While you have backed up your agreement with a gold coast rag quote, I don't think you have actually talked to developers, inbound tourist operators/educational and hospital operators to gauge the impact that having light rail has had on incrrase d ability to service those that don't have or want to use private transportation.
A citys growth is dependant on its ability to move mass amounts of people via the shortest routes and time frames.
Bring on thousands of extra buses can only accomplish this is expanded transit lanes are created so those very "stolen" carparks and so called increased traffic caused by the acquired land redevelopment was and always going to happen.
Case in point was only a month or so ago a truck crash on the Pacific highway out in nerang gridlocked all of the mid gold coast all the way down to Burleigh.. That is all three internal two lane strips where number to bumper.
The key here is.. Cars are not going to be your answer into the future in high density urban areas. So there has to be modes of transport other then single/dual occupancy transport.
A good showcase would be Bangkok, 20 years ago was a basket case.. Now a mix of light rail/ underground/river boats makes it a very livable place.
At same stage we are going to see more over head bypasses springing up around our cities as we are already at a point of maxing out the land per head ratio.
And don't get me started on car parking and new developments.. Just look to the new Green area development down on the river near the gateway bridge.. Already residents that have paid 500,000+ are gridlocked in the morning and evening in and out of the development because of the greed of council and lack of proper town planning. That place is a mess in that uh underground parking verses Street width so so badly thought out, that the only way out of it now is to have more or the work force using rivr cats to get to work instead of using thier Cars..
But as said...it is political will.. Think for the future generations or just think about what you can grab now..
As to owing the Chinese or Germans or japanese for the development. You already pay
to use toll roads..so what is the difference?
You line the pockets of say a Singapore based international company paying next to nothing in taxs anyway..so really it's a mote point..
