2018 Commonwealth Games

[BrizCommuter]

40 mins Enoggera to Yatala Park n Ride. Edit: Another 30 mins from car to almost at Carrara Stadium, but now stuck in huge queue of buses to drop people off. Not "Crowd Control R Us"!

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

For interest ...

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/982818350492340224

[trainrover]

I went to meet wheelchair passenger from the Gold Coast at Yeronga on Thursday afternoon. Arrived as the train did. No passenger (understandably). Approached three uniformed staff on the inbound platform who were accompanied by a red shirted "ambassador" to enquire as to the fate of the passenger. "Oh, I couldn't let her off here in a wheelchair so I sent her to Park Road and she'll be coming back in a train soon."
As I waited on the outbound platform I was approached by the ambassador who was very keen to find out what station she had got on (Helensvale).
Multiple apologies and signs of nervousness, presumably about the chances of making the evening news.
Trainrover

[ozbob]

Welcome trainrover.  Thanks for the report.  We did challenge QR as to why Yeronga (a non compliant station) was preferred over Yeerongpilly (fully compliant) as one of the limited stop stations.  The answer was expected patronage and better car parking at Yeronga!   

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Commonwealth Games: People urged to visit 'ghost town' Gold Coast as businesses struggle

Gold Coast Commonwealth Games chairman Peter Beattie is urging people to come to the Gold Coast, as some local businesses complain the city is a "ghost town".

Mr Beattie said people who may have stayed away in fear of traffic chaos should not be scared to make the trip down the M1.

He said crowds were building and patrons should spread their business throughout the city.

"Some restaurants are incredibly over-booked and some are under-booked," Mr Beattie said.

"People are in restaurants — the issue is I think probably not being shared universally.

"Naturally the campaign we ran about getting people off the M1 worked — we didn't want people on the M1 because we all know the M1 is a bit of a dog, so the last thing we wanted was people on it.

"We wanted them on public transport — the locals know exactly what I'm talking about here I'm not going to hide what it is."

Mr Beattie said thousands were using public transport to get to Games events.

"At the end of it people have got on public transport — 61,000 people yesterday," he said.

"What we need to do is say there is capacity, even on the road."

Business 'pretty quiet, pretty tough'
Broadbeach shoe shop owner Grayson Pearse stands in his business on the Gold Coast on April 8, 2018
Photo: Shop owner Grayson Pearse is disappointed at how quiet business has been. (ABC News: Ashleigh Stevenson)

Broadbeach shoe shop owner Grayson Pearse said he was disappointed at how quiet business has been.

"It's not as good as we'd like — it's been pretty quiet, pretty tough," he said.

Mr Pearse said he did not think Commonwealth Games Corporation's plea for people to visit the Coast would help foot traffic.

"People have made their decisions and I just think they haven't got the time now to come down here," he said.

Plenty of parking for restaurants, bars

Mr Beattie said there was plenty of parking on the Gold Coast to access local businesses.

    "I'll get into trouble for saying that but you can get here, you can get parks," Mr Beattie said.

"Get into the local restaurants, get into the local bars.

"So if you're in Brisbane and you're worried, come down, there's plenty of space.

"If you left because you were worried about it, you made a mistake — come back."

Broadbeach salon owner Ronda Russell said the message was getting out that people should not be scared to go to the shops.

"The first four days have been really quite slow and I'm surprised the roads were so quiet," Ms Russell said.

'Easy to get around the Gold Coast'

Ashleigh Marshall is visiting from Canberra for the Games, and said crowds were starting to pick up.

"It's definitely been very easy to get around the Gold Coast the last couple of days," she said.

"Certainly it seems traffic has been a lot slower than usual."

She said she thought a lot of locals had taken the time to go and do other things during Queensland's school holidays.

"But there are still a lot of people getting to the events so that's been good," she said.

"Out on the streets it is only the first few days, so maybe it has been a little bit flat, but I think today on the weekend there's a few more people about enjoying the Gold Coast."

