Councillor Jonathan Sri calls for park at Cultural Centre intersection

One of Brisbane’s busiest intersections — where thousands of buses, cars, bikes and pedestrians cross paths every day — could be turned into parkland under a radical new proposal unveiled today that could save council millions. SEE THE PLANS.

A BRISBANE councillor has urged the winner of this month’s council election to alter a major transport project, allowing one of the city’s biggest bottlenecks to become a 5000 sqm park.

The junction of Grey St and Melbourne St is one of Brisbane’s most frustrating, thanks to the sheer number of cars, buses, bikes and pedestrians crossing paths.

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It is frequently clogged by buses heading between the Southeast Busway and Cultural Centre station, and has been the site of a long-running feud between the State Government and Brisbane City Council over the $1 billion Brisbane Metro.

Now outspoken Greens councillor Jonathan Sri has suggested amending the Brisbane Metro project to close Grey St between South Brisbane Station and the Queensland Art Gallery, forcing traffic to make U-turns.

“There’s a really exciting opportunity to improve pedestrian access connectivity between the new Metro Station, the South Brisbane train station and the South Bank riverfront,” Cr Sri said.

“This is one part of the city which is really low on public green space.”

He said pop-up markets would also be hosted in the space.

The vocal councillor, who represents the Gabba Ward, said he would use the idea as a bargaining chip in the event the Greens became kingmakers. .

“We’re calling for this as part of a council election, but actually this is something we want all parties to consider,” Cr Sri said.

“If we ended up holding balance of power, we would push this,” he said.

“No one can quite agree how to design the Cultural Centre station.”

He also said it would remove the need to put buses on Melbourne St into a tunnel under the LNP’s much-vaunted Metro project, claiming it would save millions.

Work has already started on moving utilities pipes and lifts at the Cultural Centre in anticipation of Metro construction getting under way.

Cars will be blocked from entering the Victoria Bridge once Brisbane Metro is complete, but Grey St will remain open under the current plans being pushed by the LNP administration.