Letters to the editor - Published

[somebody]

Is that helpful?  He's gotten what he wanted hasn't he?

[Fares_Fair]

Is that helpful?  He's gotten what he wanted hasn't he?

Why not ?
The point he makes about the seat is entirely true, it looks like it is dragged out of the back of a disused truck, and he acknowledges that it is provided.
It really does look third hand when you see it.
They would never dare do this at Noosa ...

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Stillwater]

I think the leter writer wanted a bus shelter and seat.  I wonder if it is possible to cantilever a roof off that retaining wall?  The point is that this is one of two bus stops (the second on the other side of the street) at services Nambour Library, as well as the SCRC headquarters building where hundreds of council staff work and hundreds more people go daily to pay rates, attend meetings, do business with council about dog licences etc.

[Fares_Fair]

perhaps he could shelter under the seat ?   

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[somebody]

I think the leter writer wanted a bus shelter and seat.  I wonder if it is possible to cantilever a roof off that retaining wall?  The point is that this is one of two bus stops (the second on the other side of the street) at services Nambour Library, as well as the SCRC headquarters building where hundreds of council staff work and hundreds more people go daily to pay rates, attend meetings, do business with council about dog licences etc.

One could guess that is his problem, but he doesn't say so.

[Stillwater]

He did in an earlier letter.  A reasonably regular reader of the SC Daily would be familiar with the story.

[#Metro]

 

[ozbob]

Published South West News 25th May 2011 page 8

Harsher treatment for rail crossing breaches

[Fares_Fair]

Courier-Mail
Wednesday June 1, 2011
p30

Public transport costs don't wash

[ozbob]

South West News / Springfield News 8th June 2011 page 8

Go card hike 'not fare'

[ozbob]

Published Courier Mail 18th July 2011

A Carbon Tax that exempts cars, but not public transport, will mean increased fares for public transport which will drive people back to cars - a strange outcome for an initiative that is meant to decrease pollution.

[ozbob]

Published The Satellite 20th July 2011

Transport Failure

[ozbob]

Published South West News 27th July 2011

Rail rocket bus is right move

[ozbob]

Published Queensland Times 28th July 2011 page 9

Rail rubbish statistics an insult to travellers

[ozbob]

Published Couriermail 1st August 2011

The successful trial of Wi-Fi on trains is welcome news. The Wi-Fi is provided on the back of real-time CCTV capability. This is a significant improvement and will allow authorities to observe on-board in real time.  The fact that Wi-Fi will be accessible from the new trains as well is a bonus.  The next step in improving passenger experience is to increase out-of-peak service frequency on all lines.

[ozbob]

Published South West News 3 August 2011 page 8

No surveys, we need a fare go

[ozbob]

Published Couriermail September 19

Public transport best route to go

With respect to the article about Near-CBD parking super hubs (C-M, Sep 17), this is an alarming development and  indicates that advice being received by Brisbane City Council (BCC) is seriously flawed.

It is this sort of rubbish that has led to the major transport failings in southeast Queensland.

"Mammoth" parking stations near the Brisbane CBD will only worsen the already diabolical road congestion crisis in Brisbane.  

The way forward is to put in place a proper public transport system.

Rather than building car parks what is needed is to properly resource rail and public transport.

This is what is going on in other major population centres.

It might be time to relieve BCC of their road and  public transport functions.  

Transport requirements extend - and impact - much more widely than the BCC area.  

Near-CBD  parking super hubs are just another compelling reason to move to way from arbitrary council boundaries and constrained thinking when planning future transport needs.

[ozbob]

Published Queensland Times 19th September 2011

More express services will increase rail users

[ozbob]

Published South West News 28th September 2011

Ticketing needs reform

[ozbob]

Published Couriermail October 11

As reported in your newspaper (C-M, Oct 7) the Brisbane Airtrain is to run services till 10pm from early December.  This is a critical service improvement and no doubt will be a turning point in driving significant patronage increases.  This will also ease pressure on parking, traffic congestion and taxi queues.  Using transport infrastructure for the maximum benefit and return is something that a "smart" state does.

[ozbob]

Published Queensland Times 25th November 2011

Make rail buses free for fed-up passengers

[ozbob]

Published Queensland Times 26th November 2011

Railroaded again

[Set in train]

Do some newspapers re-fashion your media releases as letters to the Editor? The writing looks familiar.

[ozbob]

What ever works ... 

[Set in train]

What ever works ... 

It's great! I'm glad to see the journos appreciate a quality idea and are keen to republish it in their letters page. Great to see constructive ideas published.

[ozbob]

South West News 30th November 2011

Ramp up our rail transport

[ozbob]

Queensland Times December 1

Railway passengers need toilet task force

[ozbob]

South West News December 21

Transport needs to be safer

[ozbob]

Published Queensland Times December 28

We need a policy

Your correspondent highlighting yet another track closure from the 24th to 27th December on the Ipswich / Rosewood line was spot on, most unfortunate timing (QT, Letters, Dec 24).

I travelled from Goodna to Rosewood and return on Boxing Day on the rail replacement buses.  

The buses were comfortable and although overall journey time was not as fast as the train, the drivers went out of their way to make sure connections at Ipswich were made and were considerate.  Thank you.

