Gold Coast, Queensland - Infrastructure - Transport

Transport

Transport modes in the Gold Coast include cars, taxis, buses, ferries, rail and monorail, for commuting to work, visiting attractions, and travelling to other destinations, both domestically and internationally.

The car is the dominant mode of transport in the Gold Coast, with over 70% of people using the car as their sole mode of travelling to work. A number of major roads connect the Gold Coast with Brisbane, New South Wales, and the surrounding areas. The Pacific Motorway (M1) is the main motorway in the area. Beginning at the Logan Motorway (M6) in Brisbane, it travels through the inland Gold Coast region and links with the Pacific Highway at the New South Wales/Queensland border near Tweed Heads. Before the Tugun Bypass was completed in 2008, the motorway ended at Tugun. The Gold Coast Highway services the coastal suburbs of the Gold Coast, including Surfers Paradise, Southport, and Burleigh Heads. Starting at the Pacific Motorway at Tweed Heads, it runs parallel to the coast until it reaches Labrador, where it turns inland to meet the Pacific Motorway again at Helensvale. Other arterial roads include the Smith St Motorway, Reedy Creek Road, Nerang-Broadbeach Road and Bermuda St.

The Gold Coast's main provider of public bus services is Surfside Buslines. It is a part of the TransLink initiative by the Queensland Government, designed to coordinate the public transport providers in Brisbane and the surrounding areas. The majority of the bus routes that Surfside operates run along the Gold Coast Highway. Services are frequent during the day, with intervals being as little as 5 minutes between Southport and Burleigh Heads. Queensland Rail operates rail services from Brisbane to the Gold Coast along the Gold Coast railway line. The line follows the same route as the Beenleigh railway line, continuing on after reaching Beenleigh. It then follows a route similar to that of the Pacific Motorway, passing stations at Coomera, Helensvale, Nerang and Robina before terminating at Varsity Lakes. An extension to Coolangatta and the Gold Coast Airport is proposed.

Gold Coast Airport is located at Coolangatta, approximately 22 kilometres (14 mi) south of Surfers Paradise. Services are provided to interstate capitals and major cities as well as to major New Zealand cities, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, Japan and Singapore.

The increasing population has resulted in an increase in traffic congestion. This has led to the Queensland State Government and Gold Coast City placing more effort into investing into sustainable transport. Examples include public transport including a new ferry service, community bike hire and rapid transit system and infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists such as the Gold Coast Oceanway.