News & Discussion: O-Bahn

[duke]

The foundations of car-park next to the TTP interchange are going in. Some of the steel frame has started going up.
It is a lot bigger than I thought it would be.

TEA TREE PLAZA O-Bahn Interchange Commuter Car Park
A multi-level car park accommodating 700 parking spaces will be built adjacent the Tea Tree Plaza (TTP) O-Bahn Interchange at Modbury.
The TTP O-Bahn Interchange is a key transit route in the north-eastern suburbs, and is an essential component of the overall upgrade of the O-Bahn Interchange. Provision of additional commuter facilities is seen as a high priority in achieving the State Government’s strategic framework for Greater Adelaide.
Supporting services for the O-Bahn transport infrastructure will also take pressure off road infrastructure in the north-eastern corridor of metropolitan Adelaide by reducing the volume of private motor vehicles travelling on the road.
The multi-level car park will be constructed adjacent the TTP O-Bahn Interchange in the north-west corner of the TAFE SA Tea Tree Gully Campus site.
Key elements of the car park include;
An additional 300 parking spaces over that currently provided, with the completed car park providing up to 700 parking spaces conveniently located adjacent the Tea Tree Plaza O-Bahn Interchange.
A total of 14 disabled car parking spaces and 6 motorcycle parking spaces will be provided.
Entry / exit to the car park will be via the existing Interchange access road off Smart road, with improvements to the O-Bahn access road to facilitate bus and car access.
Natural ventilation, with solid walling to the northern elevation (to prevent noise transfer and overlooking of adjacent residents).
Additional landscaping around the periphery of the building, including the incorporation of existing mature trees.
Security lighting and CCTV to promote security for patrons and those walking through the site.

[Nathan]

O-Bahn user June Ranford: "Why can't it just be $2 all round?"

Because providing services such as transport and parking costs money?

[monotonehell]

O-Bahn user June Ranford: "Why can't it just be $2 all round?"

Because providing services such as transport and parking costs money?

Because people using a service for other than it is intended should be discouraged.

Of course if Golden Grove and its ilk had through streets that could allow door to door bus services to penetrate those suburbs, people wouldn't need to park and ride.

[Patrick_27]

I have a better idea, spend $500 million and build a four-lane Modbury Freeway that can service both buses and cars. You've got the space, use it.

[duke]

I have a better idea, spend $500 million and build a four-lane Modbury Freeway that can service both buses and cars. You've got the space, use it.

That is the worst idea. We need to encourage more people to take public transport instead of driving.
More traffic to the city would just create more problems.

[Vee]

I like all the developments in expanding park and ride facilities at public transport interchanges eg TTP, Klemzig, Ent Centre, Mount Barker. The parking is relatively cheap and the additional CCTV monitoring adds to safety. Best of all, it removes more cars off the roads and decreases traffic congestion.

More commuters using public transport should increase the frequency of services and schedule options, particularly during extended peak periods, adding to efficiency, viability and attractiveness of PT. Greater ownership of smart phones and tablets and increased coverage should make the journey more pleasant and productive (workers, students).

Widening more roads encourages more commuter cars until these get choked and this impacts on other vehicles eg tradies, service delivery vehicles etc.

[Waewick]

at what point would they use feeder buses to pick people up rather than encouraging people to drive?

I mean if they use small buses (say max 20 people) to run around surrounding suburbs to feed into the bus wouldn't that be more efficient. ?

[rhino]

at what point would they use feeder buses to pick people up rather than encouraging people to drive?

I mean if they use small buses (say max 20 people) to run around surrounding suburbs to feed into the bus wouldn't that be more efficient. ?

I guess for morning and evening peak it would serve to keep a few more cars off the nearby roads, but the efficiency has to be weighed against cost of supplying 3 or 4 small busses, with drivers, to do the job.

[monotonehell]

at what point would they use feeder buses to pick people up rather than encouraging people to drive?

I mean if they use small buses (say max 20 people) to run around surrounding suburbs to feed into the bus wouldn't that be more efficient. ?

Feeder buses have their place but remember that a connection from one service to another adds 20 virtual minutes to a potential passenger's perception of a journey. That is often enough to make people decide to drive instead of taking PT. Other things that add virtual minutes to a journey include lack of shelter at a stop, and distance to the nearest transport. (I seem to have lost the reference to the studies that showed this I'll add it later if I find it.)

