Brisbane Dawn Economy Plan survey asks about 4am to 7am activity

Brisbane City Council has opened a survey as the first step in developing a Dawn Economy Plan. It asks residents what they do around the city between 4am and 7am, what works and what needs to improve. The survey is open until Sunday, November 22.

Council says the responses could guide investment in lighting, pathways and public transport. Council Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy says the survey is unnecessary and that those improvements should already be happening.

There is early-morning activity to plan for. Research by Dr Anna Edwards found about 13 per cent of Brisbane's food and drink businesses are open between 5am and 6am. Between 6am and 7am the share rises to 32 per cent, well above Sydney at 19 per cent and double Melbourne's 16 per cent. By 8am, around half are serving customers. Separate polling reported by the Courier Mail found more than a third of Brisbane residents are awake before 6am on weekdays.

Data supplied by toll road operator Transurban suggests the traditional morning and afternoon peaks are spreading into other parts of the day. On the Gateway Motorway southbound, volumes at 11am have reportedly risen 18 per cent and volumes at 2pm are up 12 per cent. The changes are larger on the Logan Motorway. Eastbound through Heathwood, traffic between 5am and 6am is reportedly up 58 per cent, volume from 10am to midday has grown by more than 34 per cent, and 2pm has become the busiest hour of the afternoon.

Monday is now the quietest weekday on Transurban's Brisbane roads, while Friday's busiest period begins at 2pm as commuter and weekend traffic overlap. The published report does not identify the comparison period for most of the increases, and traffic counts alone cannot explain why people are travelling when they are. Earlier work starts and outer-suburban population growth have been suggested as possible factors.

At the other end of the day, council commissioned a study of mobile phone movement around nine major events at Suncorp Stadium, including Lady Gaga and P!nk concerts, Broncos matches and the British and Irish Lions tour. Weekend events, concerts and earlier finishes were associated with more activity afterwards, while people at weekday and sporting events generally headed home sooner. The study does not establish cause, but it suggests event times, transport and surrounding precincts need to be planned together if people are to stay out longer, support nearby businesses and still get home safely.

The issue extends beyond Brisbane City. Logan has had a night-time economy strategy since 2022 and trialled free parklets for businesses trading longer. Redland City Council has installed lighting in central Cleveland and encouraged extended trading, while Ipswich's corporate plan calls for service spans in growth areas. Queensland's draft state planning policy also recognises both dawn and night-time economies.

A dawn economy plan could be judged by whether it delivers practical changes: transport when people need it, safe and well-lit public spaces, and services that match the hours Brisbane actually keeps.