BCC Elections - Greens

OK so I have not been that lazy when it comes to the the Greens and what they would do for cycling in Brisbane as the policy document was only released yesterday. Unlike the Liberals and Labor instead of releasing it in a separate document it has been released in an over arching document on Transport. While to some people this can be seen as a let down and a dismissal of the importance of cycling it can also show the opposite. In this case it is the opposite. Instead of placing cycling at the end of the document cycling is the very first thing showing to me that the party gets how important cycling can be and that cycling is part of an integrated transport policy.

Instead of putting out a funding goal the party seams to of put out some key goals/ target areas

• Build it and they will come - the importance of cycle infrastructure
• Provide cycle lanes on every CBD street
• Make Connections
• More Pedestrian-Cycle Bridges
• Floating Walkway
• North Brisbane

These are all very encouraging and are somehow more appealing to me then just making funding announcements so I will break each down

Build it and they will come - the importance of cycle infrastructure.
There is a lot of truth to this phrase, which is why when we keep building roads, they keep filling with traffic. People will tend to use what’s easiest and cheapest, and if one transport mode becomes easier, quicker, or cheaper, they tend to move to that.

With this one the policy through the use of Qld Transport diagrams shows that as more cycling infrastructure has been installed more people have begun to ride as a form of transport not as recreation. This is a key outliner as it breaks the stereotype that the only people using the bikeways are people out for there morning ride not ones going to work

Provide cycle lanes on every CBD street (or every major street) in the inner city. Where possible, these should be separated from traffic by concrete kerbing, regular posts, or parked cars. On one-way streets, contra-flow lanes should be provided so people don’t have to ride the long way around. BCC's solution of painting a bike on the road and calling it a Bicycle Awareness Zone (BAZ) is a cheap cop out which is not good enough.

A major barrier to riding a bike in Brisbane is the fact that the CBD traffic flow back in the 60s/70s was redesigned as a thoroughfare. While sometimes this can be an asset to some cyclists it can be a major hindrances to people less comfortable in heavy traffic. While Not every street in the CBD needs a Bike lane there certainly needs to be some. From what this Paragraph is describing I would say what is being proposed is similar to what we currently have on George St (or in Sydney CBD). This separated on road bike lanes were installed 3 years ago and back then it was said to be extended down George towards the Parliament. we are still waiting. These kind of Bikelanes have been doing wonders in Sydney in getting people on there bikes (i have seen it with my own eyes no matter what Allan jones say) and I am sure they would do the same in Brisbane.

Make Connections. A great cycle path is next to useless if it doesn’t connect to other cycle lanes. The Greens promise to complete the network.

This one is dead right. Many paths in Brisbane finish short of a destination leaving one wondering why on earth the path was ever built in the first place.

More Pedestrian-Cycle Bridges will provide connections to and around the inner-city where a lot of the easily cycelable 3-5km journeys are. It would surmount the significant barrier that the river presents.
In particular, options to examine would be: West End – St Lucia (continue along Boundary St), West End – Toowong, Eagle Street – Kangaroo Point, Kangaroo Point – New Farm, New Farm – Hawthorn, Newstead – Bulimba

The river is a great asset in Brisbane as it has allowed quite pockets to develop but it can be a major barrier. Many parts of Brisbane are extremely hilly and while this is not a barrier to a car it is to someone that has been forced to ride on the footpath cause they can not travel to traffic speed and have been harassed by beeping motorists. Pedestrian / Cycle Bridges add to a suburb without adding traffic by making it more accessible to all without the traffic noise, pollution and rat running that begins with a simple road bridge. My pick of this bunch would be Newstead-Bulimba or Hawthorn - New Farm as it allows the people of Bulimba/Hawthrone a fast ride into the city on a reasonably flat route.

Floating Walkway
Since this was washed away in floods, it has cut an important connection for recreation and commuting for walkers, joggers and cyclists. It is going to be replaced, but work won’t start until 2013 and won’t be finished until 2014. This is much slower than some other flood-damaged infrastructure.
The replacement will not float, which means it will be more structurally sound, and will cost $70 million. This is a lot less than roads, and it was (and will be) used by people from across the city – not just locals from New Farm.

I have to say I have wanted this back as soon as it floated away. A commitment to a fixed structure is also showing sound structural reasoning instead of poltics in my mind. The floating was terrible to use and a disaster to maintain.

North Brisbane
North Brisbane lacks useful links to the city, which is why the above maps lack significant riding from that part of town. Labor have announced their intention to build the North Brisbane Cycleway, which the Greens have long been calling for. This will link the city to the north via Victoria Park, under Bowen Bridge Road and through the Ekka site.

Please oh please oh please. Without me repeating myself again I welcome this.

Like before the links are below for further information

http://qld.greens.org.au/content/greens-transport-vision-brisbane-fewer-cars-less-pollution-and-more-choice
http://qld.greens.org.au/system/files/private/Transport%20Backgrounder.pdf