The major Brisbane roads where Greens want more bus, transit lanes

The Greens will unveil plans to turn traffic lanes on six Brisbane roads into bus lanes or transit lanes as part of their proposal to ease congestion by improving the bus network.

Traffic on Brisbane’s Kelvin Grove Rd

The Greens will unveil plans to turn traffic lanes on six Brisbane roads into bus lanes or transit lanes as part of their proposal to ease congestion by improving the bus network.

Lord mayoral candidate Jonathan Sriranganathan is confident the plan can be rolled out within the four years if he gains power in Brisbane City Council at the March 16 election.

The Greens’ proposed lane changes are part of their broader Brissie Bus Boost initiative, which Mr Sriranganathan acknowledges is a complex proposal, but he is adamant that it will be cheaper and simpler in the long run instead of continued road-widening projects.

The Greens will on Friday commit to turning existing lanes on Coronation Drive, Mains Rd and Kelvin Grove Rd into bus or transit lanes to support more high-frequency buses.

The party also has plans for other bus lanes and T2/T3 lanes on the Lutwyche, Ipswich and Old Cleveland Road corridors.

On Coronation Drive, the third inbound lane would be converted to a dedicated bus lane, while the second outbound lane would be converted to a T3 transit lane.

On the Mains Rd corridor through Sunnybank between Compton Rd and Omeo St, the third lane in each direction would be converted to a dedicated bus lane.

Between Omeo St and the Pacific Motorway, the third inbound lane on Mains Rd would be converted to a bus lane, while the second outbound lane would become a T3 lane.

On Kelvin Grove Rd, the existing transit lanes would be changed to dedicated bus lanes, and extended from Windsor to Samford Road at Alderley.

The Greens have also previously announced a plan to roll out free public transport.

The Greens’ overarching Bus Boost proposal is costed at $169 million per year, with $39 million to come from Brisbane City Council. But crucially, the party is relying on the remaining required funding to come from the State Government.

Mr Sriranganathan said he ultimately wanted to repurpose the council’s existing average expenditure of $160 million per year on road widening and intersection expansion works.

“In order to accommodate so many more high-frequency bus services, we have to ensure buses won’t get held up in general traffic,” he said.

“It wouldn’t happen straight away, this would be a staged process with plenty of public consultation, but even if we can’t get the state government to help pay for the improved bus services, we still think there is a case for more bus lanes in these corridors.

“If buses become the fastest and most reliable way to move across the city, thousands will choose to catch the bus instead of driving.”

Labor lord mayoral candidate Tracey Price agreed that Brisbane needs more frequent buses on expanded routes across the city.

“However, I don’t think that commuters who use Coronation Drive, Mains Road and Kelvin Grove Road want existing lanes on these already busy roads shut down as the way to address congestion,” she said.