Newsflash: Live Blog with Lord Mayor Graham Quirk on CM Website

[Gazza]

Newsflash, on the Courier Mail website there will be a live blog with Lord Mayor Graham Quirk.
I may well try and get on there in my break, but I reckon it's a good chance to ask why the Doomben Line upgrade wasn't considered, why busway connections for Legacy Way weren't simply a condition of tender, why citycyle cant be rented on the spot like in Paris (Also run by JCDecaux) etc.

[Golliwog]

Bet you anything the response on the Doomben line will be something to the effect of QR is a state government thing. I bet they haven't even talked to QR about BCC provided some funding for an upgrade and what that could do for the carrying capacity of the line.

[Gazza]

If they publish my question, I was going to frame it in the context of "If the upgrade is using State/Fed funds then why can't it be done".

[Golliwog]

Not sure if it was you Gazza, but someone did ask about the option of using the railway. Quirk said rail was a State thing (he said that about a lot of things really) but it was an interesting idea.

Disappointed with how BCC seems to operate with Translink based on what Quirk was saying in the live blog. Any questions about the running of routes, etc was fobbed off with the basics of "BCC provides the buses, depots and staff, Translink does everything else". Which is technically true, but the Sunshine Coast buses are the same deal but the council there IIRC has a transport levy which is regularly used to run services above what Translink pays for, but they still operate within the TL system (ie: go card, etc).

[dwb]

Disappointed with how BCC seems to operate with Translink based on what Quirk was saying in the live blog. Any questions about the running of routes, etc was fobbed off with the basics of "BCC provides the buses, depots and staff, Translink does everything else". Which is technically true, but the Sunshine Coast buses are the same deal but the council there IIRC has a transport levy which is regularly used to run services above what Translink pays for, but they still operate within the TL system (ie: go card, etc).

My understanding of the levy on Sunshine Coast is that it is miniscule and has only allowed a contribution to things like the new Noosa bus terminus and some free services on public holidays.

BCC knows full and well that it does not just provide the depots, buses and staff, what bollocks! From what I can tell they are a fundamental stumbling block to practically any service change or improvement!

[Arnz]

Disappointed with how BCC seems to operate with Translink based on what Quirk was saying in the live blog. Any questions about the running of routes, etc was fobbed off with the basics of "BCC provides the buses, depots and staff, Translink does everything else". Which is technically true, but the Sunshine Coast buses are the same deal but the council there IIRC has a transport levy which is regularly used to run services above what Translink pays for, but they still operate within the TL system (ie: go card, etc).

My understanding of the levy on Sunshine Coast is that it is miniscule and has only allowed a contribution to things like the new Noosa bus terminus and some free services on public holidays.

BCC knows full and well that it does not just provide the depots, buses and staff, what bollocks! From what I can tell they are a fundamental stumbling block to practically any service change or improvement!

Some of our rates has gone towards funding some of the TL service improvments (eg Route 600, 620).  Hinterland Connect and Beerwah/Landsborough-Maleny is also partially funded out of the levy.  Some of the Sunshine Coast routes which had council funding have the Sunshine Coast Council logo next to Sunbus under the "Your Sunshine Coast Bus Operators" on the TL timetables.

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Campbell Newman's tunnel vision will have to wait because his successor, Graham Quirk, can't find the funds

Campbell Newman's tunnel vision will have to wait because his successor, Graham Quirk, can't find the funds

    Robyn Ironside
    From: The Courier-Mail
    June 09, 2011 1:42PM

A DAY after handing down his first budget, Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has spenta busy hour chatting with ratepayers on a special couriermail.com.au blog.

Cr Quirk fielded questions on everything from his view on daylight savings to the 3am lockout and former Lord Mayor Campbell Newman's chances at the State election.

For the record, Cr Quirk said he believed Campbell would win.

But there were just as many questions about the new man himself, as his policies and plans.

Cr Quirk revealed he was a daylight savings supporter but said the issue had been put to rest.

"I am (a supporter) however the people of Qld have already spoken on this issue and recent polls showed strong support against," he said.

The Lord Mayor also fielded tough questions on council's job-cutting campaign which was ramped up in the budget with an extra $37 million earmarked for voluntary redundancies.

"Government organisations like BCC should not be viewed any different to many businesses around the city who have to streamline their organisations to meet the times," he told one blogger, pointing out senior management and executives were in the firing line as well as lesser-paid staff.

More than 466 readers also logged on to watch the debate.

"It was the first time I have blogged and I found it a very useful way of interacting with residents," Cr Quirk said.

"It's the online version of talkback radio and I look forward to an opportunity to do so again in the near future and on a more regular basis."

The blog came 24 hours after Cr Quirk's first budget as Mayor in which Campbell Newman's vision for a ring-road of tunnels around Brisbane city has stalled with Cr Quirk failing to find any funds for the final link in the scheme.

The east-west link from Buranda to Toowong has been pushed down the list of road infrastructure priorities by Graham Quirk, who has declared an upgrade of Kingsford Smith Drive more important.

