After leading Bicycle Queensland’s recent series of regional forums throughout Queensland, BQ’s Director of Advocacy, Andrew Demack, hosted the last round of meetings with BQ members, bike riders and local communities had forums held in Logan, and across Brisbane’s south, east, north, west and CBD. Overall, the message from riders around the state suggests that Queensland has examples of great infrastructure, but too many gaps and stalled projects. Many feel that missed opportunities are limiting progress.
Across the state, Andrew heard from highly engaged riders pushing for networks that are safe, connected, and genuinely useful for daily transport and recreation. And while the themes differed by region, the underlying sentiment was consistent: Queensland can do far better.
Logan
“Logan is a really active group and really deeply engaged in trying to push council along… to fill gaps in the network and to have a forward plan that works for the community,” said Andrew of the meeting in Logan.
Two issues dominated the conversation.
First is the long-awaited Bethania–Beaudesert rail corridor. Planning exists, funding has been allocated, and locals have been waiting for construction to begin.
“One of the frustrations is how long these things take to get started. This has been a project that’s been on the books such a long time, and has seemed to us to be ready to be built for the last four or five years as well. And so we’d love to see Logan Council actually start on that project.”
The second issue is the Queensland Government’s commitment, which is now in doubt, to deliver a continuous active transport corridor from Kuraby to Beenleigh as part of the Logan–Gold Coast Faster Rail project.
Andrew says the project appears to be reneging on that promise:
“It’s a one-time opportunity… the bits that are being included are really good, and the bits that are missing are tragic. If we don’t get this, we’re missing a huge opportunity.”
South Brisbane
The south side forum drew an unexpectedly diverse crowd, with a broader spread of ages than most other forums. Given the area has a number of schools with strong active-travel programs, a lot more families are involved in cycling and advocacy for better active transport.
A key corridor to improve and enhance this growth is on Annerley Road.
“People would like to travel safely on their bikes along Annerley Road and currently find it daunting and dangerous,” reports Andrew.
Parents from schools including Yeronga State School and Sherwood Community Kindergarten are driving change:
“At Yeronga State School, there’s a riding school bus, which is such a great program,” Andrew added. The benefits of schools and kindergartens encouraging riding are near limitless, helping set habits for a bright future.
East Brisbane
A word cloud from this forum would reveal worlds like ‘disappointment’ and ‘challenges’, with Andrew noting that council has made “no progress at all” on safe commuting or transport routes. While other parts of the city have a mix of routes that either work to connect within the suburbs or into the city, east of Woolloongabba very little exists for riders looking for transport links, although the update to the Murrarie Criterium Circuit has been well-received.
North Brisbane
On the north side, priorities justifiably revolve around the unfinished section of the North Brisbane Bikeway.
“We’ve got a really high-quality bikeway… and then it stops at a crucial location, half a kilometre short of what would make such a massive difference,” explained Andrew.
That missing 500 metres, he says, would unlock an entire network, letting riders connect from Sandgate to the City, or the airport to the City, on safe and accessible routes.
“It’s really frustrating… and we also haven’t seen any progress on the alternative route council proposed.”
Other barriers like Kedron Brook Road were also raised, described as “super hazardous to bike riders” and a reason many simply don’t ride.
West Brisbane
The west is pretty well served for trunk infrastructure, and many attendees acknowledged they have “access to all of the routes I want to ride,” especially for recreation.
But major severance issues remain – the Achilles heel for any transport network.
Lambert Road, from Indooroopilly Station toward the university remains a barrier. Recent major works at the former Moggill Road roundabout have delivered major works for motorised traffic “but the active transport outcomes are negative. We didn’t get anything that was really useful for bikes or for walking,” confirmed Andrew.
Brisbane CBD
The CBD forum focused less on specific routes and more on systemic issues in and around Brisbane’s Central Business District.
The priority of bikes in the planning process has not been achieved, and riders expressed concern that existing policies and standards which should guide safe cycling design aren’t being applied.
With Brisbane 2032 approaching, the urgency is increasing.
BQ CEO Matt’s message was repeated at the forum – Paris committed to and built 60km of bikeways ahead of the Games, something that stands in stark contrast to Brisbane, where we have zero kilometres of bikeways planned for 2032.
Time to design and construct them is rapidly slipping away, and the lack of planning and action was a concern for those in attendance.
The statewide picture
Across all regions, Andrew emphasised that Bicycle Queensland’s members are extraordinary advocates.
“We have this amazing resource of people who have committed their time and effort to cycling advocacy. These are people who provide a good critique and they’re there to help.”
But he also heard deep frustration from around Queensland.
“From all the forums, there is a belief that Queensland has stalled in the investment and stalled in the ongoing planning. And Queensland has also stalled in linking up the parts of a network that we’ve got.”
Half done is not halfway there when it comes to a cycle network. Where networks are broken or incomplete, Andrew noted that most people aren’t willing to ride.
BQ’s proposed campaign to “complete the State Cycle Network” was strongly supported everywhere it was raised.
But one issue is universal across the state is that “Nobody thinks we’re spending the right amount of money yet on bikes.” Andrew also noted that there is a driving need for proper investment at a Federal level, as the $100 million funding over 4 years was completely over-subscribed. Australia, and Queensland, needs a rethink on transport investment.
“If we continue to just build big roads, we get big traffic.”
