MAYOR’S $100M ELECTRIC BUS PLAN
MORE than $100 million will be spent building an electric bus rapid transit system connecting the light rail to the Gold Coast’s western suburbs.
Long-proposed plans for east-west fast public transport will today be unveiled with buses initially before tram links are eventually built.
There are three prospective routes:
● Nobby Beach to Robina’s Green Heart Parklands via Pizzey Park, Bond University, Varsity College, Robina Town Centre and Cbus Super Stadium. (Expected cost unknown).
● Broadbeach to Nerang town centre, stopping at Pacific Fair, Carrara Markets, Emerald Lakes, Metricon Stadium and Nerang heavy rail station. (Expected cost $55.2 million).
● Gold Coast University Hospital to Harbour Town, stopping at Southport Sharks. (Expected Coast $28.1 million).
The proposed routes are not final and will be subject to a business case and community consultation.
Planning is well under way on the Robina and Nerang links while the Harbour Town connection is in its early stages.
Mayor Tom Tate said the project would be jointly funded by council and state and would decongest some of the city’s busiest arterial roads.
“Light rail is a proven success and has taken 48 million passengers since 2014 so it is only natural we look at going east and west,” he said.
“This allows us to tap into the light rail and have people be able to walk off the tram and straight on to the bus.
“It will be a frequent, modern and reliable system.”
Cr Tate said he hoped to fast-track the Nerang and Robina routes to have them funded, built and ready by 2023 when the light rail’s Broadbeach to Burleigh link opens.
He said it would build the case for east-west light rail links while the Burleigh to Gold Coast Airport connection is completed.
Councillors will be briefed on the system at today’s final council meeting before this month’s election.
No decision will be made on funding the project at the meeting because the council has gone into caretaker mode.
Following the poll, the new council will consider funding a business case which will be put to both the State Government and opposition before October’s state election.
Existing local bus routes would remain largely unaffected.
At the briefing, city leaders will be told the buses would be able to carry up to 100 passengers and arrive at stops at maximum intervals of 10 minutes, operating all day.
Stations would be similar in design to the light rail and those retained when eastwest tram connections are built would simply be expanded.
Similar systems are operating in nearly 200 cities around the world including Adelaide, Jakarta, Auckland, Bogota, Manchester and Brisbane.
IT is no secret that the Gold Coast is struggling with a growth spurt.
With a population heading towards one million people within two decades and a road network already straining to cope with the sheer number of vehicles using it day to day, something must be done.
It is crucial we look to how Gold Coasters will be travelling in 2025, 2030 and beyond. Every month or year lost in deliberation will cost time and money, placing a further stranglehold on our roading network.
Councillors will today be briefed on plans to introduce electric rapid transit buses between Nobby Beach and Robina and from Broadbeach to Nerang.
Another link to Harbour Town is in the earliest stages of consideration.
While trams are expected to eventually travel these routes, buses offer a cheaper intermediate answer to our transport woes and would allow residents in some of our busiest areas to get a boosted taste of travel without a total reliance on cars.
And the potential benefits don’t stop there.
Linking the light and heavy rails with rapid buses will also mean stops at our two major stadiums at Carrara and Robina.
Think about what that would mean on game days, with buses coming every 10 minutes.
With the success of last weekend’s Queen concert fresh in our minds, think of how much this system could improve future major events.
Light rail is a proven success that continues to disprove its naysayers with strong patronage and taking cars off our roads.
Imagine what a difference a fully integrated transport system will mean in the future.
With the State election just seven months away, our city leaders have the chance to put forward the case for this critical project to both sides of politics. Fixing our transport must be bipartisan. It’s too important to keep squabbling over.