In Mr Newman's last budget, $1.4 million was allocated to the cross-river tunnel for a traffic activity review but the study was ditched due to the floods.

Cr Quirk's first budget yesterday failed to restore those funds despite committing $456 million to Northern Link - now known as Legacy Way - due for completion in late 2013.

A spokesman for the Lord Mayor said the east-west link was "still on the agenda" for 2021 but Kingsford Smith Drive was "now the next priority".

Cr Quirk earmarked $1.5 million for a planning study of Kingsford Smith Drive and will continue to press the Federal Government to contribute.

"It carries twice the amount of freight of other roads and so it is very important with a very significant gross domestic product return," he said.

Overall, more than $1 billion has been allocated for road and infrastructure improvements accounting for nearly 45 per cent of the total budget spend.

A record $553 million will go on upgrading suburban roads and intersections, including $65 million for resurfacing, $26 million for footpaths and $2.2 million for traffic calming in 27 streets.

Dangerous level crossings at Bald Hills and Geebung will have to wait another three years for any significant improvements, with Cr Quirk blaming the State Government for the delay.

"Fixing rail crossings are a State Government responsibility, however, we're prepared to pay for 50 per cent of the cost to make it safer for the motorists risking their lives daily at these dangerous crossings," he said.

Public transport attracted $465 million, with a third of the money subsidising buses and ferries following an 8 per cent drop in revenue this year.

Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the revenue shortfall could be attributed to the January floods, which put CityCats out of action for over a month and also halted buses.

A 19th CityCat ferry will hit the water in the coming year and two new terminals are due for completion, at Hamilton Northshore and Teneriffe.

Funds have also been found for more buses ($56 million), upgrading bus stops ($3.75 million), and expanding the bikeway network ($17 million).

The beleaguered CityCycle scheme will be propped up by ratepayers by about $2 million, with the council expecting subscriptions to deliver less than a fifth of the project's cost.

Cr Quirk said he understood the scheme had not been an "overnight sensation" but he was not particularly worried about the expense.

"In the scheme of things, the CityCycle project is small money," Cr Quirk said.

"The reality is once more (bicycle hire) stations are in, it will continue to grow. It's growing by 20 per cent a month at the moment and will continue to grow."

Commuter advocacy group Back on Track called for the scheme to be integrated with the go card, to increase patronage.

"Registered go card users are an instant user base for CityCycle and it would be sensible to integrate CityCycle into the overall public and active transport network by making it go card friendly," said Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow.

"We believe the expense should be shared equally between Translink and the BCC."

Council will spend about $1.15 billion on infrastructure, $465 on public transport and $129 million on reducing flooding.

About $456 million will be spent on the Legacy Way tunnel and $97 million will be spent on the restoration of the city's crumbling City Hall.

The city's flood recovery will be given a $116.7 million funding injection.

Finance Chair Cr Adrain Schrinner said council would continue to cut back on everything from staff costs to cleaning and travel to achieve an estimated $120 million in internal savings.

About $37 million has been set aside for voluntary redundancies while catering costs will be reduced by 6 per cent and travel costs down 22 per cent.

"We are not borrowing to keep the lights on," Cr Quirk said of the rising net debt.

"We are borrowing to build for the future. Council's borrowing program is driven, in the main, by our commitments to long-term projects such as Legacy Way, the Go-Between Bridge, CLEM7 and the Save City Hall Project."
Infrastructure spending

$456m Northern Link (Legacy Way)
$12m Beckett Rd, Bridgeman Downs, road widening
$9.7m Hamilton Rd and Maundrell Tce, Chermside West, intersection upgrade
$2.8m Oxley Rd and Clewley St, Corinda, intersection upgrade
$2.01m Miles Platting Rd and McKechnie Drive, Eight Mile Plains, intersection upgrade
$1.2m Seventeen Mile Rocks Rd and Oldfield Rd, Seventeen Mile Rocks, intersection upgrade
$1.06m Racecourse Rd and Lancaster Rd, Ascot, intersection upgrade
$941,000 Boundary Rd, Rocklea, road resurfacing
$850,000 Sylvan Rd, Toowong, bikeway construction
$645,000 Beenleigh Rd, Sunnybank, road resurfacing
$623,000 Beenleigh Rd and Mains Rd, Pinelands Rd, Sunnybank, intersection upgrade
$589,000 College Rd, Karana Downs, road resurfacing
$300,000 Gaynesford St, Holland Park West, traffic calming
$250,000 Delaney Court, Carindale, traffic calming
$120,000 Kitchener Rd, Ascot, traffic calming

[dwb]

Public transport attracted $465 million, with a third of the money subsidising buses and ferries following an 8 per cent drop in revenue this year.

Funds have also been found for more buses ($56 million), upgrading bus stops ($3.75 million), and expanding the bikeway network ($17 million).

So where is all that money on public transport going?

They've dodged the books to make it look like they're only spending as much on PT as they are on Legacy Way. We all know that is rubbish, so how do the numbers not add up (ie what "income" are they ignoring here)??

[Gazza]

Not sure if it was you Gazza,