Claims 1500 footpath ‘quick fixes’ putting us at risk

Brisbane’s broken footpaths would stretch all the way to Melbourne if put end to end, the Council Opposition claims. See how many are in your suburb.

A broken Telstra cover on Cliveden Ave, Corinda (now repaired). Labor says the Council administration has been repairing, not replacing or properly fixing, hundreds of kilometres of footpaths.

There are now 2000km of “broken’’ footpaths in Brisbane as Council spruiks new paths on social media instead of fixing existing ones, Labor Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy says.

But the LNP administration hit back, saying footpaths were in a “better condition than ever’’ and accused Cr Cassidy of “throwing around figures from a fake audit’’.

It said about 275km was considered in poor condition, less than 5 per cent of the entire footpath network.

Cr Cassidy said his figures, from the 2019/2020 financial year, were in fact official Council statistics and painted a damning picture.

Only 38 damaged footpaths were completely replaced and 1542 received only temporary repairs — such as filling cracks with bitumen and “grind backs’’ — which he said could themselves create tripping hazards.

Elderly Sandgate woman dies in footpath fall

But 101 new footpaths were built which did not previously exist, at a cost of $4,372,143.

Many of these were heavily promoted by LNP councillors on their social media.

“More than 1500 quick fixes and only 38 actual replacements of broken and dangerous footpaths is unacceptable,’’ Cr Cassidy said.

An unsafe footpath at Edith St, Enoggera, before it was fixed.

“This Lord Mayor’s (Adrian Schrinner’s) idea of fixing footpaths is pouring bitumen on cracks, but that often creates more of a tripping hazard.

“What’s really needed is the proper replacement of cracked and dangerous footpaths, not bitumen band-aids.

“Instead of spruiking big inner city projects like the cost blow out Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade, Adrian Schrinner needs to get the basics right for our suburbs.’’

City Standards, Community Health and Safety Chair, Kim Marx, said footpaths were now in a better state than ever after the LNP had to fix up the mess left by Labor (which was last in power 16 years ago).

“Labor left an atrocious legacy which we had to fix,’’ Cr Marx said.

“Cr Cassidy’s fake audit could not be further from the truth.

“The figures he’s throwing around are rubbish, but he won’t let the facts get in the way of his desperate attempts to get in the media.

“It is also the responsibility of local councillors to identify work needed and they can use their Suburban Enhancement Fund for footpath works.

“Only once in the past 12 months has Cr Cassidy chosen to use his Suburban Enhancement Fund budget allocation of more than $600,000 on a footpath job.

This cracked path at Paladin Pl, Bald Hills was reported to Council in 2018.

“Labor likes to bang on about the state of footpaths in Brisbane, but for the record they have an extremely poor record of doing anything about them, particularly Cr Cassidy.’’

Cr Cassidy said footpath replacements and repairs should be funded from the capital budget, not the Suburban Enhancement Fund which was supposed to be used for other important local upgrades such as new parks, playgrounds and facilities.

He said numerous streets across the city had incomplete or no footpaths.

Moorooka Councillor Steve Griffiths, who has campaigned for years for upgrades to local footpaths, said the “continual neglect of maintenanceof our city’s footpaths is appalling’’.

“Many residents complain to me about the shocking state of our footpaths and how unsafe they feel using them,’’ Cr Griffiths said.

“Providing safe footpaths is a basic responsibility of Council but, under this Lord Mayor, Brisbane is failing.’’

A cracked path at Mortimer St, Acacia Ridge.

Cr Marx also said Council was investing more than $40 million this financial year to deliver new or upgraded footpaths across Brisbane.

About $26 million of that was allocated to footpath maintenance and reconstruction.

“Footpath maintenance and reconstruction is undertaken where it is needed most, with jobs allocated on a priority basis with safety always in mind first and foremost,’’ he said.

“To be clear, footpath maintenance does not mean a footpath is unsafe.

