Brisbane’s Eastern Busway has an uncertain future after it has been revealed there is no further funding in sight for the $1.7 billion project.
The project has been all but abandoned since the first kilometre was opened in 2011, with Brisbane city councillor and infrastructure committee chairperson Adrian Schrinner damning the progress thus far – which has come at a cost of $465 million.
“They built a one kilometre section between Buranda and Main Avenue, Coorparoo … it was a good project, but it was only one kilometre out of a 16 kilometre busway corridor.”
“The project came to a crashing halt. Nothing has happened since then.”
Shrinner has since started a petition to get stage two of the project fast-fracked by the Queensland Government after underscoring that all motorists, not just bus drivers, would see the benefits of the project.
He says extending the Eastern Busway would see a dedicated bus lane emerge along Old Cleveland Road, an improvement he believes is sorely needed.
“It’s a missing section in the city’s transport network … and all the suburbs along Old Cleveland Road don’t have easy access to a train line as an alternative.”
“Buses are really the only option to provide public transport in that corridor.”
Shrinner has labelled the prospective abandonment a travesty and urged the Queensland Government to make the future of the project clear to the public.
“The Queensland Government can come back to me and say, look, we can’t afford an Eastern Busway and that’s fine. I accept that.”
“But if that’s what they’re going to say, what is their alternative?”
The 16 kilometre project would link up the outer-eastern suburbs of Brisbane and provide greater, easier access to thousands of motorists and commuters.
