UQ more accessible by bus

Staff, students and visitors travelling by public transport to The University of Queensland (UQ) at St Lucia will be able to make the trip in record time, thanks to the opening of three new busway sections.

Premier Anna Bligh recently announced the opening of the Boggo Road Busway, stage one of the Eastern Busway and stage one of the Northern Busway, meaning more than half a billion dollars worth of congestion-busting infrastructure will be delivered simultaneously.

The Boggo Road Busway connects UQ to a new busway station near Park Road rail station and the Boggo Road Urban Village, while stage one of the Eastern Busway links the Princess Alexandra Hospital (where UQ’s Diamantina Institute is based) to Buranda.

Stage one of the Northern Busway runs between Windsor and the Royal Children’s Hospital, making UQ’s expanding Herston Campus more easily accessible.

Manager of UQ Traffic and Parking Anthony Fletcher said the most frequent complaint from the UQ communities at Herston, the PA Hospital, and St Lucia was the time it took to arrive by public transport compared to private vehicle.

“Hopefully the new infrastructure will encourage students and staff to consider the advantages of bus usage not only in money terms, but also in terms of saving time and the environment,” Mr Fletcher said.

The Premier said the new sections of busway would cut almost 10 minutes off travel time and cut out seven sets of traffic lights for buses.

"But combined with the entire network they also mean that passengers who are now using roads to get to Queensland University could cut up to 40 minutes off their journey time if they switch to public transport,” she said.

"For example someone driving from Eight Mile Plains to the university in peak hour would face a journey of more than an hour but using the busway network they can now do the trip in 22 minutes flat without even changing buses.”

The Boggo Road Busway includes a 640m-long underground section, making it the longest busway tunnel in Australia.

“There is also a 920-metre shared cycleway that provides cyclists and pedestrians better access to the South East Freeway Bikeway as well as the Eleanor Schonell Bridge and The University of Queensland,” Ms Bligh said.

The latest link in the network means that passengers will now be able to travel from The University of Queensland at St Lucia to Buranda, then link up with the South East Busway into the city and then on to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and Windsor.

Media: Penny Robinson at UQ Communications (07 3365 9723, penny.robinson@uq.edu.au)