Bus into Brisbane

Brisbane: 24th July 2010

In Sydney, they have the T-way bus-lane system; in Adelaide, they have the O-bahn kerb-guided busway; Brisbane has a sort of combination of the two, a bit like the O-bahn, but they don’t need a specially adapted bus to use it. That’s the Brisbane Busway, a completely separate system of roads, bridges and tunnels reserved exclusively for the buses.

So, they can whisk commuters, shoppers and travellers into the city centre as quickly as an urban train can. In fact, the whole system is somewhat reminiscent of the railway; you even wait for a bus at a ‘platform’. But, it has a much greater flexibility. Several buses can use a station at once … and can leave the ‘tracks’ at the end, and become a conventional bus once more.

A short distance from the busway is the Wheel of Brisbane. It stands in parkland on the site of the Expo 88 exhibition, the sole remnant of which is the ornately carved Tibetan Pagoda. This wheel itself offers a 12-minute ride, which gives to a good bird’s-eye view of the city, and a commentary stating what’s to be seen.

There was a bit of controversy around the wheel when I visited. It was intended to be a temporary structure for a major exhibition, slated for dismantling this year. But then, the Eiffel Tower was intended as a temporary structure, too.

The Queensland Government want to keep the Wheel as ‘an icon of Brisbane’ … but, it’s running at a loss, and the cash-strapped Government can’t really afford to subsidise it. Same with the Busway; most people I spoke to agree it’s a good idea, but think that, at the moment, the money could be better spent elsewhere.

However, we are now touching on matters political, and I decided early on that this would not be a political blog. So, I shall say no more on the matter.