Andrew Paterson drove his two children Hamish, 10, and Rennah, 12, to the Gold Coast from Brisbane on Saturday and said transport had been easy so far.

    "There's definitely been some scare-mongering about getting down here," Mr Paterson said.

"We were worried — we got down here an hour earlier than we thought we needed to because of the traffic, but it was easy to get down."

Mr Paterson said his advice to other Brisbane residents was to make the journey.

"Get down here, it's great. Beautiful weather, plenty of events to go to. Go Gold Coast."

[InclusionMoves]

Did anyone clarify why she wanted to get off at Yeronga?

I went to meet wheelchair passenger from the Gold Coast at Yeronga on Thursday afternoon. Arrived as the train did. No passenger (understandably). Approached three uniformed staff on the inbound platform who were accompanied by a red shirted "ambassador" to enquire as to the fate of the passenger. "Oh, I couldn't let her off here in a wheelchair so I sent her to Park Road and she'll be coming back in a train soon."
As I waited on the outbound platform I was approached by the ambassador who was very keen to find out what station she had got on (Helensvale).
Multiple apologies and signs of nervousness, presumably about the chances of making the evening news.
Trainrover

[BrizCommuter]

40 mins Enoggera to Yatala Park n Ride. Edit: Another 30 mins from car to almost at Carrara Stadium, but now stuck in huge queue of buses to drop people off. Not "Crowd Control R Us"!

Took 25 mins to get off bus after it arrived at back of queue. Bus organisation is not great. Might get dinner before joining return queue!

[ozbob]

Does seem a bit long ...   

[BrizCommuter]

Announcement in stadium of large delays for buses to Broadbeach - still 20 mins of session to go 

[ozbob]

[techblitz]

are all these issues due to lack of buses??

[BrizCommuter]

Queues are bad to all park n rides. What f**k up!

[BrizCommuter]

Still in bus queue in case anyone cares.

[BrizCommuter]

47 mins. Inefficient and unorganised loading was the problem.

[BrizCommuter]

Bus driver is lost, passengers now having to navigate to Yatala.     

[SurfRail]

Something appears to be particularly wrong with Carrara.

[BrizCommuter]

Something appears to be particularly wrong with Carrara.

Loading procedures and getting buses from waiting queue to pick up area is poorly organised. Queues also merge at road crossing so if you are in the know you can jump the queue by getting in the shortest first queue until you've crossed the road and then join the correct queue.

[tazzer9]

The bus setup at carrara is incredibly strange.  Incredibly poorly thought through.

Bus driver is lost, passengers now having to navigate to Yatala.     

Nothing beats the bus driver who went to chandler instead of coolangatta.

[trainrover]

Did anyone clarify why she wanted to get off at Yeronga?

I think it was pretty obvious as I was her transport pick up there.
I had not realised there would be a problem any earlier.

Trainrover

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> CROWD CHAOS AS ATHLETICS STADIUM EMPTIES

CROWD CHAOS AS ATHLETICS STADIUM EMPTIES

WITH massive crowds flocking to Carrara Stadium for the first day of Commonwealth Games athletics the trip home was never going to be easy.

But for the hundreds of people who left the event up to 30 minutes early in hope they would have a speedy return home appear to have been mistaken.

Hundreds of "lunatics", which is what GOLDOC chief executive Mark Peters called anyone who thought transport would run smoothly this week, have been caught in big line ups to get home to Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach from Carrara.

"We live in Surfers Paradise but we're in the line for the Broadbeach buses because it's moving faster," Ron Borland said.

"Worst case scenario we just walk home."

Ron's wife Allison was upbeat about the line up: "I guess the maniacs are back, or lunatics, whatever (Mr Peters) called up."

Spectators were asked to stay in their seats until the final event was complete as lines began massing outside.

The announcer said there were delays for crowds heading south to Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

Crowds heading northbound began backing up hundreds of metres outside Carrara Stadium.

The massive crowds appear to be moving quickly and games volunteers are yelling "plenty of buses, plenty of buses to get you home, no need to rush" over a megaphone.

