Four ‘small wins’ on notorious Bardon road

It’s short, steep, busy and dangerous. But one of inner-Brisbane’s busiest roads is about tot get better.

Georgina Gofton and son James at the pedestrian crossing near the Boundary/Rouen roads roundabout in Bardon. There has been a small win on upgrading MetRoad5. Picture: AAP/Regi Varghese

Four long-overdue safety improvements have been promised for busy Rouen Rd at Bardon.

The local state Greens MP, Michael Berkman, has been running a lengthy campaign to force the Transport Department to improve the roundabout at the intersection of Rainworth, Boundary and Rouen roads, and other dangerous sections of MetRoad 5.

MetRoad5 runs all the way from Kedron, through Bardon to Toowong. It includes Macgregor Tce, Boundary Rd, Rouen Rd and Frederick St.

“I have recently secured some simple safety improvements at the roundabout including high-vis signage and handrails, much better warning signs for motorists and some vegetation trimming to improve visibility,’’ Mr Berkman said.

“We’ve been working constructively with the Minister (DTMR Minister Mark Bailey) to identify safety hot spots, but progress has been pretty slow.

“The Bardon roundabout at Rouen Rd, Rainworth Rd and Boundary Rd is quite dangerous, especially for pedestrians.

“The roundabout is a busy community hub with Norman Buchan Park, the Bardon Shed, a

shopping strip, a new childcare centre and the nearby Rainworth State School.’’

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Mr Berkman said he had also persuaded the Government to consider a speed limit review along MetRoad5.

He wanted a drop to at least 50km/h, but preferably 40km/h, between the Bardon shops at Macgregor Tce and the Bardon Roundabout at Rouen Rd.

“Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Police Service need to sign off on any speed limit changes, so I will be speaking with Councillor Peter Matic (Paddington) and the police to seek their support,’’ he said.

Speed limit changes take many months as the community has to be surveyed, engineers inspect the area and undertake traffic speed research, engineers then make recommendations based on their findings and follow up to see if speeds have actually dropped.

In other wins, DTMR has agreed to a barrier-protected pedestrian refuge to make it safer to cross Macgregor Tce, just south of the Latrobe Tce roundabout.

Mr Berkman said it was hard to safely cross, especially for older residents or people using wheelchairs or pushing prams.

“I’ve also heard from residents and small business owners at the Bardon shops that some drivers have been running red lights around that shopping strip,’’ he said.

“I have also secured an upgrade to the traffic lights at the intersection of Macgregor Tce and Simpsons Rd to improve visibility.’’

To register your views on what the speed limit on MetRoad5 should be, email: [e-mail] and [e-mail]