Tag: advocacy

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Advocacy Press releases

Bikeway dismount hours amended to allow evening commute

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.

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Press releases

Inaugural Rail Trails and Tourism Conference a great success

From November 6-7, 2024, Bicycle Queensland co-hosted the Rail Trails and Tourism conference with Somerset Regional Council. The conference was held at Somerset Civic Centre in Esk, Queensland. The conference was made possible by support from the Queensland Government.

Wednesday November 6 was lead by Somerset Regional Council, with a focus on business opportunities on rail trails, with specific examples for the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT).

Attendees heard from Professor David Solnet and Professor Pierre Benckendorff from the University of Queensland, who did an extensive study on visitors to the  BVRT. They also heard from various speakers, including Peter Horman, CEO of Queensland Country Tourism. His presentation gave fascinating insights into the data driven decisions around tourism and destination marketing, helping to improve the understanding of potential market size around rail trail experiences.

Linda Tillman from Tilma Group Consultancy gave a presentation that dug into why visitor experiences that are unique and memorable are essential for any tourism offering – and rail trails are no different. There were many takeaways for this session, especially for businesses around a rail trail who are looking to attract visitors and gain word of mouth recommendations.

Dr Richard Buning from the University of Queensland delivered a presentation on cycle tourism, with a glimpse at some global best practices and how rail trails can help be part of a picture to grow cycle tourism in Queensland and Australia.

Conference attendees delved into a group session lead by Rowan Lamont from Blue Sky Trails, problem solving and brainstorming ideas to boost growth for rail trail businesses and the awareness of experiences alongside a rail trail. This was followed by a panel discussion with four different bike riders with a wide variety of experiences of using the BVRT.

A networking function was held that evening at the Esk Grand Hotel, offering a chance for attendees to catch up in a social setting – and in many cases share notes on the progress of their own projects.

Day two of the Rail Trails and Tourism conference started with a ride on the BVRT for those keen to start early, before a casual BBQ breakfast at the Somerset Civic Centre. Day 2 was delivered by Bicycle Queensland, and was all about how to build a rail trail.

This included input from Bicycle Queensland’s CEO Alton Twine on the importance of rail trails in the promotion of bike riding and active lifestyles, and a presentation from Desley O’Grady, President of the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail, about the importance of having a vision when taking on such a large project.

Craig England from the Department of Transport and Main Roads busted myths about how corridors are secured, explaining the process involved with a rail line becoming available for a new project. This included managing leases, sale of assets – and avoiding losing access entirely!

With the success of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, those attending the conference enjoyed an in-depth session from Iain Lonsdale from Tweed Shire Council, about the planning involved for a rail trail, including the finer details of understanding users, desired experiences, safety, limitations, climatic conditions and even material choices.

Paul Heymans, Patron of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Users Association, dug into the history and politics around the staged development of the BVRT, including hurdles and methods used for growth, before Rowan Lamont and Andrew Demack ran through different models of operation that can be used depending on the rail trail project.

After lunch, Tiffany Stodart, Manager of Destination, Communication and Customer Experience at Tweed Shire Council, teamed up with Bicycle Queensland’s Mike Blewitt to look at how to market a rail trail. From understanding your product, your market, new target markets, the brand – and how to manage those and increase visitation. This included looking at events, media relationships and asset creation.

The two days combined for a thorough experience on building, managing and optimising rail trails and their potential to be major economic drivers in different parts of Queensland and Australia.

‘This Rail Trails and Tourism conference was a great success, and we are happy to have been able to partner with Somerset Regional Council to deliver this two day event,’ said Alton Twine, CEO of Bicycle Queensland. ‘Many of us already know the benefits of rail trails, and how they contribute to the economic health of a region, alongside the social, mental and physical health of the communities involved – while also getting more people out on bikes!’

‘Importantly, we are now able to develop a tool kit to guide regions on how to take a rail trail from an available corridor through to a finished tourism offering, and we are hard at work creating a guide that will be available for any community groups who are ready to tackle a rail trail project.’

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Press releases

Bicycle Queensland welcomes new Queensland State Government

Bicycle Queensland congratulates the Hon David Crisafulli MP on becoming the 41st Premier of Queensland. 

We also congratulate the Hon Brent Mickelberg MP on becoming Minister for Transport and Main Roads, and we look forward to working with him.

Riding bikes and scooters is popular with Queenslanders. More than 1.1 million Queenslanders regularly ride, with the potential for many more. The evidence from across Australia and the world is that more people will ride more often if safe facilities are provided. This will reduce traffic congestion, improve the health and wellbeing of our communities, and get us moving towards the sustainability targets that are important for the whole State, as well as for the Brisbane 2032 event that is edging ever nearer.

Bike and scooter riding have an important role to play in the transport system, offering freedom from the constraints of congestion, parking and public transport timetables. E-bikes and e-scooters have been a game changer for many as they make getting around so much easier. All across Queensland we see bikes (and increasingly, scooters) being used for daily transport and utility trips, with the added bonus of that your transport can also be your recreation. 

Nowhere is this more important than with schools. In our urban areas, school traffic can make up a significant proportion (commonly 10%+) of the network traffic load, with more than 70% of students being taken to school by car. Yet a generation ago, the opposite was true, with most students walking and cycling to/from school. In Brisbane and the Gold Coast we have seen Active School Travel programs have been successful in reducing traffic congestion and creating safe routes to school. 

We believe that investment into safe walking and riding paths around schools will not only increase active transport participation, but also help deliver a network that is useful for all journey types.

Compared to other transport modes, cycling and walking are comparatively cheap in terms of infrastructure and, especially, operation. We believe this is good value for government investment, particularly in the context of the Department for Transport and Main Roads’ recently-introduced policy framework of Movement and Place, which, consistent with this policy in other States and overseas, recognises that local streets and public places are environments eminently suitable for riding bikes and scooters and walking.

Also, in a cost-of-living crisis, getting around by bike or scooter is not just convenient, it’s also cheap! The more we make it safer and easier, the more people will ride.

We look forward to working with the new Queensland Government to improve conditions for bike riding and scooter use, making it easier for people to get around, be more active and healthier, and contribute to our communities being better places.

Alton Twine
CEO
Bicycle Queensland

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Advocacy Press releases

CEO Message: The Queensland Election

Dear BQ Members,

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:

  1. Aim for 10% of trips by active transport by 2032 and commit 10% of the transport budget to making it happen.
  2. Fill in the missing links in the network.
  3. Maintain what is there already
  4. Improve signage for safety and wayfinding
  5. Look for cycle tourism opportunities
  6. Engage with users
  7. 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.

Regards

Alton

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Advocacy

Updates from Bicycle Queensland’s 2024 Regional Tour

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. 

Photo: Flow MTB

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Advocacy Education

Kids go back to school – on their bikes!

It looks like cycling could be here to stay post-pandemic as we see bicycle numbers soar in local schools. Ferny Grove State School now needs a second bike rack, because their current rack has been full every day since students returned to school.
Ferny Grove State School’s overflowing bike rack.

Ferny Grove State School Principal, Brett Shackleton, said that more families are travelling to school together by bike. He adds that it’s now common to see a bottleneck at most gates in the school as keen cyclists try to get a good spot in the bike racks.  

“We’ve had to provide temporary bike racks just to make do in the interim,” Mr Shackleton said.

Riding to school is important, as 39% of Queenslanders are not getting enough exercise and screen time dominates the home school environment. The bicycle commute is a simple way for communities to get their 60 minutes of accumulated physical activity a day and combat screen fatigue.

Bicycle Queensland’s Director of Education, Patrick Trowse is thrilled so many kids are riding to school again.

“Commuting to school not only covers the daily exercise needs, but also gives students an opportunity for growth and development.

“As bike paths and racks fill up, it is time to push for improved conditions for cycling, so that even more families will consider riding to school,” Mr Trowse said.

Read the full media release here