Bicycle Queensland’s longest-serving office bearer, Bill Loveday, was elected as a Life Member at a Special General Meeting on 24 February.
Bill was president of Bicycle Queensland for 20 years (1999-2019), and also served as secretary before that.
BQ vice-president Rachel Nolan paid tribute to Bill’s contribution, working closely with BQ’s first CEO Ben Wilson as the organisation experienced rapid growth in membership, capacity and influence during his tenure as President.
“Bill Loveday and Ben Wilson were the people who led this transition from a tiny community group to an organisation with 16,000 members which has a significant influence on Government policy and spending on infrastructure. Bicycle Queensland owes Bill Loveday a great deal,” Ms Nolan said.
From left – BQ President Rob Van Manen, Life Member Bill Loveday , BQ Vice-President Rachel Nolan.
Bicycle Queensland’s advocacy in favour of bikes on trains paid off on the weekend with the announcement by Transport Minister Mark Bailey that the trial has become permanent.
BQ’s Director of Advocacy Andrew Demack explains: “The long-standing prohibition of bikes on trains during peak hour made no sense to us, especially in early 2021 when patronage was way down during the pandemic.”
“Even when passenger numbers on our CityTrains return to normal levels, it’s our view that allowing bikes on trains at any time makes both modes more useful for so many people.
“Multi-moding — riding a short trip to the train station, then taking your bike with you, so that you can ride it another short trip at the other end — just highlights the flexibility of the bike as a transport option, and the usefulness of the train.
“So with the support of all the metro area BUGs, we asked the Minister to make this change. He responded by announcing a trial of the change, and now the policy of allowing bikes on trains at any time has been made permanent. We’re delighted!”
“There is always more to do, and we are keen to develop our partnerships with Queensland Rail, and the Cross River Rail project. Investment in public transport is a win for those of us who are keen on giving options for the way we move around. Public transport and active transport go hand in hand,” Mr Demack said.
The Boggo Road cycle bridge will create a safe convenient link from the V1 bikeway to the Eleanor Schonell Bridge to St Lucia. Bicycle Queensland welcomes the announcement of the design, and looks forward to seeing the bridge completed in late 2023.
This is a link that has been in planning for at least 10 years, so it is great to see construction underway, using a design from the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority which meets the very real difficulties of getting over a busy rail corridor.
The freight flyover which heads towards the Port of Brisbane is already above the commuter train at this location, so the bridge has to clear 6 metres above that freight line. This will mean a somewhat sinous helix that riders and walkers will have to climb on the PA Hospital side. There is a rest stop when you get to the top!
The Boggo Rd side has less height to gain, but there will still be a steady climb there too. This bridge will give great links from public transport stations to Brisbane South State Secondary College, and of course for bike riders and scooter riders going from the V1 across to the St Lucia campus of the University of Queensland.
As we approach the end of 2021 – a year that will be remembered for its challenges – BQ has shown such incredible resilience in managing the difficulties and confusion brought about by the pandemic. I wish to acknowledge the great work done by the BQ team to service members and drive our agenda on active travel, cycle tourism, road safety and the environment.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our members and valued volunteers for your ongoing support and engagement during 2021.
The BQ team will enjoy a well-earned break between December 21 and January 10 and return in 2022 focused on delivering key projects and how we best achieve our vision of more people riding more often. I want you to know that BQ will continue to do its part in making Queensland a great place to ride a bike, and we won’t stop looking for new opportunities to improve road safety.
I wish everyone who is part of the Bicycle Queensland community a peaceful, safe and happy festive season. As always to you, your families and loved ones, stay safe in these unique times and remember to find time to ride your bike.
If you need any tips to get through your summer of riding, check out our resources below.
It has been lovely to engage with many of you via social media, phone, video calls and more recently the Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge. The easing of restrictions is providing more opportunities to meet with members and stakeholders in person which is wonderful. Our recent trip to Mackay for the Annual Local Government Authority conference is a great example of this. From our discussions with councillors at the conference, our campaigning on the role cycling plays in connecting communities and building a robust adventure tourism industry is being heard.
The diverse array of projects the BQ team will be delivering in 2022 will reinforce our strategic approach to position cycling high on the Government’s health, social, planning, tourism, and transport agendas. Whilst there is still much to do, we continue to work hard to achieve our mission of getting more people riding more often. To ensure we can continue to provide a comprehensive membership, we’ll be increasing the cost of our membership categories from 1st January 2022.
