The Greens seem to have a much better proposal for the Gold Coast Rapid Transit System than the current Queensland Transport proposal. It's far more comprehensive - a proper network rather than a single strip of commuting bliss for those lucky enough to live and work near enough to it. They also suggest that they'd be able to make it a reality well before the current Queensland Transport proposals which will drag out for a decade (light rail) or two (heavy rail).
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If you like what you see (or at least appreciate that it's a start) your best bet would seem to vote for Greens Senate candidate Larissa Waters. Of course - if there's anything about either of these plans, now's the the time to let the federal politicians know.
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2 comments:
The Greens' proposal is daft and is not informed by any logic. Rather than spend the money in the most logical corridor i.e. the Highway and upgrade heavy rail, they want to build heaps of unnecessary and expensive infrastructure when bus routes can do the job. The Gold Coast does not suffer from having a central focal point and defined peak periods like Brisbane, we only need line haul PT in key routes and buses will do for the rest. Brisbane shows us that this works a treat when BUZ-style routes are implemented, they only get overcrowded in peak and when lower capacity buses are being used. It would be buch faster to implement and vailable now, not in 5-10 years and more cost-effective. In the long term we can think about lines to Robina and Nerang, but the density simply isn't there to make it viable, and especially not to Coomera even with it's Master Plan implemented.
Here are some specific thoughts:
1. Robina to Southport
- Virtually nobody lives along this alignment. It is practically all low-level industry and bulk goods retail, with some schools and shopping centres and a lot of empty space.
- From Southport to Bermuda St/N-B Rd intersection, most of the residences are street-front and would have to be resumed for there to be room for an LRT corridor.
- South of Bermuda St, although there is heaps of room for it, there is nothing within walking distance of the corridor until Bond Uni, meaning it is a waste of time that express buses can service better, with no fixed infrastructure costs.
- The route chosen at Bond Uni is stupidly circuitous and likely offers no time saving over buses to Robina, which is only a 15 minute or less trip (having done it nearly every day for 3 years, I can vouch for it as being very reliable).
- There is no direct connection from Robina to Broadbeach, which would be the logical place to send it.
2. Coomera to Surfers Paradise
- Surfers Paradise is not a logical trip terminus, Broadbeach would be as there is space for a proper interchange and shunt (this is what GCRT is already contemplating). There is no room for LR vehicles to shunt in Surfers, not without more resumptions. The system's frequency would not allow trams to reverse ends on the platform due to through trams constantly arriving.
- The corridor unnecessarily duplicates the railway at the Coomera River, which means a massive and costly viaduct. A cheaper option and more efficient would eb to construct an infill station at Helensvale North, which is already identified as a reserved site in the IDAS mapping system.
3. Nerang to Broadbeach
- Buses do an adequate job, there is bugger-all density along here and the job of moving people to the Coast from Brisbane would be taken over by a rapid transit connection further north on the line.
4. The Harbour Town, Parkwood and Labrador to Helensvale options mirror current proposals, I have nothing specific to say except my preference is for the Parkwood option due to its speed. Harbour Town can wait.
In short, I think it’s silly. The ONLY thing I agree with re their comments is the timeframe. I agree absolutely that heavy rail to Coolangatta is needed before 2026, however 2015 is a reasonable goal for light rail given the lengthy lead times and design phase, no to mention that it will take 3 years to build even the first leg to Broadbeach.
At this point I should point out I am avidly in favour of light rail on the Gold Coast, but in the right place and not in places where density, land use and cost would not make it viable. Saying 'wouldn't it be nice' is something I often engage in, but it isn't reality'.
Steven: You're right - The Greens haven't spent $650,000 (or $1.3million, depending on who you want to beleive) investigating the matter further. What they have offered to do is to seek further funding from the federal government. From what they say, they might also be able to get things moving a bit more quickly - so that we'd have it completed before the current 10 year target.
I think you've got a good point about buses being better in that they're much more easy to introduce than a tram/light rail. By the time this project is finished they'll be better equipped to provide a "bus-on-demand" service. That's if the roads still let us move anywhere at speed of over 5km/hr...
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