Bushwalk Australia

Today I went to do Hownslow Heath circuit again.

We got to the boom gate where the old visitor centre (now Interpretation centre) is. The two blinking yellow lights were flashing, and the electronic sign advised that this meant it was a high volume traffic situation, and please return to the visitor centre to use the shuttle bus.
The boom gate did not open when approached. So we returned to the carpark and watched the flashing lights.

A car came out... But the lights stayed flashing. And another, and another...
In the space of the 10 to 15 minutes that we sat waiting for this "high volume traffic situation" to reduce, 5 cars came out before the lights stopped flashing. So we started the engine and zipped round, the boom gate opened and we went in.

We decided to investigate how high this "high traffic volume" situation was.
The first carpark we came to was Ronny Creek. There were 9 available spaces.
The next carpark we came to was the overflow carpark at Dove Lake. It was empty - there were 12 available spaces.
Then Dove Lake carpark - there were 20 available spaces (plus two handicapped spaces).
Then we returned to Waldheim.
There was only one car in that carpark, meaning there were 22 spaces available.

That made 63 empty car park spaces (plus two handicapped spaces).

For Tasmania's number 1 tourist destination, it's pretty bad that they cannot even manage a carpark.
Unless of course there is another reason for it.

Might be due to people being more likely to get stuck behind a shuttle bus on the way out and therefore they follow it through the boom gate without it closing and not recording their departure? Or either you or the parks staff can't count Or invisible cars Or......

My message sent to the Minister


G'day Brian,
Sad to say that this subject has arisen again,last time I wrote to you you suggested that if I had any queries regarding this that I speak to the Manager at Cradle however to my way of thinking I feel that you as Minister need to be aware of the problems Tourists and locals are experiencing .
This is the latest complaint from a local.
Regards Gerry


"Quote"
What is it with parking, and the Shuttle bus??

Postb» Sat 10 Mar, 2012 7:14 pm
Today I went to do Hownslow Heath circuit again.

We got to the boom gate where the old visitor centre (now Interpretation centre) is. The two blinking yellow lights were flashing, and the electronic sign advised that this meant it was a high volume traffic situation, and please return to the visitor centre to use the shuttle bus.
The boom gate did not open when approached. So we returned to the carpark and watched the flashing lights.

A car came out... But the lights stayed flashing. And another, and another...
In the space of the 10 to 15 minutes that we sat waiting for this "high volume traffic situation" to reduce, 5 cars came out before the lights stopped flashing. So we started the engine and zipped round, the boom gate opened and we went in.

We decided to investigate how high this "high traffic volume" situation was.
The first carpark we came to was Ronny Creek. There were 9 available spaces.
The next carpark we came to was the overflow carpark at Dove Lake. It was empty - there were 12 available spaces.
Then Dove Lake carpark - there were 20 available spaces (plus two handicapped spaces).
Then we returned to Waldheim.
There was only one car in that carpark, meaning there were 22 spaces available.

That made 63 empty car park spaces (plus two handicapped spaces).

For Tasmania's number 1 tourist destination, it's pretty bad that they cannot even manage a carpark.
Unless of course there is another reason for it. Quote""


t

tasadam wrote:Today I went to do Hownslow Heath circuit again.

We got to the boom gate where the old visitor centre (now Interpretation centre) is. The two blinking yellow lights were flashing, and the electronic sign advised that this meant it was a high volume traffic situation, and please return to the visitor centre to use the shuttle bus.
The boom gate did not open when approached. So we returned to the carpark and watched the flashing lights.

A car came out... But the lights stayed flashing. And another, and another...
In the space of the 10 to 15 minutes that we sat waiting for this "high volume traffic situation" to reduce, 5 cars came out before the lights stopped flashing. So we started the engine and zipped round, the boom gate opened and we went in.

We decided to investigate how high this "high traffic volume" situation was.
The first carpark we came to was Ronny Creek. There were 9 available spaces.
The next carpark we came to was the overflow carpark at Dove Lake. It was empty - there were 12 available spaces.
Then Dove Lake carpark - there were 20 available spaces (plus two handicapped spaces).
Then we returned to Waldheim.
There was only one car in that carpark, meaning there were 22 spaces available.

