As part of the Queensland Government’s Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games 100 Day Review, Bicycle Queensland has made a submission with the support of We Ride and AusCycling.
Bicycle Queensland have outlined the primary goal of improved connectivity and integration for active transport as a top priority outcome from the Games, creating a sustainable transport legacy.
The benefits of an improved active transport system are many. Riding and walking are ideal for the mass movement of people for the Games and any other major event, providing a carbon-neutral, accessible, healthy and affordable means of transport. It also requires less infrastructure investment and drives economic growth.
Bicycle Queensland proposes a target of 90% of all spectator trips to be made by public or active transport, with a legacy of 20% of all journeys in Brisbane to be made by active transport post-Games.
To achieve this, Bicycle Queensland recommends developing Smart Spines: tree-lined, digitally enabled active transport corridors that link event venues, accommodation and key city landmarks. Event venues must be active and public transport friendly, with ample parking for bikes or scooters and increased availability of hire bikes and scooters during the Games. We encourage the completion of missing links in the active transport network, and the funding of existing Principal Cycle Network Plans for improved access in areas of Regional Queensland.
‘The Games present a unique opportunity for Queensland to take our active transport network to a global standard,’ said Alton Twine, CEO of Bicycle Queensland. ‘Just last year, Paris showed us what is possible when it comes to effecting change of modality not just in the Games, but as a legacy. Queensland has a lot of the planning in place, and we need to seize this opportunity to deliver a great outcome for the Games, and for Queenslanders.’
BCC Chair of Transport Cr Ryan Murphy with Richard Buning (BQ Director) and Alton Twine (BQ CEO)
If a piece of infrastructure has been talked about for decades, does that mean it is inevitable that it will eventually be built, or that is so challenging that no authority will ever find the money to do the job?
On Sunday 15 December 2024 Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner opened the new Kangaroo Point walking and cycling bridge, which spans the Brisbane River from the corner of Edward and Alice Streets in the CBD to Scott Street in Kangaroo Point.
As the Council’s Chair of Transport Cr Ryan Murphy (pictured left with BQ board member Richard Buning and BQ CEO Alton Twine) has put it: “Kangaroo Point is now part of the CBD.”
The BQ team was represented at the opening event by CEO Alton Twine.
In his speech at the opening, Lord Mayor Schrinner acknowledged that the Kangaroo Point bridge has been talked about in Brisbane since the 1800s, and the first plans for the bridge from 1890 were now 130 years old.
The key question, the Mayor said, was who would pay for the bridge. The answer turns out that it was funded by Brisbane City Council in partnership with the Federal Government.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure Catherine King also spoke at the opening and praised BCC’s vision for the bridge project.
Our photo above shows (from left) Cr Ryan Murphy, BQ board member Richard Buning, and BQ CEO Alton Twine on the new Kangaroo Point Bridge. Our video below gives some indication of the massive crowd which welcomed the new bridge.
The Sono Lumo lights festival at Star Casino is causing an issue for bike and scooter riders who use the Bicentennial Bikeway. The event organisers had required that riders must dismount from 4-11pm to travel through the Festival area at Queen’s Wharf.
Bicycle Queensland CEO Alton Twine said: “It is unacceptable to require bike riders to dismount on their commute home on Brisbane’s busiest bikeway. The timing applied to date is simply too restrictive. We’ve heard from plenty of members who are having to find other routes to bypass this event.”
There has been also significant protest about this blockage from Brisbane CBD BUG and Space4Cycling.
BQ had earlier spoken to Destination Brisbane Consortium before the festival began, and had offered a solution that would enable commuters to continue to ride through the space (Queen’s Wharf Plaza) which bisects the Bicentennial Bikeway at the new casino, until the end of the evening peak.
Today BQ spoke with organisers of the event and let them know of the concerns of the cycling community, asking for a push-back on the timing that will at least allow for the evening commute to occur without interruption. Star Casino have agreed to not enforce the dismount until it is necessary for safety reasons, and have asked all bike riders to please ride slowly through the event zone. BQ’s understanding is that the requirement to dismount will now be after the evening peak. We remain concerned about this situation and will continue to monitor it until we have an outcome that allows people using this space for active transport to do so safely and conveniently.
