There is a growing community movement to block a proposal for a housing development on the site of the Karana Downs golf course. I have set up some simple questions to gauge community feelings. Please also feel free to email me with further comments.
I sent the following on 23 June 2009 either by email or by via their web site to each of Campbell Newman, the State Minister of Transport Rachel Nolan and the state member in whose area the incident occurred, Scott Emerson:
On my way into the University of Queensland today on my bicycle, the
driver of the 428 bus that arrived on campus at about 8:40 behaved in
a consistently intimidatory way, including driving right up behind me
to stop at bus stops on the way, and overtaking me on the last stretch
of Hawken Drive before UQ so close I could have reached out to touch
the bus (this last event when the road was wide, and there was no
oncoming traffic, so there was absolutely no excuse). A bus is a
dangerous weapon when used in this fashion. Sooner or later this kind
of behaviour is going to result in serious injury or a fatality.I have complained several times about the way bus drivers attempt to
push bikes off the roads to no effect.This time if I get no satisfactory response be assured that I will
launch a public campaign.
I received a reply from Campbell Newman, dated 16 July, addressing my concerns in detail. The bus driver concerned has been placed on a performance improvement plan, and this information has been used to improve driver training.
I am yet to hear from the other politicians. While Campbell Newman is the person most able to take action, it is disappointing that the others did not take the matter seriously enough at least to reply.
While I disagree with Campbell Newman on many policy issues, I would like to thank him for taking this issue seriously and taking remedial action.
Nonetheless the city’s overall approach to bicycle safety is inadequate: incidents like this are not purely a matter of driver training but also a consequence of mixing too many incomptible vehicles on the same roadway. While there are some excellent bikeways, once you are off them you have little option but to mix with either heavy traffic or pedestrians. It’s as if the city, wanting to learn from its lesson of neglecting motorway construction in the era when that was considered a good idea, is trying to remedy this oversight by focusing solely on the equivalent of motorways for bicycles. It’s all very well to have a clear run between far out of the city and the city centre, but having to mix with other traffic in city and suburban streets remains a serious problem.
If everyone who had the option to use a bike felt safe to do so, traffic would be signficantly reduced, reducing the need for more roads. We would have a healthier population, and local businesses would do better because the average person would shop locally more often, rather than waiting until a long enough shopping list had accumulated to justify taking the car to the mall.
Let’s keep working on th big picture: a city that’s fun and safe to live in, with healthy lifestyle options accessible to all, not just the adventurous few willing to take their lives in their hands every time they venture onto the streets.
It is quite bizarre that you can get a TransLink ticket from Nambour to the city, but not from Karana Downs.
Just in case it’s not obvious how bizarre this is, here is a map showing how far Nambour out is:
View Larger Map
And here’s a map to the same scale showing how far out Karana Downs is:
View Larger Map
The city and state governments have seriously dropped the ball on this one.
The Greens plan for Karana Downs is to extend the city Buz network to the area, with connection to the existing 444 service that currently goes out towards Moggill. In the longer term, once light rail is in place, we will provide a feeder service to light rail.
Karana Downs may be a relatively recent addition to Brisbane, but the public transport network is ultimately a state responsibililty and includes many cities and towns that are not part of Brisbane. How hard can it be to get this right?
Another critical area of need in Karana Downs is a High School, which has long been talked about, but nothing has happened. A high school will relieve considerable pressure on the roads as well as building the local community.
light rail routes (click for bigger version)
Queensland Greens propose a city-wide light rail system to supplement the existing public transport network. Light rail has several benefits. It is quicker and cheaper to put in than heavy rail. Routes along which it runs become a focus for development, especially shops and businesses. By contrast, bus routes can easily change, reducing the certainty needed for planning for future business. Although parts of the system may run like a tram through city streets, we envisage that most of the network will be separated from roads. Some sections may run above the existing rail network in areas of high density.
In Moggill, we propose to take the light rail system through Kenmore South to Pullenvale and Moggill, with a possible extension across the river to meet the Ipswich line, depending on local consultation about a river crossing.
The alignment of the route is initially proposed to follow the Kenmore Bypass corridor, since this area was originally designated as a light rail corridor.
The actual route will be investigated taking into account environmental impacts and noise.
Before we would start drawing lines on a map, we would have an extensive community consultation to determine the ideal routing of the line, including options other than the Kenmore Bypass corridor.
This plan is part of the Greens commitment to helping you get around, without being stuck in heavy traffic. It is also part of the Greens commitment to real green jobs. It is also part of involving you in planning your own community, so let me know if you have comments or ideas of your own.
Please also remember the survey where light rail is one of the options on which to express your opinion.
The following survey arises out of many opinions I’ve heard while talking to people. There’s a limit to how many people I can talk to, so please let me know by taking the survey what you think.
You can also email me if you want to talk further.
The survey is anonymous with some checks to prevent duplicate submissions.
As always, I value community opinion.
Thanks for all the responses. Watch this space for follow-ups