Some volunteers also suggested it was quicker for some people to walk to Nerang station rather than take the bus.

About an hour and a half after the event was due to finish all but a few spectators had left the venue.

The arrival to Carrara Stadium appeared to be much smoother.

It comes after the transport nightmare in the lead up to the opening ceremony on Wednesday night with some spectators waiting up to 2.5 hours to get on a bus to the venue.

But today spectators who arrived at the venue at least half an hour before the event was due to start reported transport was so far like a well-oiled machine.

"I don't know why everyone's been bitching," said Casuarina local Alicia Sumich, 53, who travelled interstate to get to the venue.

"It's been great, I got a lift to Nerang station and got right in.

"There were bagpipes on the way, people painting you green and gold if you wanted, they even had water to drink on the way, they've done a fantastic job."

Her colleague, Georgia Narayan, 22, travelled from Brisbane and reported a smooth journey south on the train.

Travelling from Broadbeach via the light rail and the bus, the Cockburn family from the Sunshine Coast also reported a smooth journey.

"We're camped out at Broadbeach, it was great getting in," James Cockburn said.

Spectators appear to be following the instructions of volunteers before they arrive at the airport-like security in place for the Games by emptying their pockets and water bottles before they get in line to enter the venue

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983014183317880832

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983014493364957184

Couriermail --> Commonwealth Games traffic fears prove unfounded as driving is the quickest way to the Gold Coast

DRIVING from Brisbane to Carrara Stadium was more than 30 minutes quicker than catching public transport on Sunday in another sign that fears of traffic chaos were overstated.

The Courier-Mail put the modes of transport to the test on the first day of athletics at Carrara Stadium, which was ground zero of the opening ceremony transport debacle last week.

The drive from Bowen Hills was 90 minutes, while public transport took two hours and four minutes – one minute longer than a cyclist travelling at the same speed as the winner of the 2014 Commonwealth Games road race.

A runner able to keep pace with the Commonwealth Games marathon record would have taken 4 hours and 7 minutes.

Getting to the stadium was a breeze as weekend traffic was light, parking at designated spots was easy, trains were on time and uncrowded and shuttle bus queues moved quickly.

But there were anomalies using the official online journey planner.

The suggested route from The Courier-Mail offices at Bowen Hills to a Park'n'Ride at Helensvale was estimated to take 1 hour and 59 minutes and ran through the Clem 7 tunnel, with a detour through outlying suburbs, before eventually getting onto the M1 south of Beenleigh.

Google Maps provided a much quicker 65km route, with no tolls, along the Inner City Bypass and onto the Pacific Motorway which took a slick 90 minutes.

Other addresses in Brisbane's inner north all recommended extended journeys through the western and southern suburbs.

TransLink was unable to provide a response before deadline as to why the journey planner suggested that route.

The public transport trip was free with a Commonwealth Games ticket and estimated at nearly one-and-three-quarter hours.

Despite no major delays, the total trip took 2 hours and 4 minutes, arriving at 1.11pm but still with plenty of time to pass through security and get seated before events kicked off at 2pm.

Former Olympic triathlete Courtney Atkinson further busted the myth about traffic chaos on the Gold Coast, recording a leisurely journey from Brisbane to the beach.

Atkinson, who also works as an ambassador for Tourism and Events Queensland, made a video in response to fears predictions of traffic chaos were keeping visitors away from the Glitter Strip during the Games.

"If you're a Brisbane local you'll know full well the traffic you can get going down to the Gold Coast on the weekend at any time, so this is no different from normal, probably better than normal really, and there's the added bonus of having this amazing event on once you get down here," he said.

"There's no reason not to come down right now.

"You can have a great run on the M1, you can still find a park in a place like Broadbeach and soak up everything that is going on down here."

While the majority of commuters were happy with the transport options on offer, some elderly patrons such as retiree Jean Thiemeyer from Melbourne found the walk from the drop-off points to the stadium too much.