At the heart of the issue is the poor design choices made in this area when part of this transport corridor was surrendered to become part of this precinct. The State could have kept the bikeway separate to the multi-use area, but have compromised both the integrity of the corridor and the safety of all users by choosing not to. When an event like Sono Lumo comes along, this failure becomes all too evident.
BQ has also raised with Destination Brisbane Consortium our concern over the rumble strips placed on the bikeway near Queens Wharf Plaza without consultation with any bike groups. We believe that these strips are unnecessary, and a safety concern especially for e-scooter riders. This is an on-going concern and we have no news to report on that matter.
It is clear that Queens Wharf Plaza must have an uninterrupted path for bike riders that can be ridden safely and conveniently 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It is part of the Bicentennial Bikeway, the most popular bike route into Brisbane’s CBD.
The state government election now less than one week away.
In August and September, Bicycle Queensland met with members, people interested in cycling, communities and candidates across Queensland, advocating for a better deal for cyclists and scooter riders in the forthcoming election. We also wrote to the Minister and Shadow Minister for Transport and Main Roads to support better outcomes for riders through better policy, programs and funding.
The Minister’s letter in response to our CEO cited the current government’s record of achievements in building active transport projects, but did not make any commitments to increased funding in future. The Shadow Minister acknowledged our letter.
Our discussions focused on the 7 key improvements that governments can make. These are:
Aim for 10% of trips by active transport by 2032 and commit 10% of the transport budget to making it happen.
Fill in the missing links in the network.
Maintain what is there already
Improve signage for safety and wayfinding
Look for cycle tourism opportunities
Engage with users
Build more shared paths and bikeways
In an election dominated by issues of youth crime, ambulance ramping, housing supply and the cost of living, cycling hasn’t rated much of a mention. When the major parties do talk about transport issues, its usually around “fixing” the Bruce highway and improving public transport. Big expensive items. Yet bike riding is for everyone everywhere and major improvements can be done for a fraction of the cost.
In the lead up to Saturday, we encourage everyone who has an interest in better outcomes for cycling and riding to contact their local candidates and let them know how important bike riding is to you and to all Queenslanders.
In good news, the CityLink Cycleway is set to expand from East Brisbane to West End, resulting in a four-kilometre link using two Brisbane River crossings. The Schrinner Council announced the third stage of the CityLink Cycleway today. This will add two new projects, the first involving a new 1.2-kilometre shared path from Deakin Street at Kangaroo Point to Shafston Avenue at East Brisbane. The Shafston Avenue bikeway will connect to the existing CityLink Cycleway at Kangaroo Point.
This connection will link to the 460-metre Kangaroo Point Bridge, which is due to open on 15 December, and the 200-metre Main and Deakin Street Story Bridge underpass. There is a a second project planned that will also extend the CityLink Cycleway further south to West End.
Brisbane City Council confirmed that works are already underway to construct a bikeway along Melbourne Street between the Victoria Bridge and Cordelia Street as part of the Brisbane Metro project, with completion expected next financial year. Council will further extend this bikeway along Melbourne Street to Boundary Street in West End.
All up, the CityLink Cycleway will provide a four-kilometre cross-town scooter and cycling link once finished, connecting five suburbs and two major crossings of the Brisbane River.
‘CityLink Cycleway was always about creating an inner-city cycling and scooting spine, that we could build out into the suburbs to make it more attractive for residents and visitors to use active transport in Brisbane,’ said Ryan Murphy. ‘The delivery of this project will ensure residents of the eastern suburbs and West End can look forward to using a safe and separated connection to the CBD and beyond.’
‘We know it’s important to grow our active transport network in the lead up to the 2032 Games to ensure residents and visitors can safely and conveniently move between venues and attractions.’
