Future light rail: the key is not making the mistakes of the past and opening up rail stops

Council officers have been working on detailed designs for the new light rail stations, hoping to "revitalise" a number of key locations.

COUNCIL officers have been working on detailed designs around the stations for the next stage of light rail while the state and federal governments nutted out their funding arrangement.

Councillors have been told that the time spent waiting for the funding wrangle to be resolved was spent on “corridor readiness” for the southern extension of the trams from Broadbeach to Burleigh.

COUNCIL PLANS TO PRESERVE UNIQUE SUBURBS ALONG TRAM ROUTE

Broadbeach South Light Rail station. Pic: Mike Batterham.

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One of the main aims is considering what can be done to “revitalise Nobby Beach” through concept design to ensure maximum use of the light rail precinct.

Burleigh Heads, which will feature as the last station, is also in the planning spotlight.

Officers said the focus was “to significantly enhance the public realm, pedestrian activity and green spaces”.

“We will also look at the corridor north-south but also crossing out into suburbia. What does it look like from a whole corridor, urban design point of view,” an officer told councillors.

Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3A — artist impression of Burleigh Heads station.

“We want to take the opportunity to look beyond the kerb. We know that there will be changes to the local parking system as people try to access the system. There will be some loss of parking in terms on the Gold Coast Highway with the reallocation of kerbside space.”

Officers revealed they were looking at the option of a “more mature and contemporary parking management approach for the corridor” which would cover the impact on suburban streets.

“We are looking at a traffic impact study,” an officer said. “We will do analysis of how the local network can operate safely and efficiently, not just with light rail.”

Aware of the early problems which arose after light rail in Stage 1 started in the Southport CBD, councillors want problems solved like east-west connectivity to the trams.

The Burleigh Heads station.

Officers told them there had been a strong positive response from stakeholders to Stage 3A.

“It gives them a confidence we are thinking beyond a transport project. There has been some very positive engagement with Cr (Pauline) Young’s constituents in this space,” an officer said.

Hinterland-based councillor Peter Young told the briefing he was pleased to see the focus on the active transport element.

“If we don’t focus on the cyclists in particular in that whole corridor then we are missing a vital opportunity that will never present itself again,” he said.

“I think we need to seriously look at that. Of course it takes up space to have a dedicated cycleway for example. There was mention of wider footpaths — I hope out of that we got something even if we can’t deliver at the outset, having a plan for it.

“I think part of our failure with say Stage 1 light rail was the translation from the pretty drawings to reality in the sense of urban presentation and addition to the streetscape.”