We can't wait campaign - White paper 3

Lifestyle on the endangered list The Western Corridor

Join the waitlist at wecantwait.com.au

Advocacy series

Authorised by Sonia Cooper of Ipswich City Council, 1 Nicholas Street, Ipswich.

The emergence of the Western Corridor Two decades ago, South-East Queensland (SEQ) had a problem and Ipswich had a solution. At the time the State’s population was rising by 1,000 people a week and there were serious concerns about where to house everyone. When the State Government released its 2005–2026 master plan for SEQ, the great hope was an area that became known as the ‘Western Corridor’. This was essentially the emerging areas of Ipswich and parts of Beaudesert, and particularly the ambitious, but already established, Springfield satellite ‘city’ and the sprawling fields of Ripley. The plan was to encourage people away from the over-burdened coastal areas towards this new western frontier of opportunity. The then Premier Peter Beattie said the SEQ Regional Plan was designed to keep Queensland’s way of life ‘off the endangered list.’ 1 It came with a promise to provide the necessary infrastructure to make this happen. ‘Future growth in this corridor provides the opportunity to achieve a good relationship between employment, transport infrastructure and population growth,’ the plan said. ‘By identifying areas for future urban development and giving priority to infrastructure and services, increased economic and population growth can be attracted to the Western Corridor.’ 2 That was then. Fast forward to 2024 and our lifestyle is back on the endangered list. The expected expansion of the Ipswich mega-growth zones is happening, but infrastructure is not keeping up. Residents of areas like Ripley and Redbank Plains are highly car dependent. These major areas of growth need far more investment in public transport, including a commitment to a mass transit solution between Ipswich and Springfield, and a comprehensive bus service. This is the second in a series of discussion papers outlining the case for a better infrastructure funding deal for Ipswich as part of the We Can’t Wait campaign. The papers tell a compelling story of a city ready to show what it can do.

We can’t wait to tell this story.

What is the ‘We Can’t Wait’ campaign? ‘We Can’t Wait’ is an Ipswich City Council initiative that aims to amplify the voices of Ipswich residents. It was created because, as a city, we can’t just let unsupported growth play out, with potential negative consequences for our people and the broader region. Rapid growth, supported by proactive investment in the right infrastructure at the right time, can create enormous opportunities for all. Growth that runs too far ahead of investment leads to growing pains, undercooked services and transportation bottlenecks that constrain family life and cost businesses dearly.

Ipswich has never asked for special treatment. Everything we ask for is backed by evidence. All we need is fairer funding and investment to support the city we aspire to become.

1 Australian Financial Review, May 5, 2005 2 South-East Queensland Regional Plan, 2005

What the Western Corridor needs Ipswich is seeking commitments for the following Western Corridor projects ahead of the 2024 State Election.

1. A MASS TRANSIT SOLUTION TO CONNECT IPSWICH AND SPRINGFIELD CENTRAL

The Ipswich and Springfield Central corridor (I2S) is a designated 25km public transport corridor traversing residential expansion areas of Ripley and Redbank Plains. As a strategic link to Brisbane, the I2S corridor would close the loop between Ipswich and Springfield Central with nine potential stations. This project is a critical element of addressing public transport underinvestment throughout Ipswich. Connectivity between Ipswich and Springfield Central is inadequate and not meeting community expectations. Mass transit in this corridor would help protect SEQ’s liveability by providing an efficient alternative to cars for more than 200,000 people to access jobs, education, services, and recreation. Commitment needed We are seeking a project delivery funding provision of $2–3 billion in the outer years of the State and Federal budget forward estimates.

Benefits to South-East Queensland: ¼ Strengthen regional road network efficiency ¼ Reduce peak hour congestion ¼ Improve road safety ¼ Improve economic productivity ¼ Leverage investment in Cross River Rail ¼ Enhance liveability and quality of life ¼ Deliver a city you can get across in 30-minutes

2. FULL DELIVERY OF THE RECENTLY-PROMISED BETTER BUS SERVICES

The 2024–2025 State Budget included some Ipswich bus services as part of a $70 million statewide commitment to improved local bus services. This is a welcome start but an ongoing commitment will be required over the years ahead to keep up with local needs.