[Waewick]

at what point would they use feeder buses to pick people up rather than encouraging people to drive?

I mean if they use small buses (say max 20 people) to run around surrounding suburbs to feed into the bus wouldn't that be more efficient. ?

Feeder buses have their place but remember that a connection from one service to another adds 20 virtual minutes to a potential passenger's perception of a journey. That is often enough to make people decide to drive instead of taking PT. Other things that add virtual minutes to a journey include lack of shelter at a stop, and distance to the nearest transport. (I seem to have lost the reference to the studies that showed this I'll add it later if I find it.)

yes, did forget the perceived travel time in regards to that.

I guess it isn't made any better by the poor track record of PT in Adelaide, I wonder how it would be if people were more comfortable that buses were leaving say every 5 minutes so the connector bus didn't add a level of stress in terms of missing your bus

another question for you, was is the virtual minutes of buses compared to trains.

[Brucetiki]

at what point would they use feeder buses to pick people up rather than encouraging people to drive?

I mean if they use small buses (say max 20 people) to run around surrounding suburbs to feed into the bus wouldn't that be more efficient. ?

Doesn't this somewhat happen already on weekends. Feeder buses go to TTP or Paradise then everyone is transferred to a C1 service for the O-Bahn trip.

[monotonehell]

...another question for you, was is the virtual minutes of buses compared to trains.

I REALLY wish I could find the study paper again. As it was shown that there is little difference between trains and buses when you add up all the virtual minutes. The reasons trains get "bonus points" in the public's perception is mostly not down to the mode of travel, but to the amenities associated with the mode. Things like sheltered stations, clearly delineated routes, clear route and timetable information. Most of these things are not unique to the mode and can be added to or taken away to either mode. The examples given were the Adelaide OBahn, and the Brisbane Busways, Melbourne's on-street trams, amongst others.

It showed that a busway can be improved to have the same (or better) virtual minutes to a train line, and that a train line can be 'un-improved' to have a worse perception than a bus. The most interesting conclusion, I thought, was that by adding all these objective criteria together, you get the real worth of a transit line aside from all the emotion associated with trains V busses.

[claybro]

Waewick wrote:
at what point would they use feeder buses to pick people up rather than encouraging people to drive?

I mean if they use small buses (say max 20 people) to run around surrounding suburbs to feed into the bus wouldn't that be more efficient. ?

Feeder buses have their place but remember that a connection from one service to another adds 20 virtual minutes to a potential passenger's perception of a journey. That is often enough to make people decide to drive instead of taking PT. Other things that add virtual minutes to a journey include lack of shelter at a stop, and distance to the nearest transport. (I seem to have lost the reference to the studies that showed this I'll add it later if I find it.)

yes, did forget the perceived travel time in regards to that.

I guess it isn't made any better by the poor track record of PT in Adelaide, I wonder how it would be if people were more comfortable that buses were leaving say every 5 minutes so the connector bus didn't add a level of stress in terms of missing your bus

another question for you, was is the virtual minutes of buses compared to trains.

Now I thought the whole selling point of the O Bahn, and possibly its only advantage over a train was the single seat journey. If we start pfaffing around with feeder services from the surrounding suburbs to change buses at the interchanges, it kind of negates the point. Better to just convert the track to a high frequency fast train if we go down that path.

[mattblack]

Surely the capacity that can be offered by train services would negate anything that buses could offer?

[Waewick]

...another question for you, was is the virtual minutes of buses compared to trains.

I REALLY wish I could find the study paper again. As it was shown that there is little difference between trains and buses when you add up all the virtual minutes. The reasons trains get "bonus points" in the public's perception is mostly not down to the mode of travel, but to the amenities associated with the mode. Things like sheltered stations, clearly delineated routes, clear route and timetable information. Most of these things are not unique to the mode and can be added to or taken away to either mode. The examples given were the Adelaide OBahn, and the Brisbane Busways, Melbourne's on-street trams, amongst others.

It showed that a busway can be improved to have the same (or better) virtual minutes to a train line, and that a train line can be 'un-improved' to have a worse perception than a bus. The most interesting conclusion, I thought, was that by adding all these objective criteria together, you get the real worth of a transit line aside from all the emotion associated with trains V busses.

thanks, it is in an interesting topic.