Trains take traffic off roads, increase safety

It was very obvious prior to the 2011 state election that the Liberal-National Party had no intention of honouring their promises to ‘get the trains running’. Their so-called study was put together in 2013 specifically to justify that decision.

The ARUP ‘study’, without doing any inspections, claimed all 28 bridges on the Lismore to Byron section of the line need to be replaced at hugely inflated cost.

They included the cost of replacing bridges on the Byron to Mullum section of the line that do not even exist!

The transport needs of 4.6 million tourists to the region didn’t rate a mention.

Legal action has been commenced against ARUP in Brisbane over losses to investors relating to their traffic forecasts for the Clem7 Brisbane Tunnel. Some serious reasons why the ARUP study is dismissed.

There’s no comparison between a daily, regular commuter train providing a service for eight out 10 of the major population centres on the line and 4.6 million tourists, and the big, heavy, expensive Ritz Rail tourist train which only ran once a week and did not provide transport for anyone.

One train carrying 100 people into Byron could take 50 vehicles off Ewingsdale Road. Six trips per day equals 300 vehicles per day.

A cycleway will do nothing to reduce traffic and carbon emissions, it will increase both as people will have to drive to the region to use it!

The ARUP recommendations about bus services have as much credibility as the rest of their ‘study’.

People extolling the virtues of buses obviously never use them. They should try travelling to Brisbane using public transport and see how long it takes.

Local buses are empty as they don’t connect people to where they need to go, and, like all road transport trying to get into Byron, they are stuck in traffic for hours.

Louise Doran, Ocean Shores