Rapid Bus link between Broadbeach and Nerang being considered

[nathandavid88]

Came across this on the Gold Coast Bulletin website. Personally, I think a light rail spur would be better along here from my personal experiences with getting buses from Nerang, especially when a major event is on at Metricon, but I wouldn't say no to this as a second best option.

Plan to link bus with rail on Coast

Andrew Potts   |  12:01am September 2, 2012

AN east-west rapid bus line is set to connect the light and heavy rail systems between Broadbeach and Carrara under a plan being considered by the council.

The buses would run along Nerang-Broadbeach Road servicing four stops: Pacific Fair where the light rail terminates, Carrara Markets, Metricon Stadium and Nerang Railway Station.

Carrara councillor Bob La Castra said there was support for the idea.

"We are planning the future of public transport for the area and council transport officers have investigated the rapid bus concept," Cr La Castra said.

"I have met with them and discussed the importance of a link to the heavy rail and I understand the mayor is open to it so I am feeling quietly confident.

"This is important for providing an essential link to giving the Gold Coast an integrated transport network."

An east-west connection has long been discussed for the city's transport network, along with a light rail link option on Nerang-Broadbeach Road.

The idea was discussed by the council in 2010 but dismissed.

The 13km first stage of the light rail will run from Griffith University to Broadbeach.

No funding has been committed to the second stage which is proposed to run from the university to Helensvale and Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads.

Mayor Tom Tate has held high-level talks with state Transport Minister Scott Emerson about creating a smaller light rail link to a new Parkwood heavy rail station.

[somebody]

So a limited stops variant of the 745, is that what is planned?

[SurfRail]

I would not support light rail on this route - not enough passenger density to make it work on the corridor west of say Rio Vista unless you are going to Robina.  Carrara is never going to be significantly more developed than it is now because it is all floodplain, and the Nerang area is a much less important trip attractor than Bond Uni/Varsity/Robina.

The State and GCCC have also walked away from the idea of having the showground / events precinct at Carrara to replace the land at Parkwood which will be taken up with the Health and Knowledge Precinct/University Hospital/Griffith Uni expansion.  The new plan is to have it at the racecourse at Bundall.

I must say I don't like the idea of this being an express service.  It will probably not be noticeably faster than the current service and just denies frequency to the few bus stops on the route already.  The largest loads are always at the Markets anyway.

GCCC's current thinking is tending towards a light rail line to Parkwood (and new station), and a second branch to Harbour Town, only extending to Helensvale later on (unless money becomes available).  I am not 100% sure the alignment at the Parklands Drive intersection permits this - it might need a bit of redesign to allow trams to turn left, as they will be following a shallow trench around to the right as you can see here.  I can't recall the depth of that trench but it might be a few metres below the surrounding terrain until it starts to parallel Olsen Avenue.

[achiruel]

I'm not too familiar with the local conditions.  Are there bus priority measures in place along the route (Bus/T3 lanes, queue jumps etc)?  Otherwise I think a LS service is rather pointless if it has to sit in traffic with the all-stoppers.

[colinw]

Emphatic YES to a decent bus link from Broadbeach LRT to Nerang.

I'm comfortable with either Helensvale via Harbour Town or a new Parkwood route, as long as the LRT reaches Harbour Town somehow. It is a pity that Harbour Town isn't the terminus for phase 1 actually, as it is a natural trip generator which would enhance the tourist use of the line. Harbour Town is actually one of the most visited places on the Gold Coast, and it needs public transport to match.

[SurfRail]

I'm not too familiar with the local conditions.  Are there bus priority measures in place along the route (Bus/T3 lanes, queue jumps etc)?  Otherwise I think a LS service is rather pointless if it has to sit in traffic with the all-stoppers.

There are some limited treatments:
- All buses go through the mini-busway at the Ross/Birmingham intersection with Nerang Broadbeach Road, and travel down the "old" Nerang-Broadbeach Rd which now functions as the local/service road.  They they turn back onto Nerang-Broadbeach Road at Garden Grove.
- Bus lanes for the stretch just west of the Carrara Markets until Fairway Drive.

The plan is to bump this up by:
- Extending bus lanes for most of the length between Pacific Fair and the Carrara Markets
- "Box turn" (aka hook turn) at the markets so buses can go directly from the kerb lane through a new access point onto the local road and not have to go via the Gooding Corner roundabout
- Bus signals

The route is already pretty quick.  Limited stops won't achieve anything because the spacing is already comparable to most Brisbane express bus routes for most of the length.  There are also no current stops between Nerang Station and the Casino Village caravan park (eastern side of the Ross Street intersection), although there are bus bays marked at the intersection of Chisholm Rd which IMO should be bus stops.