Speech to BCC Chambers 20th August 2024

I rise to speak about Congestion and Public Transport in Brisbane

During the chambers recess, two important reports were released about congestion and public transport with both reports, highlighting deep structural failings in Brisbane’s Transport strategy and management of our transport system.  While it might be uncomfortable for this Council administration, these reports should be acknowledged and reflected on, in these chambers. 

An international report, the INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard for 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, was released, analysing traffic congestion data from more than 900 cities around the world. Commute times were based around major employment centres in metropolitan areas - like the Brisbane CBD.  

This report calculates total congestion relative to the population size of each city. Of 900 cities around the world, this study found Brisbane to be the 12th most congested city in the world.  

The report also calculated average delays per driver. The lost hours per driver places Brisbane not 12th, but actually, 10th worst in the world, with 74 hours lost per commuter per year. What is perhaps most concerning is that congestion is getting worse, not better, with the latest Brisbane result being 10% worse than the year before.

It is clear that the LNP administration strategy for the last 20 years of actively encouraging people to commute in their private motor vehicles is not working. This council has been spending billions upon billions of ratepayers dollars on continuously expanding roads, while other cities around the world have been focusing on public and active transport to provide viable, cheaper and more efficient ways to commute to work. 

But this wasn’t the only transport report released over the chambers recess. The Australian Climate Council also released a major public transport report in July. This study found that of all the major Australian cities, Brisbane has the worst access to ‘all-day frequent public transport services’.

Only 33% of Brisbane residents live within an 800 meter walk of frequent public transport service. The report found that access to "good" public transport services in Brisbane ends about 8 kilometres from the CBD.  

For some context, the Brisbane City Council area runs approximately 19km south from the CBD. More than 18km north of the CBD and over 15km to the east.  So this administration cannot just blame this report’s data on Logan City Council or Moreton Bay City or Redlands. 

As the Climate Council says, “More shared and active transport is a win-win for millions of people who live in our biggest cities, that slashes climate pollution from transport, cuts the cost of living, makes our streets safer and less congested, and cleans up our air.”

So it’s no surprise that our State government wants to take control of Brisbane buses.  Brisbane’s transport system is one of the worst in the world. Why? The reason is absolutely, because we have had a LNP administration in power in Brisbane City, for the last 20 years. The tired and outdated politics of the LNP have completely failed in their management of this city's transport system. Let’s be honest, after 20 years of failure, the Metro is too little and too late. 

With the State government’s 50cent public transport trial, it is crucial that this opportunity is taken to increase the capacity through adding additional bus services and bus lines.  We have already seen an increase of 10% patronage in the first days of the trial. Now is the time to take action.

This council administration must get busy submitting business cases to the State Government for more high frequency bus services and to create interconnected networks by adding a combination of radial, inter-suburban and inter-nodal connections. 

Our Greens vision is for a total of 43 high frequency routes, up from 21 currently, allowing residents to get nearly anywhere by bus. We could create 15 new high-frequency routes, and upgrade 10 high frequency routes, to double the existing high-frequency network.

If this LNP administration does not utilise this opportunity to increase capacity, then they do not deserve to manage Brisbane’s bus service and it would be better off managed by the State government.