48 million Station Upgrade Program.

More information about the construction of the project will be available in the coming months, with information available on the TransLink website.

For more information, visit www.translink.com.au, email capalaba@tmr.qld.gov.au or phone freecall 1800 192 112.

[STB]

Hmm, interesting.  I'll be fascinated to see how the existing routes will service this new park and ride, given that it's a fair distance from the existing interchange.

Just as an FYI, my thinking has changed a bit from previously in regards to the future of routes 250/270.  Basically in the feedback to the earlier consultations, I suggested that Birkdale station becomes the primary interchange point for the Northern Redlands (Wellington Point, Thorneside, northern end of Alexandra Hills) with the train becoming the equivalent of route 250.  I also threw in a suggestion in there for a Birkdale to Carindale route (via Wakerley), and depending on the scheduling, could provide a short run 254 from Birkdale to Capalaba boosting the frequency to a half hourly 254 all day between these locations, which they seemed to be quite interested in putting on as currently there is no easy way of getting from this area to Carindale.  I also re-enforced to the Planners that if they want to boost the frequency of route 250, they will have to keep it going to at least Cleveland as the majority of the patronage does extend beyond Capalaba itself.  To absorb the cost of this though (with hopefully a boost to weekend services around the place), the 270 would have to be truncated back to Capalaba but I did tell them they will have to ensure that the current frequency isn't lost.

We will wait and see what they come up with in the next round of consultations.

[somebody]

Design looks pretty good on paper.