"It's dreadful, the amount of walking is not compatible with senior citizens, it really is a very long walk," she said.

Games chairman Peter Beattie said more than 61,500 people caught the train from Brisbane to the Gold Coast on Saturday "which is an extraordinary outcome for us".

"We said use public transport, people are doing it, we love you for doing it so thank you very much," he said.

Bowen Hills to Carrara Stadium 81km

Car and shuttle – 90 minutes

Cycling road race speed – 2 hours 3 minutes

Public transport – 2 hours 4 minutes

At CG Marathon record speed – 4 hours 7 minutes

Google Maps cycling – 4 hours 26 minutes

Google Maps walking – 16 hours 43 minutes

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983014348355289089

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Disabled Commonwealth Games attendees criticise accessibility

Assurances that people with a disability could access all Commonwealth Games events have already hit a hurdle with reports of people in wheelchairs being directed to car parks they can't use.

However, Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey has defended the Games, saying the incident is a blip in complex wider arrangements.

South Brisbane resident Daniel Henshall arrived at the Yatala park 'n' ride to travel to the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

Mr Henshall is a tetraplegic who uses a wheelchair, but was directed by car park staff to park in a gravel area, 15 metres away from the transport buses.

"Able-bodied people may not see the difficulty with gravel, they may just think it's a flat surface, it's fine - but they don't understand that I have to push over that with my hands and that makes my hands dirty and sore and ruins the rest of the evening for me," Mr Henshall said.

"I was under the impression that these park 'n' rides were going to be fully accessible."

Gold medal-winning Paralympian and disability activist Geoff Trappett said he was worried this could be just the beginning of difficulties for people with a disability getting to Commonwealth Games events.

"He's arrived there and he's told them he uses a wheelchair for mobility and has been given a car park in what I would certainly call an inaccessible area," Mr Trappett said.

"It's disappointing that the assurances that the Department of Transport and Main Roads and GOLDOC (Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation) have given the disabled community seem to have fallen apart at the first event."

But Mr Bailey told the Brisbane times that "the Palaszczuk Government has been working collaboratively to deliver an accessible transport network during the Games."

"Before the opening ceremony, every person who purchased a disability access ticket was contacted by GOLDOC to assist with their journey to the Games," Mr Bailey said.

"All park 'n' rides and transport hubs have staff available to assist passengers with accessibility requirements..most public transport services are accessible, with dedicated spaces available for wheelchairs and mobility devices on trains and light rail."

But Mr Trappett says that the difficulties that Mr Henshall faced were particularly outrageous given the Commonwealth Games emphasis on including people with a disability.

"The disability sector had had conversations ... where they assured us that the car park facilities had been audited for accessibility and the on-the-ground staff at venues will be allocating car parks as appropriate," he said.

"Daniel has done exactly what has been asked of him through the communications that GOLDOC and Department of Transportation and Main Roads has had with people with a disability regarding transport to the Commonwealth Games."

But Mr Henshall said the gravel car park was just the beginning of his difficulties.

He explained that disabled and elderly passengers were sent down a priority boarding line, but then appeared to be forgotten.

"The problem with that is that we all ended up in one big group. All different needs but we're all going to different spots," Mr Henshall said.

"We were all sat around for quite a while, at least 40 minutes."

"There was a lot of confusion ... I thought it was ridiculous that able-bodied people were given different routes for where they were going ... but special needs people were just told 'go down that way' ... I think that was very disorganised," he said.

"They called it priority boarding but it didn't feel very prioritised."

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983018929139236864

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983098018323771398

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983020916727693312

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983021016019492864

[ozbob]

Still in bus queue in case anyone cares.

We care Briz!   Looking forward to the blog ...   

[ozbob]

A Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 9th April 2018 page 13

Public transport fails at Commonwealth Games

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/983096474861842432

^

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983123869069266945

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/MarkBaileyMP/status/983165710892331008

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> 1 million public transport trips to the Commonwealth Games

There have been 1 million trips on public transport to and from the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

The figure was revealed as Games bosses defended warnings about potential traffic chaos in the lead-up to the event, with complaints from some businesses about a dearth of tourists on the Coast.

