The Mass Transit Action Group (Mtag) is a Sunshine Coast community group dedicated to ensuring that the Sunshine Coast Regional Council's "mass transit" Business Case reflects the needs and aspirations of the community. Subscribe for regular email updates from Mtag:
Register on their website: https://www.masstransitsc.com/register
Follow Mtag on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SCMassTransit
The Beach Matters (BM) community group are committed to preserving Alex, Maroochy, Mooloolaba and Kawana beaches and access to them. Make contact and join their private facebook group.
Follow BM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebeachmatters
Public Consultation, the Survey and the Draft Options Analysis Report
Community consultation on Council's "mass transit" proposal has started and runs until 22 June. Silence implies consent and a lack of response is tacit approval of Council’s proposal. There are alternatives - different routes and density options to their $2billion proposal for the 13.6km route.
There are several ways to have your say on Council's "mass transit" plan outlined in the Draft Options Analysis Report. We recommend you do both.
1. Participate in Council’s survey either ONLINE, or on their PAPER-based survey form, click HERE;
2. Write a submission in your own words,click HERE for more details
What is in the Draft Options Analysis report?
In this report, Council has deemed the coastal corridor from Maroochydore to Birtinya (SCUH) as their Priority Area 1. They are proposing a fixed infrastructure public transport system (akin to the Gold Coast's light rail) which runs along the centre of the road. They refer to this as "mass transit" which applies to the identical 13.6km route as the #600 bus and at a cost in excess of $2 billion.
Other route and transport options have been disregarded by Council as a priority, such as heavy or fast rail along the State owned transport corridor (also known as CAMCOS) and connecting Maroochydore to Brisbane. Council's preferred route (close to the beaches) is their 1st priority due to “desired land use outcomes, ... to influence urban change and increase urban consolidation…” (page 315, item 10) which simply means rezoning for development opportunities - densification with multi-storey apartment buildings.
Although 9 transport options are referenced for this 13.6km route, Council's survey disregards 4 of those 9 options and only considers these 5 modes which target "desired land use outcomes". Scenario 1 in the survey references “4 to 6 storey buildings with the occasional 8 storey building”.
BRT Bus Rapid Transit **
LRT Light Rail Transit **
TT Trackless Tram **
wLRT Wire free Light Rail Transit **
QBC Quality Bus Corridor
Council's proposed $2billion preferred mass transit route will ONLY deliver a new mode of public transport along the same 13.6km route as the #600 bus; it will NOT provide region-wide improved public transport. The 1st 4 of these 5 options above (marked as **) have many similarities:
(1) positioned in the centre of the road (you will walk 1/2 way across the road for access);
(2) significant infrastructure is required for the centre-of the-road stations and the off-road park'n'ride facilities with paid-parking opportunities;
(3) at least 2 vehicle lanes will be removed, on-street parking removed, property resumptions and other changes to enable multi-storey development along beach corridor route;
(4) barriers to the beachfront will be created along areas such as Alexandra Headlands;
(5) significant loss of amenity for residents (transformation to apartment-dwelling suburbs)
(6) disregard for the environmental impacts on resident fauna and migratory species negatively impacted by increases in artificial light at night (ALAN) due to increased densification.
What are the alternatives?
Change the route and change the modes of transport, YES!
We need an integrated transport plan with suitable infrastructure that provides a whole-of-region public transport solution - modern, efficient, economically sustainable with flexible, demand-driven routes, preferably delivered by non-fossil fuelled vehicles. With a connectivity priority, an alternative "smart green bus system" serving east-west, north-south and linked to heavy or fast rail services along CAMCOS corridor would also provide connectivity to/from the rest of the State. There are opportunities to increase densities around the future town centres of the greenfield sites to cater for future population growth beyond that already catered for in the current Planning Scheme.
How to Navigate Council’s Survey?
Despite its frustrating complexity and perceived bias, please persist in completing the survey and have your say. Silence implies your consent;
The online survey requires you to "register" to do the survey (if you don't already have an account). Just do it! Start the survey, save your answers as you go, then review your responses, before submitting;
Allow at least half an hour, maybe more to complete the survey;
Use the comments boxes (provided with some of the questions) to record your views;
It may be useful to prepare, in advance, your responses for the comments boxes, perhaps in a Word document, before you complete the survey - easy to copy and paste into the online survey.
If you oppose Council's "mass transit" plan, then choose non-supportive responses and add your comments. Eg, questions 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 ask you “What social, economic or environmental benefits or impacts do you think a BRT, LRT, TT, wLRT or QBC... system would have for you?"
"None ... " with some extra words is a good start. Make it clear that NONE of these 5 options are right for the Sunshine Coast region.
If you believe the CAMCOS corridor should be the #1 priority then, add this to your comments. Alternatively, region-wide bus network services might be your #1 priority, if so, please say so.
Council's Draft Options Analysis document is on their website and also on the Mtag website. The document has 316 numbered pages, and downloads as 358 pages in pdf format. This includes a 23 page executive summary (starting at page 15) - recommended reading.
What can you do now?
Please don't remain silent and imply your consent to the $2billion "mass transit" plan that is inseparable from rezoning for development opportunities - densification with multi-storey apartment buildings along the 13.6km coastal corridor.
Encourage everyone you know to do Council's survey (no matter how frustrating). Also write a submission to Council if you feel you wish to say more than provided for in the survey. All links are on the Mtag website: https://www.masstransitsc.com/consultation
Help spread the word. Share this email (or an extract) and ask your friends and contacts to register at the Mtag website for timely updates, register HERE
If Council's "mass transit" proposal progresses, it will require both State and Federal government funding. We are encouraging everyone to also sign two State Government petitions and one Federal Government petition. It only takes 1 or 2 minutes to sign each one, thanks.
Click HERE to sign Mtag's State petition
Click HERE to sign Beach Matters State petition
Click HERE to sign Andrew Wallace's Federal Petition