Type
Monthly
Annually
Individual
$11.99
$129
Household of 2
$14.99
$165
Household of 3+
$16.99
$189
Individual Concession
$8.99
$95
BQ Supporter (excludes insurance)
$5.00
$47
This increase will ensure you still retain the best value for money cycling membership in Australia. You will also retain the same level of insurance, which is the best insurance product available. I thought it was important to share with you what this increase will also allow us to do:
Invest in and develop new staff to increase our advocacy efforts on behalf of our members
Engage town planners and policy makers to support BQ infrastructure campaigns
Create new education resources for members to increase members skills and knowledge
Develop our Commuter Harmony Alliance stakeholder map and campaigning
Invest in new digital platforms to work strategically with regional and metropolitan Bicycle User Groups
Develop new events in partnership with like-minded organisations to reach and service members outside southeast Queensland
Develop and invest in new digital tools to improve communication and the membership process
Continue to build our school-based education program to achieve our long-term goal of more Queensland children “actively’ travelling to school
Assist us to meet the rising cost of insurance and operational expenses
This increase will enable us to continue to provide the quality and breadth of services you love and expect from us. If you have any questions about the price increase or membership packages, don’t hesitate to contact myself or our membership team.
For the first time, Bicycle Queensland’s advocacy team (Rebecca Randazzo and Andrew Demack) attended the annual Local Government Association of Queensland conference held in Mackay.
We had a prime location between the rugby league and AFL booths on the way to the refreshments area! As a result, just about every Council in Queensland stopped for a conversation. We had prepared three posters with our main talking points: cycle tourism, education and schools, and building the cycle network.
Cycle Tourism
Cycle tourism was clearly the top priority for councils. Many councils are already working on attracting mountain bike riders, following the example of the Wangetti Trail, now under construction from Palm Cove to Port Douglas in FNQ. Mackay Council is also building a trail of similar epic quality, from Eungella to Finch Hatton — that will be amazing.
We are working through our follow-up contacts with councils including Mareeba, Mackay, North Burnett, South Burnett, Scenic Rim, Cassowary Coast, Livingstone and Ipswich. Most of these are interested in either developing rail trails and other cycle tourism opportunities, but also getting the best value for money in cycle infrastructure.
Local Counterparts
On the way to Mackay, BQ’s Director of Advocacy Andrew Demack arranged meetings in Maryborough, Bundaberg and Rockhampton, meeting up with bicycle user group representatives and Councils. In Maryborough, we were delighted to see and experience the remarkable progress being made by Fraser Coast BUG on the Mary to the Bay rail trail. In Bundaberg, we met with Council staff to encourage progress on the Bundaberg to Gin Gin Rail Trail. In Rockhampton, we met with the local cycling group to discuss our collaborative response to the Council’s just-released Walking and Cycling Strategy.
A global campaign led by the European Cycling Federation (ECF), which included an open letter to governments at COP26 signed by 350 organisations worldwide, has helped achieve a last-minute recognition of active travel in the official COP26 Transport Declaration on 10 November.
Protesting the near-exclusive focus on electric cars and total absence of active mobility in the official Transport Day agenda and the draft transport declaration. A global coalition of civil society organisations led by ECF called on world leaders and governments to recognise the importance of cycling to reach climate goals.
The last-minute inclusion of active travel (walking and cycling) and public transport in the “Glasgow Declaration on Accelerating the Transition to 100% Zero Emission Cars and Vans” was a direct result of the joint advocacy efforts by ECF and its 349 allies. While the reference to active travel and public transport is a far cry from what’s needed to cut transport emissions and reach climate goals, it’s an important recognition that will be built upon at the COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
The coalition’s open letter was first published on 2 November and called on governments at COP26 to boost global cycling levels to cut transport emissions quickly and on a massive scale. Initially signed by over 60 organisations, the letter ultimately clocked 350 signatories from all over the world.
Bicycle Queensland joined other signatories including the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), PeopleForBikes, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), International Association of Public Transport (UITP), World Cycling Alliance (WCA) and Greenpeace. Together we have campaigned to urge governments to recognise cycling as one of the best solutions we already have to combat the climate crisis.
Bicycle Queensland’s CEO, Rebecca Randazzo, “BQ advocates strongly on the role bicycles can play in combating climate change”. Substituting a car trip with a bike trip represents one of humanity’s greatest hopes for a shift towards a zero-carbon future. Riding your bike produces zero emissions, delivers far-reaching positive societal impacts and relies on technology that is already widely available today.
We can all influence and play a role in combating climate change. Over the past couple of weeks, the letter’s signatories have grown and helped raise awareness for the importance of more cycling to cut transport emissions and reach climate goals. Our joint message was simple: “the world needs much more people riding bikes if we are to combat the climate crisis.”
If you would like to write to your local councillor to ask what they are doing to reduce carbon emissions from transport, click here.
Now it’s time to ask the question locally, what are your councillors doing to combat carbon emissions from transport?
If you would like to ask your local councillor what they are doing to combat carbon emissions from transport and emphasis the important role bike riding can play, follow the instructions below.