Since Thursday, the G:link service carried almost 100,000 passengers a day, more than three times the daily average since the opening of the Gold Coast light rail stage two.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the increase in passengers showed how important light rail was to the Gold Coast's public transport network.

"It's great to so many people using the light rail network and other public transport modes to travel to events during the Commonwealth Games," he said.

The Palaszczuk government delivered almost $1 billion in transport infrastructure leading up to the Games, including $420 million for light rail stage two.

Light rail services have been operating 24 hours a day during the Games, with services running every six minutes during peak event periods.

Prior to the Games, the highest number of daily passengers on the light rail network was 80,000, which occurred on the opening day of the light rail in July 2014.

Stage two began service in December 2017 and included a 7.3 kilometre extension between the Gold Coast University Hospital and Helensvale station.

Thousands opted to use heavy rail from Brisbane and Varsity Lakes, with more than 180,000 passengers making the journey on Queensland Rail services.

GOLDOC chair Peter Beattie said transport planning and warnings worked, with people avoiding the M1 and instead choosing public transport.

"The numbers on trains has been extraordinary, and on public transport, they're very full," Mr Beattie told ABC Radio Brisbane on Monday morning.

"So was that message strong? Yes. Did it need to be? Yes. Perhaps we were a little bit too aggressive in terms of how we did it, but in the end people moving around without disruption, that's what's important."

Mr Beattie said Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise were "humming" on Sunday night, with restaurants full, but the action was "patchy" at the Gold Coast in broader terms.

"The challenge is to share it across the whole coast, get people to go to Main Beach, get people to go to other parts of the Gold Coast," he said.

Mr Beattie said he had spoken to business owners who said Easter was slow, but business was picking up.

"Our strategy worked by getting people onto public transport, so that's a good thing.

"Where it didn't, it scared people off who normally would drive to the Gold Coast over Easter - that's the problem," he said.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/MarkBaileyMP/status/983169225823932419

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983169999073243136

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983195540375584771

[techblitz]

Went down and back today via R610/Train/757/700/765...all trips ran smoothly.

The ultra high frequency 700 is awesome.
765 increase in frequency works in well with the 10min trains for true 'turn up and go' bus to rail 
Dunno whats up with the purple 'turn up and go' signs along the highway which cover the regular timetable displays due to their height.
Too bad if someone needs to know when any one of the other highway routes arrive  :conf :conf

and WHY are we still seeing these types of signs eg: 757 ??

[BrizCommuter]

BrizCommuter: GC2018 - Disgrace Shuttle Continues
https://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2018/04/gc2018-disgrace-shuttle-continues.html

[ozbob]

BrizCommuter: GC2018 - Disgrace Shuttle Continues
https://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2018/04/gc2018-disgrace-shuttle-continues.html

Sent to all outlets & ...

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983373368949800963

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/983383357605068800

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/SmartState1/status/983480725172137984

[ozbob]

The Conversation --> Commonwealth Games have better integrated para-sports, but society needs to catch up

The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018 is the largest major sporting event to integrate para-sports. But the inclusiveness of the Games only highlights the challenges of the everyday lived experience of people with disabilities in Australia and the other 72 countries competing.

Australia's best known para-sport athlete, Kurt Fearnley, identified the introduction of the wheelchair marathon (for T54 classified atheletes) as the perfect swansong to his illustrious career.

Fearnley and the more than 300 other para-athletes are well catered for within the sport arenas, Commonwealth Games village, transport arrangements and official functions.

But what of the thousands of friends, family, officials and spectators whose access needs are not catered for in the surrounding communities?

Right on the doorstep of the Games, for example, Queensland Rail's newly acquired A$4.4 billion trains have inaccessible bathrooms and walkways. Not to mention a lack of staff support when people with access needs are boarding.