It’s our time for attention The evidence is clear, and the consequences of inaction are obvious. Ipswich needs a fair share of funding to manage the enormous growth headed our way. All we need is a fair go and the empowerment to lead the way to a better future for SEQ. If we act now, we can build a better future for everyone. If we just wait for bottlenecks, dysfunction, disrupted family lives and restraints on industry we will be deprived of the future our families deserve.

We can’t wait. We need commitments now. Join the waitlist at wecantwait.com.au

The Evidence The evidence suggests that the western corridor is facing ‘crippling congestion’ without a major investment in public transport.

Population growth $ The Ipswich population is growing by 6,750 people each year. By 2046 the city will have grown by 127% (from 2021) to house 530,000 people. 3 $ More than 70 per cent of Ipswich population growth is predicted to occur along the Springfield and Ripley corridor. 4 $ In a 10-year period, the population in the corridor between Ipswich Central and Springfield Central is projected to grow from approximately 95,000 to more than 163,000. By 2036, this area is projected to have a total population of almost 259,000. 5 $ Ripley Valley is a Priority Development Area (PDA) and classified as a major regional activity centre, projected to grow from 4,767 people in 2016 to 45,153 people by 2026. This represents 8.8% of the total growth of Greater Brisbane over this time period. 6 $ The Greater Springfield population grew by 6.8% between 2011 and 2021 compared to growth of 1.5% across Queensland. 7 $ The Greater Springfield labour force grew by 44.8% between 2016 and 2022 compared with a national growth rate of 18%. 8

The transport need $ Without enhanced transport options, modelling shows that morning peak hour commuting times between Ipswich and the Brisbane CBDwill blowout well beyond two hours by 2036, with travel times up by 81% fromsome areas. 9 $ Ipswich City Council analysis shows that, without urgent action, by the 2030s Ipswich’s traffic system will fundamentally fail and become an ‘inefficient transport network that cannot cater for the growing demand’. 10 $ Currently in Ipswich 85% of trips are made by private vehicles, 54% of households have two or more cars, and the average vehicle trip has 1.2 people on board. 11 $ A community survey conducted by Ipswich City Council found that 43% of respondents found public transport not convenient or easy to use, 46% thought it took too long and 38% do not use it because there were no stops or stations near their home or travel destination. 12 $ Strategic transport modelling shows that, without a proper transport solution, the cost of congestion in the broader region will exceed $1 billion per annum by 2036. 13 $ Despite being the region’s fastest growing areas, in the 2023 State Budget Ipswich was ranked ninth in terms of infrastructure funding for local government areas. $ The Queensland Major Contractors Association Report 14 for 2023 identified a record $92 billion in identified infrastructure projects for the state over the next five years. The report says the Ipswich-Toowoomba-Logan region was the only area to see a reduction in both the funded and unfunded construction activity over the next five years.

3 Queensland Government population projections, 2023 edition; Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional population, 2021, and ABS, Census of Population and Housing 4 Ipswich to Springfield Public Transport Corridor Strategic Assessment 2020 5 The Ipswich Central to Springfield Central Public Transport Corridor Report 6 Queensland Treasury (2018). Projected population (medium series), by SA2, SA3 and SA4, Queensland, 2016 to 2041 (cited in Ipswich to Springfield Public Transport Corridor Strategic Assessment KPMG Report 2020) 9 Ipswich to Springfield Public Transport Corridor Strategic Assessment 2020 10 Ipswich to Springfield Public Transport Corridor Strategic Assessment 2020 11 ICC (2016). iGO – City of Ipswich Transport Plan. 12 ICC (2017). iGO Community Public Transport Survey. Provided by Ipswich City Council 12 ICC (2016). (sample size = 934 people) 13 Ipswich to Springfield Public Transport Corridor Strategic Assessment 2020 14 Queensland Major Contractors Association Queensland Major Projects Pipeline Report for 2023 7 Econisis Drivers of Springfield Growth Report 2023 8 Econisis Drivers of Springfield Growth Report 2023