“Transport planning is a dynamics area of research; everyone has an opinion when it comes to transport,” starts Dr Matthew Burke, lead researcher with the Urban Research Program. Dr Burke also has some strong opinions on transport but his are informed by years of research in the area. Enjoy a series of short interview snippets, with topics ranging from Top Gear to Monkey Magic, on what drives Dr Burke’s passion for transport planning and where he sees the future of the transport and its impact on society.
Dr Matthew Burke is a Senior Research Fellow and Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the Urban Research Program at Griffith University. His research is mainly in how transport systems, land uses and travel behaviour interact. Matthew’s transport research and interests range across freight, metropolitan planning and transport policy, through to ferry, light rail and busway systems planning and design, and walking, cycling and children’s travel programs. His Future Fellowship is looking at the impacts of the new Gold Coast light rail scheme.
This video is part of a four part series:
Hi I am a concerned citizen & I need to tell you that even though the light rail expanding to Coolangutta is fine don’t think the light should expand to Robina & Varsity Lakes take it from somebody who grew up in Melbourne I know what your thinking would it really efficient for the city NO!! why because first off the light rail costs a lot of money & a lot of time when it was first built it held up a lot of traffic & now one of the roads that drivers used to be able to drive through they can’t now also there was a lot of noise from the construction.
I’ve even heard people online say that whoever designed the light rail only drew up the plans by looking at a map & that they didn’t actually send anybody down to those locations to investigate if your even thinking of building light rails there I think you should first send some investigators down there, There are other reasons why as I told you I grew up in Melbourne so I can say that more Trams increase the risk of Accidents or even Deaths! I have not only seen stories of accidents I have experienced near misses there have been careless tram drivers who do not obey traffic signals & some that have also driven right threw pedestrian crossings even though the pedestrians had the right to cross & trams should’ve waited, I only saw it in person once but once in person & several times on the news is all i need to know Infact if any of you even visited Melbourne you see first hand Exactly! What I am talking about not only have tram drivers done it by accident but some even on purpose there have been stories about Rouge! Tram! Drivers! who have actually posted about accidents on Twitter! they have actually made fun of people who were in accidents it is True! If you go on Google you can see stories, I Varsity Lakes near Bond University there are Bar & Restaurants where students celebrate & get Drunk! Drunk People Staggering! around or driving around if you build it there you will increase the chance of accidents or even Fatalities! you don’t even have to have been to Melbourne,Sydney,Adelaide or even San Francisco to know that trams have caused these accidents or even deaths which is why I know that you need to think more about this I know your only thinking positive but as City Officials you need to take into account public safety which is why it is a terrible idea to build a light rail in Varsity Lakes or Robina because as a citizen & somebody who doesn’t have plans that only think about effientce & not human actions forced on them so please do not have the light rail built in Varsity Lakes & as for Robina there are drunks there as well sure maybe not as many as ones in Sufers Paradise & sure maybe there haven’t been any accidents yet ONLY! the trams are still New! Eventually tram drivers will make mistakes & there will be accidents near Deaths! or ACTUAL! Deaths! which is why in all good conscience you must not build in Varsity Lakes or Robina.
It isn’t just Drunks who are at risk there are also learner drivers,people with disabilities at the pedestrian crossings like people who are blind/Near Sighted or Deaf or handicapped/Injured that may sound ridiculous but I will remind you that you see can spot them anywhere on the street in the Shopping Centers in Offices like Centerlink either they won’t see or hear the trams coming or a careless tram driver won’t care if there are pedestrians or if a Traffic light is Red it has happened you can even go on Google or YouTube & you can see news stories of people who have been Killed!! in accidents involving Trams.
If people’s lives don’t appeal to you what about costs time & money it will take up a lot of Traffic cut off a lot of Roads I mean sure the recent expansion to Light Rail that has been made was good its hardly on the Road But Unfortunately that cannot be said about these Ideas if you were to build a Light Rail in Varsity Lakes or Robina some roads will no longer be accessible to people who live in Varsity or Robina one of Roads you are thinking of putting in Varsity Lakes I use it everyday if I or my Neighbours can’t drive through then what would we just be making Car Payments for Nothing our cars would just be sitting there gathering dust because there is limit to how far we can drive if you make a tram go through that way & on there what would we have to share with a tram that shares the same road as a place where there are reckless drivers the road I am talking about is where the annual Bike Festival is held having a light rail there would be just Horrible not just for the Locals but Varsity Lakes has Beautiful Tress there if you build near the station you will be forced to destroy some tress I speaks of the route where the buses go after they leave the station to go to Robina the streets through that route look nice because of those tress well light rail will ruin it in case your wondering I’m talking about two different routes that would be Ruined if the light rail is put in Varsity Lakes.
Personally I’m tierd of Australian Politicians Ruining our environment in order to pay for things they have had to cut cost to other things like support pensions,Jobs a lot of people know this country is going down hill & there is a chance this project will increase the chances of getting rid of Medicare so for the sake of not only Gold Coast but for Australians Everywhere! Please don’t put a Tram Line/Light Rail in Varsity Lakes or Robina.