Article: Light rail may displace 200 buses an hour (Sydney's CBD)

[Sunbus610]

Light rail may displace 200 buses an hour
Jacob Saulwick
5 March, 2012

SOME peak hour buses entering Sydney's central business district from the north will be redirected to the Cahill Expressway and the Western Distributor to push them out of the centre of the city under a council proposal.

The City of Sydney's latest transport plan, to go before a council committee tonight, includes new detail on how the city would restructure bus routes and taxi ranks to accommodate the proposed light rail and pedestrian conversion of George Street.

The proposal has been designed to feed into the government's statewide masterplan, which will be finished by the end of the year.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/light-rail-may-displace-200-buses-an-hour-20120304-1ub4n.html#ixzz1oDyjz9ig

[somebody]

Clover Moore has made a few valid points here, but mainly, she's a nut job who if listened to is likely to reduce PT use to the CBD.  Current market share for PT in peak hour into the CBD is 74%.  I think that might be the share of motorised trips, but still, it's the best in Australia by far.  Melbourne is only about 60%.  I've read 55-65% for Brisbane.  The point is that what Sydney is doing is working reasonably well for peak hour.  I cannot imagine that inflicting transfers on the edge of the CBD, even if free, would do anything but reduce PT use.

1050 buses/hour into the CBD?  That means 700/hr from the south and west.  Only reason why bus congestion over the harbour bridge has such a high visibility is that it is a new problem.

The suggestion of running buses from the bridge via Bathurst St did irk me a little, unless she means then Kent, later Clarence.  It would be stupid to funnel into George St northbound.  I guess going via the Cahill might have merit, but I'm not a fan.  Elizabeth St is fairly busy in both directions in the AM peak.

[SurfRail]

It seems to me that the congestion on George Street is nowhere near as bad as it was when I was visiting Sydney around 2004...

[somebody]

It seems to me that the congestion on George Street is nowhere near as bad as it was when I was visiting Sydney around 2004...

Really?  Not sure why that would be.  There haven't been any improvements I am aware of in the last 10+ years.

EDIT: Did you mean CAR congestion?

[SurfRail]

More the fact that it no longer seems to take 40 minutes to go the full length by bus even at 1pm.  In the absolute height of peak it would still be painful.  (Fortunately the only bus I would routinely need to catch out of the CBD to the relatives' places are either the 518 to Quarry Road, or a bus to Marsfield, all of which go from the QVB and get out of town reasonably quickly from there.)