Campaigns
Bridging the divide of Brisbane
The wide meandering Brisbane River is a challenge for cycling in Brisbane as it needs bike-friendly crossings. Ten years ago, none existed. Now, there’s the Jack Pesch (Indooroopilly) Goodwill, Eleanor Schonell, Gateway and Go-Between Bridges offering greatly improved cycle accessibility across the river, in conjunction with bikeways on the existing Story, Victoria and Jindalee Bridges. But more is needed to increase cycling's share of all trips.
A future significant priority project for Brisbane would be a new 'green' bridge linking Bulimba/Hawthorne to Teneriffe/New Farm. This would ease traffic congestion to the CBD and the eastern Brisbane suburbs by providing a great link for people on bikes and on foot, and even buses or a light rail if it includes public transport.
A major projects snapshot follows:
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The Eleanor Schonell Green Bridge - This provides connection between UQ and the southside, and to the city with bike lanes along Annerley Road and Stanley Street to South Bank (the city via the Goodwill Bridge.)
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O'Keefe St and the PA Hospital to the Eleanor Schonell Bridge - The completed O'Keefe St flyover into the PA Hospital, links the SE Freeway bikeway with a new bikeway behind the PA site through to Annerley Road and the University of Qld. The link on Annerley Road is a sub-standard connection; funding is needed for an upgrade of the footpath to accommodate a quality bikeway.
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The Go Between Bridge (formally known as the Hale Street Bridge) - This bridge provides a new and very handy cycle link between south and north: South Brisbane and Milton. As well as connecting to the Bicentennial Bikeway, the bridge's bikeway runs within a stone's throw of Lang Park, where the concourse link through to Caxton Street gives a long needed link between southside bikeways and the inner north/north-west.
- Gateway Bridge Duplication or Sir Leo Hielscher Bridge - This project provides a great cycle connection on the new Gateway: the only cross-river link down-stream of the city's Story Bridge. It’s popular for cycling, and part of the developing Morton Bay Cycleway, but work is required to link it to both the south and particularly the north through the airport and trade coast vicinity to the Kedron Brook bikeway 'ribs'. Some connection projects here are ‘on hold’ post the February 2011 floods.
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The Ted Smout Bridge formerly the Houghton Highway - This bridge connection from Sandgate to Redcliffe includes an excellent, ocean side 4 metre bikeway that has replaced the much loved but dilapidated Hornibrook Bridge and is another key part of the Moreton Bay Cycleway.
- Kurilpa Bridge - Joining the CBD from Tank Street to the southside and GOMA, this new pedestrian and bike bridge links to Brisbane's only Copenhagen bikeway providing a segregated contraflow link to George St. It also provides a reasonable connection through to Roma St Parklands - giving an off-road route directly to the RBWH hospital and northern suburbs. While some more work is required on this connection, this is a new major north-south spine for cycling in Brisbane.
- Mt Coot-tha Flyover - A great cycle and pedestrian link between the Centenary Freeway bikeway and the popular Mt Coot-tha scenic roads, MTB tracks and walking circuits which will be preserved and operating throughout the Legacy Way tunnel construction process.
