Discussion thread about a set of BUZ routes that should be introduced in the next 5 years.
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(post deleted by author)
I would personally just build on top of what the 2012 SEQ bus network plan had in mind for the BUZ network. It was more or less the following changes: truncating the 100 Forest Lake BUZ to Riverhills, via Oxley station; extending the 300 City-Toombul to Chermside, and making it a BUZ; truncating the 359 Albany Creek to Mitchelton but in return making it a BUZ; giving 454 Riverhills-City BUZ frequency; adding a Morningside to City BUZ; adding a Tagium to City via Webster Rd BUZ; and making the 185 Garden City to Valley a BUZ.
But, I would also add 110 Inala to PA-Hospital via Acacia Ridge, and 220 Wynnum to City via Tingalpa to the BUZ candidacy list as well.
Although to be honest, we should be moving away from the BUZ, as it is quite resource-intensive to have numerous buses heading into the City and out again to the suburbs, every 10-15 minutes, in both directions.
Instead, we need to create some high-frequency cross-town routes, like a Wacol to Springwood. Or an Albany Creek to Sandgate. And where possible, make it as direct as possible, with minimal backtracking (the 122 Inala - Garden City is guilty of this through Acacia Ridge, Archerfield, and Macgregor).
Seemingly, the only cross-town routes that are beaming with popularity are 155 Eight Mile Plains to Griffith University via Sunnybank, 177 Griffith University to Carindale via Mt Gravatt East, 369 Mitchelton to Toombul via Eagle Junction, 590 Garden City to Toombul via Carindale, and the 598/599 Great Circle Line. And what exactly do they have in common? They don’t behave like the 122, which is trying to do a thousand things at once. It also helps that they do have reasonably good frequencies (20-30 minute headways).
Other roures that are notorious in backtracking too much are 327 Toombul to Strathpine/Bald Hills, 354 Mitchelton to Chermside via Stafford, and 358 Chermside to Strathpine via Albany Creek. They also suffer from infrequent headways (hourly) and abysmally short hours of operation.
The whole philosphy of the BUZ from day 1 should’ve been a grid of high-frequency buses that allowed seamless cross-town connectivity between the suburbs, Brisbane City’s principal activity centres, and the alike.
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Keen to draw up a list, and also hear thoughts.
What do members think about services like 300 Toombul perhaps moving to terminate at DFO instead. There are shops at DFO and the Woolworths there is 24 hours.
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Chermside is a far more useful terminus. BUZ hours are 6 am-11:30 pm, which is 17.5 hours/day. DFO is open 10 am-6 pm, so less than half the BUZ operating hours. Outside of that, it’s basically a Woolworths and a gym. Hardly worth having an extra route serving it.
Chermside has cinemas, restaurants, 3 supermarkets, and Kmart that are all open past 6 pm, in addition to many bus transfer opportunities. DFO has the 590, which can already be easily reached at Toombul.
Your description of Skygate is a few years old. In that time, some large venues have opened up that operate well past 6pm:
And more are coming: