Non Guerilla Infrastructure

In a moment of blood rush I emailed the BCC (Lord Mayor and Active Transport) last week, surprisingly had a phone call from a Council official this morning with answers to some of my letter.

Letter and answers below;

Dear Active transport people,

Firstly let me applaud the BCC continued support of cycling/walking as real transport options for the people of Brisbane. I see these projects to be very valuable in giving people other options to our car dominated society.  Whilst any new infrastructure is appreciated, I cannot help but feel that some of the projects don't provide realistic options for people to get to where they want to go. In short they don't go anywhere!

As a northside cyclist I am very well served if I want to travel in an east-west direction, but if I want to access the CBD or the shopping/transport hubs of Chermside or Aspley Hypermarket, a safe cycleway is non existent. It seems an opportunity to incorporate a cycleway with the Northern Busway has been lost. While the south and western suburbs enjoy good cycling infrastructure into the CDB (SE Feeway bikeway, Bicentennial Bikeway, Western freeway bikeway), there is nothing of that standard or safety available.

With regard to Chermside and access to it from the north, there is a viable solution that would solve  a lot of issues for cyclists trying to bypass Gympie Rd as it is simply suicidal to ride on it. There is access from Darwin st, Aspley crossing Gympie Rd onto Ellison Rd southbound. Elllison rd is reasonably safe, then cross Webster Rd to a bike track constructed on the western boundary of Marchant park, continue to Murphy Rd and linking with existing bikepaths eastbound on Marchant Park and bikes on the southern side of Murphy rd, and then to Chermside. the addition of this bike path would also completely circle Marchant Park which would provide safe amenity for recreational cyclists and walkers.

   No news here unfortunately!

As I am a Brisbane Airport worker, I am interested also in the following. I noticed on the East West Arterial there is a bike lane in green as it heads eastbound approaching Nudgee Rd. Yet at the Sandgate rd end, there is no means of entering the left shoulder on the EW arterial except via on road. It would seem there is a wide footpath being constructed on Sandgate Rd southbound, but no means of accessing the EW arterial from the end of that path. Is it intended that bikes can travel on the EW arterial? If so, how is it intended to access it safely?

     The eastbound online cycle lane from Sandgate rd will happen, footpath access will be provided, some additional fencing on concrete retaining wall needed to comply with the design standard, this will give good access from Kedron Brook Bikeway to the airport.

West bound will remain as is, ie off ramp and via Toombul shopping centre to KBB.

The new cycle access at the airport roundabout to and from the airport is now very good, it would be great if the EW arterial would be accessible to users of the Kedron Brook Bikeway. Obviously the best option would be a bridge over Schultz canal onto Brisbane airport, completely negating the need for the arterial or airport roundabout exposure at all. I believe this bridge was once being considered but is not anymore, can you confirm this?

   There is funding and intention to install a bridge over the Schultze Canal near Nudgee rd, then onto Brisbane Airport property to join existing bike route to terminals. This will completely by pass the airport roundabout. It will form part of the Moreton Bay Cycleway connecting to the Gateway Bridge (can't remember the route), negotiations still ongoing to have some access from the Trade coast area.

Once again, congratulations to the BCC for their Active Transport Plan for the future.  I only request that the proposed bikeways are preferably, segregated from traffic, go somewhere useful and not a hodge podge of dead ends and impractical routings as some of the existing bikeways are.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input.

Unfortunately I'll probably be retired before I see any of this!!