State Gov - Worries me

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/cyclists-fear-offtrack-government-20120514-1ymsa.html

I have to say this article in Brisbane Times last week worries me.

During the State election the LNP made no public policy on what they would be doing with regard to cycling and cycling infrastructure. This is of concern as it means they can not be held to acount on what they may or may not do with regard to cycling. Now the LNP is the Government of Queensland and we still do not know what they think of cycling.

During the last term of Labor as Government an important policy was enacted. This policy is the "Cycling Infrastructure Policy". This policy calls for cycling infrastructure to be called for when ever a transport infrastructure project is to built. This is very important as many times in the past cycling has been left out creating a major barrier to people being able to cycle. Many times these projects have blocked the retro-fitting of cycling infrastructure due the massive extra cost of coming back and making good of what should of been done in the first place.

A key project where retro fitting is going to cost a furtune is the South East Transit Bikeway now know as the Veloway 1 Cycleway. The South East Transit bikeway was to be built in conjuction with the South East Transit Busway (South East Busway). Now to the project team credit key parts of the project were built but all bridge sections were left out. Now this resulted in a mass of concrete path that runs besides the busway but is unable to be used. Anyone that uses the SE Busway would see this and have no idea what it is or what it is meant for as all bridge sections of the project were not built. The then Labor government said that it would be built in a later stage as the Busway was running over cost at the time. Well the final cost of the busway came in at $452 million. to complete the bikeway would of cost $20 million from what people had told me. Less than 5 years latter the cost of completing the bikeway had balloned to $60 million. The South East Transit Bikeway was to be a true arterial bikeway fast at busway level for the most part. Assuming a fast rider (30kmph) was to use it it would of meant they would be able to reach the edge of the Brisbane CBD within 30 minutes. A time that would of been very competitive with the Bus services themselves which take around 20mins.

Another Project were this policy would of been a great help is Airport Link. Under this policy it would of meant that the Northern Bikeway with which I have posted about would of been built. If it had not of been built the corridor would of been reserved meaning faster installation when it was built.

So what is at risk if this policy is removed. The first bikeway that may be at risk is the Moretan Bay Bikeway which is due to run beside the new Redcliffe Railway. Another Bikeway that is at risk is the new sections of Centenary Bikeway which is due to run along the new Springfeild Railway which is currently under constuction. Both projects run along corridors that are identified in the SE Qld cycling plan. If this policy is reversed it will not only result in missing links in the bikeway network but substandard bikeways when the links are filled as they will cost far more then they would of in the first place.