Many intending passengers were obviously not aware of the track closure though, and  when I returned to Goodna I did find some passengers waiting on the railway station platform for the train.

Another aspect that needs particular attention is the ticketing arrangements when there are track closures like these past four days.  

There is a lot of confusion as to what is required in terms of tickets on the buses substituted for trains.  

Often the station access to go card equipment is blocked off, and the buses don't have functioning go card equipment.

Some people tried to touch on with their go cards on the buses but were told not to bother.  

Others I noted had purchased expensive paper single tickets from the ticket machines at some stations.

The obvious thing to do is for TransLink to come clean and state a policy that travel on the bus legs of the rail substitute services is free.

This is what generally happens in practise anyway. And why not?

When there are track closures the length of journey time increases and there is confusion for many.  

Is it too difficult to state a policy?

[ozbob]

Published Couriermail December 28

Free transport not long enough

The Minister for Transport has announced free public transport travel on New Years Eve from 9pm to 1am only. 

In Melbourne, free public transport commences at 6pm New Year's Eve, through to the first normal service on New Year's day, a window of around 12 hours.

The limited time for free public transport in Brisbane is confusing and mean spirited. Perhaps it is a disguised attempt to avoid problems seen at the Ekka as passengers without go cards queued for time limited paper single tickets.

[Set in train]

The limited time for free public transport in Brisbane is confusing and mean spirited. Perhaps it is a disguised attempt to avoid problems seen at the Ekka as passengers without go cards queued for time limited paper single tickets.

And this was admitted by TL's PR Andrew Berkman on 4BC after midday today, safety and speed of boarding.

[ozbob]

Published Queensland Times 31st December 2011 page 15

Go card best choice for public transport

[STB]

Published Queensland Times 31st December 2011 page 15

Go card best choice for public transport

This is something that needs to be pushed on even more stronger than ever to those who doubt using the Go Card through to those who are infrequent users and visitors.  Convincing them however probably will be difficult for those who are desperate to hold on to the paper ticket (out of being afraid of technology; not trusting technology or themselves among many other reasons) and I'd suggest a more direct approach to paper ticket users rather than traditional advertising which quite often gets blanked out and ignored by the majority of the population.

[mufreight]

Unaffordable, infrequent and inconvenient and Translink and the Minister claim that they hope that commuters will simply pay more for a less satisfactory level of service, they have to be delusional.  Even with the selective culling of commuters responses to the fare hikes by both the Courious Snail and the Brisbane SomeTimes there is an evident commuter backlash against this latest fare hike in the blogs and commuter numbers have already been dwindleing over the past year.
Some educated and informed number counters anticipate that the current 15% fare increase which will in all probability be followed mid year by a further 9% fare increase due to the Federal Government carbon tax will see a further drop in public transport patronage between 9% and 11% with the initial increases followed by a further patronage fall of up to 7% with the introduction of the carbon tax justified mid year fare increase.
Fare increases in line with the CPI are perhaps justifiable 15% simply extortion which can only be a deliberate effort to drive commuters off public transport so that the present incompetent government avoids the expense of providing services and the infrastructure needed to enable those services to be provided.

[somebody]

^ That assumes that the service expansions are to throw us off the track, which is possible.

Incompetence is often the best explanation.

[ozbob]

Published Queensland Times 5th January 2012 page 9

Some good in fares

[ozbob]

Published Queensland Times 6th January 2012 page 6

Feeder buses the key to public transport use

[ozbob]

Published Couriermail January 9  page 20

Many public transport users are upset with the fare increases. The Opposition has only offered a reduction in the 10-journey cap for free travel to nine in a week on the go card. Very little real difference. So it is important that public transport passengers understand there are advantages to move to the go card. There are cost savings by using a go card over paper single tickets and bus loading times are improved. Both excellent outcomes.

[ozbob]

Published Queensland Times January 10 page 0

Fair point on fares

John Coyle makes a fair point on fares (QT Letters, January 7).

Public transport fares in Brisbane are relatively very expensive compared to other states and countries.

Adjustment to the flagfall component is needed to reposition fare costs between all zones.

Short zone trips are particularly expensive.

Paper single tickets, the only alternative to the go card are 30-40% dearer than equivalent go card fare, so if you haven't got a go card get one.

It is now very unlikely that a return to the old paper tickets will now happen.

Both Labor and the Opposition have indicated their general support for the go card system. 

The go card itself has been a great boon to improved efficiencies on the bus routes -loading times are dramatically improved. 

Accurate load data is now also being generated, which will in time allow better match of service frequency with demands. Cash handling costs are also reduced. 

The go card system itself is fine - the problem has always been with the fare structure. 

These are two different things. The recent introduction of the free travel after 10 paid journeys in the Monday to Sunday week does allow many users to offset travel costs. 

More improvements are needed to the fare structure though.

The present off peak discount of 20% should be increased to a minimum of 30%.

The two journey daily cap for Seniors and some DVA pensioners needs extending to all Health Care Card Holders.  Queensland is the only state in Australia that does not extend concession travel to Health Care Card holders, a most unsatisfactory situation.

Public transport is a key issue for the looming state election, particularly in and around the Ipswich District. 

Time to contact your local political representatives and candidates with your concerns.

[ozbob]

Published South West News 18th January 2012 page 8

Time to clear confusion over substitute train travel plans