Mass transit revolution coming sooner than you think
Driverless electric buses ordered from an app, light and heavy rail links to the airport and a trackless tram in the western suburbs can be a reality for the Gold Coast in a decade, according to Griffith University associate professor and transport advise
THE Gold Coast is in the midst of a transportation revolution. Driverless mass transit, electric buses ordered on demand from an app, light and heavy rail links to the airport and a trackless tram circulating through our western suburbs – it’s not a distant vision for the future but a reality due within the decade.
Griffith University associate professor Matthew Burke, who is chair of the Cities Research Institute’s Transport Academic Partnership and the Transport Innovation and Research Hub, says the Coast is becoming a leader in pioneering new routes and modes of travel.
Dr Burke says we already have the best-run and most successful light rail system in Australia, but that link is only the start of a transformation that will not only alter how we live and move in our city, but will change the face of the Coast.
He says he has been working closely with state government and council departments to explore the best options for a transit network that will allow the city to grow without compromising our lifestyle, safety or environment.
“There are actually three transportation revolutions happening right now – electrification, automation and sharing – and they are going to completely change the way we travel and the way we live,” says Dr Burke.
“The most important aspect of this is sharing. That’s what everything hinges on.
“The advent of the light rail has seen us engage in sharing transportation like never before. It’s ushered in a new era for the Coast.
“It’s Australia’s most boring success story in public transport – light rail has worked really well, it’s done what it’s meant to, people like it, and it’s really got us using public transport a lot more, including buses.
“I’ve always held straw polls in my uni classes, I just ask people to raise their hands if they used public transport that day and the difference since light rail opened is enormous. Most of our international students now live along that corridor and we joke that it’s the Griffith
light rail scheme because we have benefited so much.
“But my students and I have also been conducting one of the longest-running surveys of urban design and public transportation, and what we’ve learned about the light rail is incredible.
“It has completely activated the areas around the stations, it’s boosted business, it’s boosted patronage to those suburbs and it’s really pumped up surrounding property prices.”
Dr Burke says although light rail has its critics, it ultimately will benefit the whole city.
He says while suburbs like Palm Beach might lose traffic lanes on the Gold Coast Hwy, it was far more important to preference public transportation than private single-user vehicles.
“If everyone remains in their single occupant car, then we’re in big, big trouble. For our city moving forward, we can have more people but not more cars.
“We have to face the fact that the days of jumping on the Gold Coast Hwy to go from Coolangatta to Brisbane are doomed. We might see a few good years once driverless cars come in, but ultimately sharing public transportation is the way we have to go for survival.
“We have to find a way to get as many people as possible through the coastal corridor, not as many vehicles as possible.
“That’s why we have to give priority to public transportation over traffic lanes.”
Dr Burke says driverless vehicles will be common on the Coast within a decade, with the first larger-scale trials expected within three years.
He says automated driving will unlock huge uptake of public transportation and reduce a need for parking spaces.
“The secret is that the big winner from driverless vehicles will be our buses,” he says. “If we don’t have drivers, we can run Surfside buses without subsidy. Obviously there is an employment issue there for the drivers but if we can increase public transport supply without adding cost, or even at reduced cost, people will have a much better service provided.
“Already we have a great north-south corridor developing due to light rail. Before too long we’ll have heavy rail to the airport and eventually we can have these super-cheap electric buses running east-west.
“As private driverless vehicles become more common, we won’t need these huge parking lots in city centres. If our cars can bugger off and park themselves somewhere else, it’s really going to make our streets great again.”
Dr Burke says it is not just the forms of transportation that are being revolutionised, but our use of it.
He says the rapid changes mean that many families will soon give up their second car, making more space in the family home and improving affordability of property.
“The way we use public transport will be transformed because we will have so many efficient, reliable and cheap links. When it’s so cheap and so easy, why would anyone drive everywhere?
