Brisbane bike paths: Council and Government join to fix missing links

Brisbane Council and State Government will join together to combat ‘missing links’ in the city’s cycling and walking infrastructure, as residents increase bike path use under lockdown.

A JOINT committee between the State Government and Brisbane Council has been established to combat ‘missing links’ in the City’s transport network.

Cr Ryan Murphy today announced that Council would be working with the department of Transport and Main Roads as well as community representatives as part of a new Active Travel Advisory Committee (ATAC).

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the committee would work together and draw on the experience and insights of cyclist and pedestrian groups to tackle missing links between the State Government and council’s growing transport networks.

The committee will look to link the city’s bike paths and walkways better.

“What has become clear to me is that while both the State Government and the city council have substantial and growing citywide networks, they’re not always as well co-ordinated as they could be,” Minister Bailey said.

ATAC would be “working together on integrating and better linking our bikeway and walkway networks with active input from cyclist and walking groups”, Minister Bailey said.

Cr Murphy said the advisory group would inform future priorities for both Council and State projects.

“This will allow us to more easily collaborate on constructing missing links and improving connectivity,” he said.

The announcement follows a 30 per cent increase in bikeway usage across the Council network compared to last year.

“That’s an additional 1 million users,” Cr Murphy said.

Walking activity also increased by 49 per cent on weekends and 55 per cent on weekdays compared to last year.

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Cr Murphy said the ATAC would be working to ensure “walking and cycling remain a meaningful part of the transport mix after COVID-19”.

“We are looking forward to finalising membership and activating ATAC very soon,” Cr Murphy said.

Bicycle Queensland CEO Rebecca Randazzo said the committee was a “real opportunity” to create a create a safe and harmonious transport network in the wider Brisbane Region.

Queensland Walks Executive Officer Anna Campbell said there was a need to prioritise transport infrastructure following an increase in walking activity across Brisbane amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“An Active Transport committee will assist this process of making Brisbane a more walkable and liveable city,” she said.