Cross River Rail changes plans to close bikeway after schools raise injury and congestion concerns
Cross River Rail has ditched plans to close a popular bikeway and divert traffic onto a busy road after two elite schools warned it could lead to an increased “risk of injury”.
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THE Cross River Rail Delivery Authority has ditched plans to close a divert bikeway onto a busy road during tunnel construction after two of Brisbane’s most prestigious schools warned the changes could lead to an increased “risk of injury”.
In June, Brisbane Grammar School and Brisbane Girls Grammar School wrote to the Cross River Rail Development Authority expressing concerns over plans to close a shared bikeway and footpath behind the schools and divert traffic onto College Rd.
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The northern Cross River Rail tunnel will run beneath BGS’s north western boundary, and emerge directly behind BGGS.
“Both schools adopt evidence-based risk mitigation practices for pedestrian and vehicle movement around our sites. The Delivery Authority’s proposal would likely compromise our mitigation practices,” the letter read.
“In our opinion, it is reasonably foreseeable that the proposed detour will unnecessarily increase the risk of injury to both the existing users of College Road and Gregory Terrace together with any cyclists who are redirected to those congested areas.”
The schools warned parents to watch for more cycle traffic when dropping off or picking up students.
But in the days following the schools’s warnings to parents the CRRDA agreed leave the path open for most of the construction but reduce its width to 1.2 metres.
CRR contractor Unity Alliance agreed to only shut the path temporarily for specific construction needs.
“These full closures will be required during site establishment and removal, specific construction activities such as concreting and for any unforeseen events or safety concerns. These closures will be undertaken outside of peak periods between 9am until 4pm,” the CRRDA letter to the schools reads.