Brisbane bike lanes reviewed
Brisbane City Council is considering ripping up new CBD bike lanes.
A 12-month trial for separated bicycle lanes on three Brisbane CBD streets is up for review by the city council, which will determine whether the lanes remain.
The CityLink Cycleway was installed on Elizabeth Street, Edward Street, and Victoria Bridge last year.
Brisbane City Council transport chairperson Ryan Murphy says the lanes will be open for both cyclists and e-scooter riders while the council assesses the 12-month trial.
“More and more people are choosing to ride, scoot or walk in the CBD and the CityLink Cycleway project has made this safer and easier for everyone,” Mr Murphy said this week.
“We've partnered with Griffith University to conduct face-to-face interviews with local businesses and users of CityLink to help council evaluate the trial.
“This work has commenced and we hope to have the data mid-way through this year.”
Official figures show over 350,000 trips have been taken along the cycleway to date, with a daily average for the Elizabeth Street section of 758 trips, the Edward Street section 659 trips, and 960 trips for Victoria Bridge.
The Brisbane CBD Bicycle User Group (BUG) has made a submission to the council's assessment that describes the lanes as a “wonderful improvement” for cyclists and active travellers throughout the city.
However, when the council first installed the $1-million project, several shop owners in the CBD protested against the removal of loading zones to make way.
Reports say 14 of the original 17 loading zones along the two streets have since been relocated.
“Research and insights about how people have been using the bikeway are really important for us to make an informed decision about the future of this type of infrastructure in the CBD,” Mr Murphy said.
“Until then, no decisions will be made about the future of CityLink.”