Cr Jono Sri protests weak public transport in Brisbane

More than 100 residents were joined by Cr Jonathan Sri to protest the “unexplained” closure of a ferry stop in Kangaroo Point and the “systemic failure” of the suburb’s public transport network.

Councillor for the Gabba Ward, Jonathan Sri helped lead a protest Saturday morning in front of a 100-strong crowd angered by the closure of a ferry stop in Kangaroo Point.

Last July, the Dockside ferry stop was closed by Brisbane City Council ‘with no explanation’ according to local commuters.

Council announced last year the temporary closure was due to mandatory upgrades for accessibility in line with legislation, namely the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA).

While organisers welcome the upgrades which introduce minimum accessibility requirements to public infrastructure such as ramps, access paths and boarding devices; they say they have been left in the dark with no idea when services would resume from the stop.

Cr Jonathan Sri said the upgrades are welcomed but council has had since 2011 to implement upgrades.

“Basically what you have now is the council scrambling to meet self-imposed deadlines from a decade ago and there is simply not enough replacement services to cover the closures” Cr Sri said.

“It is disappointing that these closures continue to impact people in Kangaroo Point who are basically forced to drive to work because the public transport options are so dire” he said.
“This is a systemic failure due to a lack of funding, cuts to public transport in the inner-city simply should not be happening.”
In a video posted to Facebook, Cr Sri said residents in neighbouring suburb of South Brisbane only have around 28 per cent commuting to work via car, and the figure almost doubles for Kangaroo Point residents.

Kangaroo Point residents attend protest following closure of Dockside ferry stop in July 2020, and broader issues around public transport in the inner-city suburb.

Event organiser Jane Layton said council seemed disinterested in helping provide temporary replacement services and has failed to keep the public informed.

“It is very frustrating and the lack of services has put the most vulnerable and needy at risk” Mrs Layton said.

“Our petition which we have given to council has almost 400 signatures, we were going to wait until the one-year anniversary of the closure but all the residents who rely on the services are fed up” she said.

Over 100 residents protested at the site of the temporarily closed Dockside ferry stop, where they also lamented the permanent closure of the Thornton Street and Norman Park stops and the prolonged upgrades at Eagle Street Pier.

Public and Active Transport Chair, Ryan Murphy said he was sorry for the inconvenience but safety must come first.

“I sincerely apologise to residents for the inconvenience we have caused by taking the monohull ferries out of service, but safety must come first” Cr Murphy said.

“Council has investigated temporary works to facilitate KittyCat services at Dockside, however, they were not feasible for safety & engineering reasons” he said.

Water Police present at Kangaroo Point ferry closure protest on Saturday 29 May.

Responding to Cr Sri’s claims that public transport was poor across the city, particularly in Kangaroo Point, Cr Murphy said the Schrinner Council was making unprecedented investments into the suburb.

“The Schrinner Council is making the biggest investment into active transport on the peninsula in history by building the $190m Kangaroo Point Green Bridge” Cr Murphy said.

“While only one in 8 peninsula residents walk to work today, 50 per cent say they will use the bridge once it’s built” he said.

Residents claim they have no idea when the Dockside stop will resume but Cr Murphy says updates are on the way.
“We will be making more announcements around the time frames for these upgrades in our June budget” he said.

Protesters also spoke against the lack of bus services, including the temporary closure of the 234 stop at Baildon Street not due to reopen until August, and the inconvenient shuttle bus which runs only to Eagle Street.