Gold Coast traffic: Why better public transport is only workable solution

One afternoon, one vital service pulled, and a tangle of cars clogging streets has exposed what needs to happen if the Gold Coast is to escape a future of endless gridlock, writes Keith Woods.

Sometimes to take two steps forward you must take one step back.

The experience of Gold Coast Suns and Brisbane Lions fans attempting to make their way to the People First Stadium in Carrara last Saturday was a good case in point.

This columnist was among them.

Somewhat maddeningly, the usual means of getting there – by train – was unavailable because the line was closed.

The experience of travelling from Helensvale to Nerang station by car instead was illuminating.

The M1 southbound was barely moving. Google Maps recommended avoiding it altogether and taking back roads. It meant what was normally a five-minute trip became a 25-minute journey.

And that was before trying to find a car park on arrival, with the unfortunate residents of Riverview Rd and surrounding streets find their neighbourhood crammed with a tangle of vehicles.

Helensvale train station, where no trains ran at the weekend. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

It was definitely one step back. But it will be two steps forward – the closure was to facilitate work on new stations at Pimpama, Hope Island and Merrimac. When they are finished, it will be easier than ever for more Gold Coast residents to hop on a train to future Suns games, and other events at our stadiums.

The experience last Saturday was also a good reminder of how good quality public transport options can make a big difference on the Gold Coast. Having given driving a go, and seen how long it takes, this columnist will most certainly be taking the train when it’s available in future.

It’s just the easiest and quickest way to get there, no contest.

How the new Pimpama train station will look when it is completed.

Later this week your columnist must drive to Gold Coast Airport to catch a flight to Sydney.

In this case, of course, driving is the only realistic option. Which means a significant amount of time lodged in traffic.

This columnist would happily take a train there if available – like the trip to the stadium, it would likely be by far the quickest and easiest option. And cheaper too, when one considers the cost of airport parking.

But as we all know very well, such a prospect remains a long distance away. Even the prospect of light rail to the airport appears to be receding – in inverse proportion to the manner in which its projected cost appears to grow.

Goldlinq CEO Phil Mumford at recent celebrations to mark ten years of light rail on the Gold Coast. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Which brings your columnist to the great controversy over the LNP’s announcement that it will review the light rail Stage 4 project if it wins government in October, with “all routes and modes” on the table.

The fear for many was that this would mean the Gold Coast losing out. That what in fact would be delivered would be little or nothing.

It had led Treasurer Cameron Dick to make the pointed observation that David Crisafulli has promised the Sunshine Coast heavy rail, yet “all the Gold Coast gets is a review”.

This would indeed be a travesty.

Mr Crisafulli has now told this columnist that this would not be the case. That the Gold Coast would get its share and doing nothing “is not an option”.

“There needs to be a proper infrastructure plan for the Coast and this place will get its fair share,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

If Mr Crisafulli wins power and is as good as his word, the LNP’s review could thus be a welcome thing. It will especially be a positive move if what emerges is a more serious transport plan for the Gold Coast as a whole which seeks to address the traffic nightmare in places like Robina (where, it must be remembered, Gold Coast-based athletes will stay during the 2032 Olympics).

Any such plan, of course, must surely have further expansion of the successful light rail system at its heart, even if changes are made to the existing stage four proposal.

In just the few short years since Covid, the Gold Coast has changed dramatically. The population has grown faster than expected, particularly in the city’s north. It seems like a good time to take stock.

Delaying the light rail rollout any further may seem like madness. Just as pulling train services for a sold-out game at Carrara involving fans making their way from Brisbane, at first glance, also appears like madness.

But if it’s one step back that allows two steps forward, it may be a temporary inconvenience well worth enduring.

A COSTLY VIEW

Amid the brouhaha about the new ‘View Tax’ rather suddenly and unexpectedly thrust upon owners of high rise units when they received their rates bill last week, a significant point went unnoticed.

Many house owners were actually breathing a sigh of relief when the dreaded bill hit their inboxes.

They were the suburban homeowners braced for big rises after being informed earlier this year that the value of the land their houses sit on - used as part of rates calculations - had soared significantly.

By and large, such people seem to have escaped with relatively modest rises.

Clearly some important work has gone on to soften the blow for those people.

Why owners of high rise units were singled out for large raises is another matter, however.

Like the council’s opaque rating system, it remains something of a mystery.

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