“I don’t think we’ll ever get rid of all cars but I think getting rid of the second car will become the norm, just like in the 1950s.
“That’s going to change our suburbs. Less traffic means streets are more kid-friendly, less cars means we’re going to see a litany of garage conversions. The fact that buildings won’t have to provide seven storeys of parking spaces means that development is more affordable, which means housing will become cheaper. It’s a good thing in every way.”
Dr Burke says light rail, cheap buses and driverless vehicles are only the start, with the city set to benefit from a number of new technologies including demand-responsive transit (DRT) and trackless trams.
“One of our students is really following the big investment being made by the State Government and the Logan City Council into DRT, which is something that would really work well in the western suburbs, Hinterland and valleys of the Gold Coast.
“DRT uses small buses or big mini-vans to service low density areas. Instead of one big bus running regularly but only every two hours, these buses are like an Uber in that they come out when you call them and you rideshare with others, but it takes you to a limited number of destinations and for just a few dollars.
“You can book them for hospitals, shopping centres, transportation links, schools and so on. It’s a great way to get connected to these hubs quickly and cheaply, especially once the driverless technology comes in.
“The other technology I think we’ll see is trackless
trams. We are committed to light rail for our coastal northsouth route, but I think future arms of that network could be completed with this mode.
“It was never the right choice for our light rail route simply because it’s too new. There are still some issues to resolve. It’s not ready for export yet and you wouldn’t want to be the guinea pig city.
“But by the time we’re looking to further our network, possibly linking through Varsity and Bond Uni, it could well be the perfect solution.
“It provides a much easier set-up because you don’t need the track, but it looks and feels like a tram with the same passenger capacity. It would have its own dedicated corridor and stations and it has no emissions and great urban operation.”
Dr Burke says there has also been a renaissance in oldfashioned modes of movement like feet and bikes, with infrastructure already being built to cater for demand.
He says the Gold Coast is becoming a world leader when it comes to building green bridges, while the popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters continues to grow.
“Increasing the walkability of our city is incredibly important. We have one circulation system for cars in our roads, another for boats in our canals, but not much at all for our feet or our bikes,” he says.
“But the Gold Coast City Council is really investing in making these
connections.There are about a dozen green bridges they have planned which are really going to connect our streets to parks and beaches and the waterways.
“As a result, we’re going to see even more people invest in e-bikes and e-scooters, which are actually a great way to get around the Coast, especially given the weather.
“That’s what I use for my own personal commute and it’s fantastic – fresh air, a bit of exercise, but no sweat.
“What we really need to make happen is a complete Oceanway. It will take some investment, especially in areas where you may need new rockwalls, but it’s not something you can overcapitalise on.
“Look at San Diego and Venice Beach in LA. These are pathways that fuel millions in terms of tourist spending.”
Dr Burke says the key to activating this transportation transformation is to preserve space for future developments.
He says the corridor marked for heavy rail to the airport should not be usurped by the light rail, and land should be set aside now for the possibility of high-speed rail to Brisbane and beyond.
“The pathways are quite clear, really. We need heavy rail to the airport so we can link Brisbane to Coolangatta. It’s already the airport of choice for so many in the capital city.
“Light rail belongs down the Gold Coast Hwy. It’s not a perfect route but it’s the best we’ve got.
“We have to service the spine of the Coast first, and then all of the other limbs will branch off that.
“And we need to make sure we keep space aside for highspeed rail, not just to Brisbane but south to Sydney as well.
“Driverless technology is going to make this a cheaper and easier option than flying, but if we don’t buy that land now we’ll be paying far too much in the future.
“It’s all about thinking ahead. The next 10 years are going to be amazing – we’ll have drone deliveries for our dinners, driverless cars, a fantastic network of cheap and clean public transportation and accessible interstate travel. 2020 has been a tough year, but the future is bright.”
Vive la revolution, indeed.
We have to find a way to get as many people as possible through the coastal corridor, not as many vehicles as possible.