Sunshine Coast mass transit draft options analysis report reveals Sunshine Coast Council’s ambitious targets for public transport growth
Public transport use will have to grow by almost 7 per cent each year for a quarter of a century if the council is to achieve its target by 2041.
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Public transport use will have to grow by almost 7 per cent each year for a quarter of a century if Sunshine Coast Council is to achieve its target of 10 per cent of trips being taken on public transport by 2041.
The ambitious goal was revealed in the 316-page Sunshine Coast Mass Transit Draft Options Analysis report released on Wednesday to mark the start of an eight-week public consultation process.
The report revealed the rate of usage of public transport in the region had fallen by 2 per cent over the past decade, leaving an ambitious growth rate of 6.6 per cent a year required to reach Sunshine Coast Council's goal of 10 per cent mode share for public transport in 20 years' time.
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The draft report recommended Stage 1 of the Sunshine Coast Mass Transit system, a 13.6km stretch from Maroochydore to Birtinya, be operational by 2027 with construction to start in 2024.
Four technology options have been recommended for progression to a detailed business case - trackless trams, light rail, wireless light rail and bus rapid transit system.
A cheaper option to upgrade existing bus services was also recommended to be pushed ahead for further analysis "either as a staging option or as ultimate option - quality bus corridor in kerbside bus lanes, using lowest emission buses that are commercially viable".
The report found light rail and wireless light rail had the potential to reach the highest cost-benefit ratio, with both options also tipped to produce the highest benefits, followed closely by trackless trams, bus rapid transit and a quality bus corridor.
Economic modelling of the net project values showed a quality bus corridor was the cheapest at $881.4 million, followed by bus rapid transit ($2.38 billion), trackless tram ($2.39 billion), wireless light rail ($2.64 billion) and light rail ($2.67 billion).
Light rail and rapid bus options were forecast to have more than 61,000 boardings a day in 2041, compared to 45,370 on an improved bus network and 36,201 for the base case, which involved a do-minimum scenario of funded or committed upgrades, minor works and maintenance.
The draft report found the region would need to create 75,000 more jobs by 2041 and daily vehicle trips were tipped to grow to 1.528m a day in 2041.
Existing urban expansion areas were also analysed as part of the report.
Across Stockland's Caloundra South (Aura) estate, AVID Property Group's Harmony estate at Palmview and the yet-to-be developed Beerwah East a population of 116,000 people was to be housed in an eventual total of 46,397 dwellings.
As of May, 2020, it was estimated about 3200 of those dwellings had been created.
Congestion modelling showed without major intervention the annual cost of traffic jams would grow by 290 per cent to $1.45 billion annually by 2041.
In the urban corridor congestion costs were tipped to grow to $1 billion, while traffic would cost $500 million a year by 2041 between Kawana and Maroochydore.
Without intervention the report states an extra 830,000 daily vehicle trips on the Sunshine Coast transport network would be taken by 2041.
The draft report pitted the first stage of mass transit with 16 stops from Maroochydore to Birtinya up against the long-awaited CAMCOS heavy rail project and in particular an extension from Birtinya to Maroochydore with three stations at Parrearra, Mooloolaba and the Maroochydore CBD.
It showed 53,765 more people would live within 800m of mass transit station than CAMCOS, due in part to the increased number of stations.
The report also noted that 77 per cent of Coast workers travelled to a destination within the region, with only 5 per cent working in metropolitan Brisbane.
The modelling forecast 22,000 less vehicle kilometres would be travelled with the first stage of mass transit in place compared to CAMCOS.
However the difference in use of private cars or public transport appeared minimal, with 97.8 per cent of trips to be made by car with CAMCOS in place compared to 97.1 per cent with mass transit.
Only 2.9 per cent of trips would be made by public transport with mass transit stage one in place compared to 2.2 per cent with CAMCOS.
Public transport mode share was tipped to increase with mass transit, up to 9.8 per cent of trips, compared to 5.4 per cent with CAMCOS in operation.
The report also found daily traffic on the Nicklin Way around the Kawana Shoppingworld would increase by almost 31,000 extra cars a day and Caloundra Road would increase by about 37,900 vehicles a day by 2041.
Three stages of testing confirmed findings of the strategic business case and interim report, that a mass transit corridor from Maroochydore to Caloundra was a high priority for investment.
The report recommended staging of the project be confirmed as:
Stage 1: Local mass transit in the urban corridor from Maroochydore to Sunshine Coast University Hospital
Stage 2: Connection from the hospital/Birtinya town centre to Beerwah and the existing North Coast Rail Line, most likely as heavy rail
Stage 3: Extension of local mass transit system south along urban corridor to Caloundra
Stage 4: Connection from Birtinya town centre to Maroochydore CBD via CAMCOS corridor, most likely as heavy rail
Stage 5: Longer term connection from Maroochydore CBD to Sunshine Coast Airport via either local mass transit or regional heavy rail
Originally published as Sunshine Coast mass transit draft options analysis report reveals Sunshine Coast Council’s ambitious targets for public transport growth
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