Traffic Congestion

Translink says that LRT will reduce traffic congestion because of the way it is able to whisk people away very quickly. That is simply not true. Let's look at some of the reasons that promise is not possible to keep.

Historically we know that the former Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Clem Jones, eliminated trams and replaced them with buses in 1969. He did this so that the ever increasing traffic could move - and this worked for a time because roads were upgraded and extended as the population grew.

A little over a decade ago, Peter Beattie became Premier of Queensland. Unfortunately he failed to plan and provide the additional infrastructure needed for the increasing population. He managed a little of course but his legacy included a massive shortfall in roadways for private and public transport.

Enter Anna Bligh as Beattie's replacement. To her credit, Bligh recognized the infrastructure shortfall. She immediately launched into action starting a plethora of building projects. In doing so she has succeeded in turning Brisbane into a giant construction site with bad traffic congestion every day - except when there is even one accident. In those situations, major traffic areas simply grind to a halt.

In addition, because of her huge growth of demand for infrastructure, the costs of supply have risen. Single handed Ms Bligh has succeeded in bidding against herself to raise the costs of projects to record levels.

Bligh inherited the proposal for GC LRT and set to work on plans to add trams to the Gold Coast. Ridding trams from Brisbane reduced traffic congestion, yet adding trams to the Gold Coast will also reduce traffic congestion?!

But these trams are not additional to what currently carries GC traffic. In many parts of the route the LRT will cannibalize existing general traffic lanes and parking spaces on the road. For example, through the centre of Surfers Paradise there are currently single lanes North/South and roadside parking either side. That will change to a single lane South, nothing for general traffic heading North and no general roadside parking at all. The other North/South roads, Ferny Avenue and the Esplanade remain unchanged.

So where will the traffic go?

Official answer:
People will get out of their cars and convert to LRT.

But there are no Park & Ride facilities in the LRT design so new riders will have to walk or take a bus to the nearest station. Realistically that is not going to happen!

Overall achievement of LRT ridership forecasts is not good . Studies show that within 95% confidence limits, LRT manages to achieve half of the original ridership forecasts or less [Source: Numerous papers by Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg.] Obviously LRT will inherit many of the riders from public bus because coastal bus services from Griffith Uni to Broadbeach will be redeployed to other areas.

Learning: You do not get a choice of public transport where LRT operates. LRT is so expensive it needs to carry all of the public ridership. Buses are used to carry riders to and from the light rail system thereby frustrating riders with a number of vehicle changes.

In December 1999 a Grand Jury in Orange County, California handed down a report and set of recommendations titled 'Orange County Transportation Authority and Light Rail Planning'.
Click here to view the FULL REPORT

The initial bullet point on page1 says, ‘Light rail will have negligible impact on traffic congestion because it attracts few automobile drivers from their cars.'

The message goes on and on - the capability of light rail is not matched by its actual performance all around the World, and it won't live up to Translink's expectations on the GC either.

Who will be held accountable for the shortfalls in ridership? Nobody of course, it's the Public Service. The recommendation will then be that more LRT routes must be built to achieve greater ridership and efficiencies! Divert another $1.8 billion from socially worthwhile projects to fund more light rail - and so it will go on once the light rail vested interests have a toe-hold.

At grade light rail is clearly not an acceptable system of public transport.

If anyone has verifiable quantitative proof that at grade light rail is safe, please send it to us.