Feedback from the Future Frequent Network

Some great reactions to and feedback from the Future Frequent Network I described yesterday. Read it if you haven't already. And browse the interactive map. Not just the FFN routes but also the simplified 'Useful Network' routes too. If you want to refer to it quickly from the blog there's now a direct link. 

Today I wanted to showcase two early suggestions received for network changes. Both are for more frequent network routes. I won't add them to the map straight away as I was working to an approximately 900km network length and the suggestions add more kilometres than they'd remove. 

1. Williams Landing - Deer Park and Caroline Springs or Watergardens

While the FFN map had several long 10 minute frequent corridors in the east between the Frankston or Dandenong and Ringwood lines those in the west were much shorter. This was deliberate and due to development patterns. 

Whereas the east is mostly more continuously built up (except for the Carrum Downs - Dandenong South part of the 901) this is not so in the west. Palmers Rd for instance has a lot of large scale warehousing or light industrial type uses. I did not see this as generating the sort of dense all day / all night / all week activity that justifies a frequent bus. 

The Useful Network (finer lines) adds significant cross-town routes that don't currently exist or run to weaker termini but at lower (eg 20 min) frequencies. That would greatly improve mobility compared to now. But not with the sort of turn-up-and-go frequencies on the FFN routes. 

2. Craigieburn - Coburg North (19 tram terminus)

The Sydney Rd corridor is a main one for road traffic but is fragmented if anyone tries to catch public transport up it. Both the 19 tram and the Upfield line have weak termini. There is a strong public transport using population in the Craigieburn area. The area around Hadfield has local access issues such as buses not running 7 days per week and poor connections outside the area including to the east (eg Reservoir) and north (Broadmeadows). 

The FFN seeks to address some with new frequent routes in Craigieburn and across to Mernda. A rerouted 902 and a station at Campbellfield would improve access to Melbourne Airport. Improvements  or extensions to local routes like 532 and 536 would improve connections such as Craigieburn - Upfield, Hadfield - Broadmeadows or Fawkner to Reservoir. Those making trips from Craigieburn to the Sydney Rd corridor would benefit from three east west bus routes serving Craigieburn line stations. 

One concept suggested was effectively a TramLink bus from the 19 terminus to Craigieburn. It certainly wins for directness. Say an extension of the 531 bus. The nearest parallel to this is the 732 Knox Transit Link in the east which connects with the 75 tram at Vermont South. Like the 19 tram it has a lot of destinations and activity along it. But the 732 Transit Link doesn't get a lot of use (although the longer 732 itself does). 

How do you think an extended 531 every 10 minutes would fare? Noting it would overlap much of the existing 532. Would it provide needed connectivity with east-west routes (especially without there being a station at Campbellfield) or is the catchment too weak? And if you did like the idea which other route would you prune back or modify? 

Conclusion

Two ideas for an improved Future Frequent Network have been suggested. What do you think? Would usage and network role justify a top tier status? I don't want it to 'grow like Topsy' so I'll suggest if you do endorse extensions you also nominate weaker parts that could be pruned back. Please share ideas in the comments below.