This is just one example of the institutionalised discrimination in the everyday lives of people with disability in Australia and around the world.

As outlined by the Commonwealth Games program, these Games have shown an outstanding commitment to the expansion of para-sports. The 38 medal events being contested represent a 73% increase from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014.

Along with this increase in events is a 45% rise in the number of athletes competing across seven sports, including swimming, javelin, cycling (track), lawn bowls, table tennis, triathlon and power-lifting.

The overall responsibility for accessibility and inclusion of the athlete experience has been integrated as part of the broader sustainability program of the games.

The sustainability program clearly states the importance of accessibility for the athletes in a sporting context and the Commonwealth Games Village. But it also emphasises the importance of accessibility for all those attending any of the events:

Providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all, ensuring all competition venues will be accessible for people with mobility and other impairments and providing a range of accessible facilities and services.

In February 2017 the GC2018, Gold Coast Tourism and Gold Coast City Council hosted a community forum that sought to encourage the tourism industry to leverage the Games well beyond the closing ceremony.

That forum can be thought of as an extension of the International Paralympic Committee's objective of an "accessibility legacy" for host cities and destinations.

Building on the integrated inclusiveness of the previous five integrated Commonwealth Games the Gold Coast has raised awareness for providing accessibility across disability dimensions for the event, such as mobility, hearing and vision, but potentially raised the expectations of an ongoing legacy in the community and those visiting the Gold Coast requiring accessible accommodation.

Simultaneously, the Queensland government launched a guide, Inclusive Tourism: Making Your Business more Accessible and Inclusive, for business.

This guide was later supported with research, Accessible Tourism in Victoria and Queensland, carried out in conjunction with Tourism Research Australia, which valued the market at A$8 billion annually.

However, even before the opening ceremony the disregard for people with disabilities in other areas of life had tarnished the tremendous efforts by the organising committee and the Queensland government.

To achieve an accessibility legacy for all beyond the life of the event requires all levels of government and the private sector to be involved, in areas such as urban planning, transport and development, to ensure there are continuous paths of travel for people with disabilities.

People with disabilities have the same right, and the same interest as others, in being able to access buildings, buses and bars in order to participate fully in all aspects of life.
Disregard for people with disabilities

Disability advocacy groups, individuals with disabilities and law firms were outraged that Queensland Rail's new trains did not meet the Disability Discrimination Act's standards, despite six years of planning.

Rectifying this has been estimated to cost A$150 million, which Queensland Rail has said would come from its contingency budget.

The State of Queensland and Queensland Rail had made a joint application for a temporary exemption from the Australian Human Rights Commission from the Disability Discrimination Act and the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport to carry out its works. The Australian Human Rights Commission refused the exemption request.

Leaving aside the technicalities of the accessibility of trains, this case signifies that a major state government, its rail provider, as well as previous governments of both major party political persuasions, did not value the citizenship rights of people with disabilities.

Transport is the lifeblood of social participation, whether that is going to a major sport event, getting an education, or keeping a job.

That the trains did not meet the Disability Discrimination Act (in place since 1993), and the specifics of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport (in place since 2002), was aptly described as Twitter lit up as a "debacle".

Para-athletes whose elite athletic experiences can be some of the most inclusive on offer are still subject to all forms of discrimination that the community of people with disabilities regularly face beyond the major sport event experience.

This was nowhere more evident than the experiences of wheelchair racer Nikki Emerson on an Emirates flight to the Games. Emerson was made to wait an hour to access the toilets as a member of the cabin staff challenged her right of "climbing on the floor" to get to the toilet as it "upset other passengers".

These examples suggest that people with disability live in a world where some experiences and activities (like a major sport event) are valued as they signify to the world that the Gold Coast, Queensland and Australia are fair and equitable.

Yet the everyday lived experiences suggest an ongoing struggle for fair treatment in all areas of citizenship.

It's so frustrating when we see the political will to deliver an inclusive major sport event when the eyes of the world are watching.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/AaronLucasMedia/status/983349581118291968