Sylvan Rd separated cycleway inching ever closer

Brisbane City Council has released two sets of concept plans for the long-asked-for safe link from the Miskin Street terminus of the Centenary Cycleway at Toowong, and the Bicentennial Bikeway.

This one of the busiest bike commuting routes in Brisbane, and it runs for 1.8km along Sylvan Rd and Land Street. Bicycle Queensland and the bicycle user groups have been asking for a safe off-road route along Syvlan Rd since the Centenary Cycleway opened in 2005.

There are two concept design options for the Sylvan Road and Land Street corridor which both provide protected bikeways separated from people walking and driving. One option provides a continuous bi-directional bikeway and the other option is part uni-directional/part bi-directional bikeway.

The bi-directional version has some advantages. In that design, Sylvan Rd would be one-way only from the Milton Rd corner east-bound to Croydon Rd intersection. Even though the proposed bikeway would cross from one side of the road to the other halfway through that section, it would be crossing only one lane of traffic.

The alternate has a single lane bikeway either side of two-way traffic, in the same Milton Rd-Croydon Rd section.

One notable improvement that is shown on both proposed designs is the removal of on-street parking for the length of Sylvan Rd. This will certainly have a safety benefit for people using the bikeway.

Both designs use a bi-directional bikeway on the north side of Sylvan Rd, from the Croydon Rd corner east-bound past Wests Rugby and Toowong Memorial Park,  and continuing along Land St until it joins the underpass towards the Bicentennial Bikeway.

Brisbane City Council is inviting people to “have their say” on these proposed designs. Bicycle Queensland’s message to our bike-riding community is to make sure you weigh in with massive support for the project. This is a bikeway that we don’t want to see held back by local residents who wrongly perceive that it will create problems for them. So hit the link and let them know!