‘This is a very welcome addition to the network of cycleways in Brisbane, allowing better access from West End to East Brisbane,’ said Bicycle Queensland’s CEO Alton Twine. ‘The excellent connections that the Kangaroo Point Bridge will provide, are supported by these new links. The new link down Melbourne Street will be particularly useful into West End and the link to Shafston Avenue sets up future improvements for cycling and scooting into the eastern suburbs. The realisation of safe links to the eastern suburbs continues to be a significant aim for the network.’
The bridge is expected to reduce cycling commute times by up to 50 per cent, cutting travel between Brisbane’s eastern suburbs and the CBD by up to 15 minutes, and by up to 30 minutes for pedestrians.
It is with great disappointment that Bicycle Queensland has learnt that the proposed Bundaberg to Gin Gin Rail Trail has been cancelled by Bundaberg Council. We understand that this decision has been made due to a reported $20 million blow-out in costs according to the business case, and financial difficulties in Council that have seen a raft of projects and operational expenditure cut.
We understand that significant funding was provided by the State for this project, which has been handed back by Council.
Whilst Bicycle Queensland appreciates that there are difficult financial circumstances for some Councils that require tough decisions, the axing of this particular project is nevertheless a bitter pill to swallow. Only this week, we have seen the multiple benefits of rail-trails for regional communities highlighted so effectively in the ABC’s Back Roads program featuring the southern end of the Kingaroy to Kilkivan Rail Trail.
With some experience around business cases and rail trails, we have written to Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor Helen Blackburn, expressing our dismay at the decision and expressing our concern at the reported $39.799M cost for the rail trail.
We know that rail trails can be delivered relatively cheaply and can be staged. We see this happening around Queensland, such as the great work being done by communities and Councils for the Boyne Burnett Rail Trail, Fraser Coast and Councillor Watson’s approach to reviving the Pineapple Line as a Rail Trail at Yeppoon. A case in point is the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail which started life humbly and has grown with progressive improvements.
Photo from the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail Weekend 2024, supported by Bicycle Queensland. Photo by Element Photo and Video Productions.
Bicycle Queensland urges Bundaberg Regional Council to consider a different approach to the rail trail and to reconsider this opportunity to the region, as they deal with their financial issues and move forward on their vision of “building Australia’s best regional community.”
At Bicycle Queensland we advocate for bike and e-scooter riders as we want to see more people riding, more often. This includes recreational use of bikes and e-scooters, but we also work to create a safer environment for riders. Our goal is to have more short trips taken by bike or e-scooter instead of via a car.
A Week Without Driving is a global initiative that can be undertaken anywhere, and Get Around Cabo Carfree are promoting the week locally around Caboolture and Morayfield – but you can take part anywhere.
The concept is pretty simple – go a week without using your car. But there are some nuances in that – the idea is you look at how you change the transport modes you use. Whether you walk, ride, use a scooter, or use public transport – all are great. And if you need to use a car – can you use a ride share? Or car pool?
Wendy Nash is the driving force behind Get Around Cabo Carfree, and the local Week Without Driving initiative.
This is a voluntary and self-managed initiative, over a week-long time frame from September 30 to October 6, 2024. So it’s a perfect amount of time to see what the impacts are like for your own transport.
Get Around Cabo Carfree have also got an optional scavenger hunt built into their week, where you use the Snap Send Solve app to report issues that create problems for those who rely on active transport networks. Be that people with a pram, mobility devices, walkers, bike riders, scooter riders or the elderly. More details are on their website.
‘The Week Without Driving concept started in 2021 in Washington State, in America,’ Wendy Nash of Get Around Cabo Carfree told BQ. ‘It was to make elected representatives aware of what it is like to not use or have access to a car.’
‘As soon as I saw that I knew it was exactly what we needed to do. Caboolture and surrounds is so car dependent, it really forces car ownership here. People don’t want to, and it costs them a fortune but they don’t really have any choice.’
A big part of the Week Without Driving initiative is raising awareness. Many of us are happy to get in our car for daily trips, and with 1.8 cars owned per household in Queensland, it certainly is a luxury we take for granted. And Wendy Nash expects a few hurdles for those who challenge themselves to try a week without driving.
At the launch, we heard from a few speakers who cannot drive due to health conditions, or who had a long time without being able to drive due to injury. In their region, it makes them very aware of inadequate infrastructure around footpaths and bikeways, and also access to public transport.
‘This is a good challenge and it will make people think about how they get around. With ther 50c public transport fares right now, people can look at how they may take the trips they need to do. Once you look at ways you can get around without a car, you start to appreciate that it can be really difficult for people who don’t have one. But on a bike, I can get exactly where I need to go, on my own schedule – it’s easy.’
Of course, Belinda had some advice for those who may look to do a week without driving from September 30 – October 6 (and beyond!).
‘It can be daunting if you think you need to ride the same places where you ride, because a lot of the roads we drive on are pretty horrifying. So you need to work out how to get the places you need to go on safer routes that aren’t the ways you would go when you drive.’
Bicycle Queensland recommends trying the bike route selection on Google Maps, or OpenCycleMap.org for your route planning.
Sometimes the biggest barrier to change is starting – and here at Bicycle Queensland, we think the Week Without Driving initiative may be the perfect time to see what trips you can do without your car.
Are you a Bicycle Queensland member? Membership includes thorough insurance while you ride or use an e-scooter, plus extensive member benefits. Find out more here.
Throughout August and September 2024, Bicycle Queensland hit the road, visiting Queensland’s regions between Cairns and Coolangatta. This was an essential follow up after Bicycle Queensland’s CEO Alton Twine and Director of Advocacy Andrew Demack visited the regions of Queensland in March, to meet with members, bike riders and councils to hear about concerns, opportunities and success stories.
During these visits in August and September, Bicycle Queensland were able to update members and riders on progress that has been made in advocacy for bike and e-scooter riding around the state. But more importantly, it gave us an opportunity to follow up on specific issues, and hear from people who couldn’t connect with us earlier in the year.
‘Queensland’s regions are of high importance to Bicycle Queensland, and I feel personally committed to helping to improve the safety and opportunity for bike and e-scooter riders all around Queensland,’ said Bicycle Queensland’s CEO Alton Twine. ‘Growing up in Townsville, I remember seeing Flinders street flooded with bikes in the afternoon as railway workshop employees clocked off. The climate and topography hasn’t changed since then – but infrastructure around the state has, meaning many of us are defaulting to cars for short trips. We need to make sure riding a bike, e-scooter or walking for short trips is a safe, comfortable and sustainable choice.’
There are numerous challenges across the regions of Queensland. There is no denying that as a vast state, creating connected active transport networks beyond regional centres is difficult. However we did see the foundations of some excellent networks in place in different corners of the state, and we have helped to facilitate positive steps towards improvements on networks in other areas.
Bicycle Queensland also heard about the success of fantastic community initiatives, from Bike Buses for school drop off and pick up, through to marked and mapped bikepacking routes. Rail trails were high on the agenda, and Bicycle Queensland are putting our expertise together in a conference this November, to suit those regions who want to get their feasibility study around a disused rail corridor off the shelf, moving towards a rideable trail.
‘Any unused rail corridor has potential to be an excellent piece of infrastructure for bike riding, walking or even horse riding,’ said Andrew Demack, Bicycle Queensland’s Director of Advocacy. ‘Rail trails provide safe, relatively flat connections between communities. Time and time again we hear stories about how diverse user groups on rail trails are, and that runs true from the Tweed through to the Atherton Tablelands.’
One of the leading concerns that came from almost every meeting held was a change in awareness of rules that relate to bike riders on the road. While we are still compiling our key focus points for each region, state-wide we will be working on a renewed push for awareness of road rules and how they relate to those riding a bike – for both bike rider0, e-scooter riders and motorists.
Bicycle Queensland will continue to work with Queensland’s diverse regions to create better outcomes for bike and e-scooter riders. If you want to stay up to date, make sure you sign up for our monthly e-newsletter. Or show your support via joining Bicycle Queensland.