“Council routinely carries out works to make the area around a footpath in need of maintenance safe, but keeps the record of the job open until longer term repair works are completed.

“In the past financial year more than 1400 maintenance jobs were completed across 26,000 sqm of footpath.’’

He urged residents to report unsafe paths to Council immediately. It would inspect major issues within two hours and minor issues within 24 hours.

Libra St, Inala. Many streets in Brisbane don’t have footpath, or have incomplete paths.

DAMAGED STREETS WHICH HAD TEMPORARY REPAIRS (2019/20)

Acacia Ridge 15

Albion 6

Alderley 5

Algester 9

Annerley 17

Anstead 1

Ascot 22

Ashgrove 13

Aspley 10

Auchenflower 5

Bald Hills 13

Balmoral 9

Banyo 9

Bardon 3

Bellbowrie 11

Boondall 13

Bowen Hills 2

Bracken Ridge 22

Bridgeman Downs 10

Brighton 14

Brisbane Airport 1

Brisbane City 9

Brookfield 4

Bulimba 12

Calamvale 15

Camp Hill 8

Cannon Hill 8

Carina 6

Carina Heights 12

Carindale 13

Carseldine 19

Chapel Hill 11

Chermside 10

Chermside West 8

Clayfield 18

Coopers Plains 5

Coorparoo 39

Corinda 10

Darra 7

Deagon 3

Doolandella 1

Drewvale 3

Durack 12

Dutton Park 3

Eagle Farm 1

East Brisbane 9

Eight Mile Plains 14

Ellen Grove 3

Enogerra 1

Enoggera 12

Everton Park 10

Fairfield 13

Ferny Grove 9

Fig Tree Pocket 8

Fitzgibbon 3

Forest Lake 17

Fortitude Valley 6

Geebung 4

Gordon Park 10

Graceville 12

Grange 6

Greenslopes 13

Hamilton 20

Hawthorne 3

Heathwood 9

Hemmant 3

Hendra 6

Herston 2

Highgate Hill 5

Holland Park 8

Holland Park West 10

Inala 37

Indooroopilly 27

Jamboree Heights 11

Jindalee 11

Kalinga 6

Kangaroo Point 5

Karana Downs 2

Kedron 6

Kelvin Grove 1

Kenmore 6

Kenmore Hills 2

Keperra 8

Kuraby 7

Lota 9

Lutwyche 13

Lytton 4

MacGregor 4

Manly 12

Manly West 18

Mansfield 10

McDowall 8

Middle Park 5

Milton 2

Mitchelton 11

Moggill 3

Moorooka 24

Morningside 13

Mount Gravatt 2

Mount Gravatt East 8

Mount Ommaney 4

Murarrie 15

Nathan 3

New Farm 21

Newmarket 13

Newstead 3

Norman Park 11

Northgate 6

Nudgee 1

Nundah 15

Oxley 9

Paddington 12

Parkinson 13

Petrie Terrace 3

Pullenvale 2

Ransome 1

Richlands 1

Riverhills 5

Robertson 3

Rochedale 1

Rocklea 6

Runcorn 18

Salisbury 16

Sandgate 8

Seven Hills 5

Seventeen Mile Rocks 7

Sherwood 16

Shorncliffe 6

Sinnamon Park 9

South Brisbane 11

Spring Hill 7

St Lucia 11

Stafford 14

Stafford Heights 10

Stones Corner 2

Stretton 6

Sumner 2

Sunnybank 14

Sunnybank Hills 23

Taigum 7

Taringa 23

Tarragindi 20

Teneriffe 1

Tennyson 3

The Gap 17

Tingalpa 10

Toowong 12

Upper Mount Gravatt 11

Virginia 6

Wacol 2

Wakerley 7

Wavell Heights 10

West End 12

Westlake 5

Wilston 4

Windsor 8

Wishart 23

Woolloongabba 4

Wooloowin 17

Wynnum 31

Wynnum West 15

Yeerongpilly 1

Yeronga 11

Zillmere 11

Total 1542