Residents of Brisbane’s Western Suburbs have long felt ignored by transport planners. However, there could soon be light at the end of the tunnel.
As Brisbane continues to grow, so do the pressures on the transport network that residents feel daily through congestion, long commute times, and limited alternatives to car travel.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has launched the Integrated Road and Public Transport Plan for Western Brisbane, a major planning study designed to rethink how people move across the city’s west. The community is being invited to help shape the outcome.
Western Brisbane’s geography is both its charm and its challenge. The area is framed by the Brisbane River, Mount Coot‑tha, Enoggera Forest Reserve, and D’Aguilar National Park. These natural features create a unique landscape but also restrict where transport corridors can go. As a result, the region relies heavily on a single major arterial: Moggill Road.
This dependence means that even minor disruptions can ripple across the network, causing delays that affect thousands of commuters. But population growth continues, and so the need for a more resilient, diversified transport system has become more pertinent.
The new plan aims to identify practical, long‑term solutions that seek to:
- Reduce congestion and travel times
- Improve public transport access and reliability
- Strengthen connections between suburbs
- Support future growth without sacrificing lifestyle
- Create safer, more efficient travel options for all ages
Recent reports reveal that Brisbane residents are losing two working weeks per year stuck in traffic and suffering four peak hours of congestion per day. Despite two-thirds of all commutes going between suburb to suburb, most public transport design has been based around moving people into the Brisbane CBD from their suburb.
Residents are invited to share their perspectives using four key tools provided by the department.
- Online survey: Residents can share their experiences with transport, mobility, and daily travel challenges.
- Interactive map: Locals can drop pins to highlight problem areas, opportunities, or ideas for improvement.
- Pop‑up sessions: Project team members will visit local hubs to speak directly with the community, answer questions, and gather feedback.
- Email updates: Anyone can register to stay informed as the study progresses.
By participating, locals can help ensure the final plan reflects real needs rather than assumptions.
The plan is still in its early stages, but its success will depend heavily on community involvement. As the region grows, this study offers a chance to create a transport network that is functional and future‑ready, one that respects the area’s natural landscape while supporting the people who call it home.
Feedback is open until Friday, 29 May 2026, giving residents one month to submit their perspectives.
Hello well Im very displeased about the so called bus service in NORTH WEST BaldHills where only one public bus goes and thats the 327 and most of the time only once a hour and then it stops at 6.10pm. and my wife works at the Queensland Childrens Hospital so if she knocks off at 10.00pm. or even 6.00pm. she hast to catch a city bus then a 330 bus then a pick up or a workmate takes her home apart from the time she goes on holiday then she hast to catch a taxi late at night because very bad bus service no matter what reason you might say it is still very bad bus service and it looks like your improving every where except where my wife and I live and the train station is to far away(school buses do come here but i dont call them public buses)Where Im talking about borders with Bracken Ridge but that is to far for me to walk my doctor said dont walk that far because of the heart operation i had plus i got a metal heart valve.More people have been catching the 327 bus lately to.