That made 63 empty car park spaces (plus two handicapped spaces).

For Tasmania's number 1 tourist destination, it's pretty bad that they cannot even manage a carpark.
Unless of course there is another reason for it.

Sounds like either:

1. A method to reduce traffic.
or
2. A method to charge more people for the shuttle bus.

I would suspect the latter...

As far as I remember Shuttle Bus is free.
corvus

corvus wrote:As far as I remember Shuttle Bus is free.
corvus

This leaves me stumped

If the shuttle bus is free, maybe they need as many numbers using it as possible to justify their existence, just a thought. Whatever the explanation, the situation we encountered today was just plain wrong.
The reason I don't use the bus is because more often than not, our walks will end somewhat after the last bus, don't fancy that much of an extra walk back to the car.

tasadam wrote:If the shuttle bus is free, maybe they need as many numbers using it as possible to justify their existence, just a thought. Whatever the explanation, the situation we encountered today was just plain wrong.
The reason I don't use the bus is because more often than not, our walks will end somewhat after the last bus, don't fancy that much of an extra walk back to the car.

I think your right (on both counts..) I imagine its one of 'those' dilemmas to resolve though?

Hey Corvus, just wondering whether the Honorable Brian honoured you with a response?

Eagerly awaiting an answer on this one. I've encountered this problem several times recently - either wanting the option to finish later than the last shuttle, or having some young'uns with me with some challenging behaviours. There are lots of positives on those days (with the young 'uns), but waiting for buses is not among them. It's affecting my enthusiasm for something I'm passionate about.

tasadam wrote:Hey Corvus, just wondering whether the Honorable Brian honoured you with a response?

Normally takes a while(understandably) to get a reply but expect a reply soon if not I will send a follow up
corvus

Got a reply from the Minister.

So the boom gates operate on the basis of the number of vehicles on the stretch of road at a point in time. Until the number drops below the set limit, no further traffic can access that road. Ity sounds as though it restricts the traffic flow to one direction at a time.That sounds reasonable, in terms of safety if the road is too narrow for 2 lanes. Just don't try to enter at peak departure time or depart at peak entry time. It may be better explained then by flashing lights though - perhaps red and sign advising of on-coming traffic when boom gate is against you??

gayet wrote:So the boom gates operate on the basis of the number of vehicles on the stretch of road at a point in time.

Spot on Gayet. And as Adam discovered, if you wait while the traffic in transit exits the gate, then you will be able to enter. It isn't a matter of how many are stationary (parked), its a matter of how many are moving.

5 cars came out before I could go through. I have met more than 5 cars on a journey to Dove Lake before that day. I haven't ever had an issue on the road with other traffic, even with the frequent tourists that don't use the road more than once, everybody has always been very polite and it all works smoothly.

I don't know what the actual limit is, but someone who works up there might know how much traffic is allowed before the lights come on. Generally when bureaucracy reacts to a situation they tend to err on the side of caution. ....but I agree, if you go slow, are careful, and are prepare to stop and give way, then there isn't a problem.

Wouldn't mind using the bus, but I had to queue for three last time and that takes up a fair bit of the morning. I don't live in Tasmania, if I am on a day pass that means I'm paying quite a lot for a very short visit when that happens.

Adam, they have a webcam pointing at dove lake car park, none at runny creek. It's not a very scientific approach. The parkies just keep an eye on the cam to see how many spots are available at dove lake. Whoever was watching the Cam probably forgot for a few minutes or was busy or something. It's such a ridiculous system. I don't work at cradle anymore so I can say what I think now. For anyone visiting over winter, spring have a look how many people are on the buses - almost none. Yet the tax payer funds these buses running all day, everyday. It's a terrible waste of fossil fuels. I'm in whistler now, all the buses here are electric. I also heard a rumour that the contract for the bus service is in the millions. I suspect something very strange is going on behind the scenes.

And while I'm at it,why are they running three shuttles full of people at night spotlighting down the highway? Isn't that completely against the law? Apart from the danger of forcing people to overtake on double white lines, I believe the constant carpet bombing of the grass plains with high powered, static lights has had a impact onthenatural distribution of the wildlife.