19 Feb 2011: SEQ: Transport policy is going off the rails ...

[ozbob]

Media release 19 February 2011

SEQ: Transport policy is going off the rails; please don't blame the victims!

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 called for a paradigm change in government transport policy to get public transport back on track.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"RAIL Back on Track is increasingly concerned by the direction of public transport policy in Queensland. Our members are regular users of the public transport system and we are noticing a growing paradox between what we read in policy documents and what we experience on the ground in the real world."

"There is a growing list of examples of disintegrated planning and outcomes. The Draft Connecting SEQ 2031 document marks a revolution. But how will it be funded when it requires roughly $6 billion dollars of capital works each year, every year for the next 20 years? (1)"

"Why is it that our 'busways on steel wheels' (railways) are not being effectively used? We have five times the number of train stations than busway stations. While Brisbane residents languish for half an hour or more, Perth residents enjoy high frequency trains every 15 minutes off peak. It can't be that Perth residents love their cars less, live at Hong Kong-style densities or have more transport infrastructure than we do. Perth's per capita car usage is among the worlds highest, their density is low, we have over twice the number of train stations as Perth, and we even run the same trains (2)"

"Why wait until 2031 for frequent trains? Brisbane can also have 15 minute services to many stations were current infrastructure permits using surplus trains from peak hour(3). This is achievable now. We welcome 15 minute, 7 day off peak frequency between Darra and the CBD but we struggle to understand why no advertising of the frequency has been undertaken, which is keeping Western Suburbs commuters in the dark about their travel options."

"We also struggle to understand why bus-rail integration hasn't been considered at Indooroopilly (4). 'Let them walk from Indooroopilly Bus Station' doesn't seem to be an appropriate response for customers. The train trip takes less than 15 minutes to the CBD, and there will be a train every 4 minutes in am peak hour (many express) when the draft timetable comes in hopefully late March early April. Why are buses not connecting and instead stagnating in congestion parallel to the 'busway on steel wheels' and leaving bus passengers to endure random delays of 15 minutes to one hour on Coronation Drive?"

"We welcome the recent announcement for CoastConnect for the Sunshine Coast. But what is it connecting to? The CAMCOS train station at Caloundra that would allow passengers to connect to Brisbane trains is missing (5). Gold Coast passengers will not be spared either as the Light rail will also not connect to Helensvale station when it opens."

"The latest concerning news is that Airtrain may be at financial risk because recent competing road upgrades in the area are undoing the mode share gains the train has made (6). We can only wonder what the impacts of a parallel tunnel motorway to the Airport will have on the train. What is the purpose of shifting people to sustainable transport if you are only going to shift them back to cars again?"

"Kingsford Smith Drive also has a 'busway on steel wheels' (Doomben Line) with an exclusive right of way all the way into the CBD but instead of fixing up existing infrastructure an expensive road solution is proposed (7). How is this a good use of existing infrastructure?"

"And the list goes on..."

"Blame-the-victim style reasons to pin poor public transport on density, housing choices, love affairs with the car, culture and so on is like saying 'we can't have good public transport because the sky is blue'."

"200% + patronage increases (over 4 years) on Sundays to levels at or above weekday patronage levels were observed when buses were upgraded to run every 15 minutes in Brisbane, between 6am-11pm, 7 days, confirming our views that low patronage has a lot to do with poor service quality (8).

"Public transport is a service business and people are rational beings. If the 'product' being sold is of such a poor quality that it is unsellable, and its improvements are not advertised, who can blame passengers for acting rationally and looking to competitive modes to fulfill their travel needs? Nobody these days waits 30 minutes for anything, and yet that's the frequency most of our trains come at. Airtrain frequencies and scope of hours remain bad as ever (9)."

"Governments at all levels must take direct responsibility for the situation that they have created. Transport policy is the root of the problem and fixing transport policy is the solution."

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org


References and notes:

1. Connecting SEQ 2031 (draft), Part E, page 118 "The estimated capital component for new and enhanced infrastructure could be in the order of $123 billion. In addition to this, it is important to recognise the non-capital component (operation, maintenance and administration) which is based on historical trends and could be in the order of $102 billion.The draft Connecting SEQ 2031 is not intended to be fully funded." Thus $123 billion divided by 20 years = $6.15 billion/year on average

2. Public Transport Authority of WA http://www.ceiid.wa.gov.au/Docs/KNF_200805/MAY08-NewMetroRailProject.pdf

3. SEQ: Metro-style frequency Darra to CBD? http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5399.0

4. Re: 28 Jan 2011: SEQ: Think bus, fill train! http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5339.msg47911#msg47911 http://westside-news.whereilive.com.au/news/story/survey-supports-bus-rail/ We note another delay occurred recently: http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2695.msg48076#msg48076

5. Ministerial statement: CoastConnect corridor to slash travel times http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5429.0

6. Airtrain passengers return to roadways http://backontrack.org/docs/cm/cm_18feb11_p16.jpg

7. East West Link v Kingsford Smith Drive: The great infrastructure stand-off http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/east-west-link-v-kingsford-smith-drive-the-great-infrastructure-standoff-20101102-17cj2.html Class A right of way is where public transport is 100% separated from mixed car traffic and has absolute priority.

8. BUZ Routes: Frequency and Reliability, The Winning Formula http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/6058/1/thredbo10-themeA-Warren.pdf

9. http://backontrack.org/images/bne/19dec10/a2.jpg

[Fares_Fair]

Quote
We welcome 15 minute, 7 day off peak frequency between Darra and the CBD but we struggle to understand why no advertising of the frequency has been undertaken, which is keeping Western Suburbs commuters in the dark about their travel options."

Could it be because Darra borders the Transport Ministers seat of Inala ?

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[ozbob]

Could it be because Darra borders the Transport Ministers seat of Inala ?

No, because at the time the Transport Minister was Ms Nolan.  I just think it is general lethargy and a reluctance to show rail in a more positive light ...

There may also be an element of highlighting the gains from Darra to CBD just further exposes how bad frequency actually is on the rest of the network.  And their own preservation of ego and image is far more important than actually making life better for the travelling public ...