Gold Coast light rail: One way it’s many times better than driving your car

Amid the debate about the pros and cons of light rail, one key issue has surprisingly been left off the list. But it may be the most important factor of all.

Reporters at this newspaper encountered a gruesome and confronting scene on Monday.

A man lying on a road, being treated by paramedics. Battered vehicles. Broken pieces of two cars strewn across lanes. Blood spattered over airbags and the side of a vehicle.

The result of a crash between two vehicles on Ferry Rd in Southport in which two men were seriously injured.

Even for seasoned reporters, these scenes are never the easiest to witness. Yet, as our city and its traffic problems grow, it is sadly an ever more common sight.

That’s not just anecdotal, it’s borne out by statistics. In the last financial year 951 people were hospitalised after crashes on Gold Coast and Logan roads – a record high.

This year, 15 people have so far been killed due to crashes. And we’re only just into June.

A tram pulling serenely - and safely - into a stop at Southport. Picture: Mike Batterham.

Compare these statistics with those for public transport on the Gold Coast, and in particular light rail.

In almost ten years of operation, and despite now recording more than 10 million passenger trips per year, nobody has ever been killed by a tram on the Gold Coast. Injuries are so rare they can be counted as a freak occurrence. Indeed, in complete contrast to accidents involving cars, this columnist struggles to remember the last time anyone was injured by a tram.

And that’s despite the amount of ‘happy’ punters who stumble in its path of a Saturday night in Surfers Paradise.

There was the young bloke who had fallen asleep on the trucks in Surfers Paradise in 2018 - he was hit at 5am and had severe leg injuries but survived.

According to the Tracksafe Foundation, between 2016 and 2023 there were no deaths on the Gold Coast light rail, four serious injuries and 42 minor injuries. The majority of injuries were said to be because of “slips, trips and falls”.

Work on stage three of the light rail from Broadbeach to Burleigh.

There has been renewed focus in the last two weeks on the pros and cons of light rail since the Bulletin revealed that the LNP is planning to put the brakes on plans to extend the system to Gold Coast Airport if it wins government in October.

Valid concerns have been raised about the wisdom of that route, in particular due to the projected cost.

Less valid are concerns about the light rail’s safety. Suggestions that anti-social behaviour is rife and trams – suggestions, by the way, this column would strongly dispute – ignore the fact that anti-social behaviour on our roads is no less terrifying. Witness the many road rage incidents this newspaper reports on, or the video we published at the weekend showing aggressive tailgating behaviour.

Our roads are becoming ever more clogged – and with that added traffic has come a greater number of serious crashes. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

If it sometimes feels that every time you take to congested Gold Coast roads these days, you are taking your life in your hands, well that’s because it’s true. One bad move by a hyped up, impatient numpty and the next vehicle you travel in will be driven by one of our fine Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics.

The same is not true of light rail, or other public transport modes.

Amid all the debate about this city’s transport woes, the safety benefits of light rail appear to be the forgotten benefit.

All the focus is on how we get around quickly. But surely getting people around safely is more important?

An image of how light rail will look at Nobby Beach.

Whether it’s light rail or heavy rail or some other mode, the extraordinary growth of this city means a serious public transport network is an absolute must.

Light and heavy rail are certainly both expensive options, but doing nothing would be far worse.

In fact, for some people and their families, it could be the most costly option of all.

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Originally published as Gold Coast light rail: One way it’s many times better than driving your car