Warnings ignored about Albion ‘death lane’ that claimed Geebung bike commuter
AUTHORITIES were repeatedly warned about the Albion “death lane” traffic black spot where a cyclist was dragged under a truck and killed earlier this month.
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AUTHORITIES were repeatedly warned about the Albion “death lane” traffic black spot where a cyclist was dragged under a truck and killed earlier this month.
A 37-year-old Geebung cyclist was riding north on Hudson Rd, about 3pm on August 10 when he was hit by a northbound semi-trailer truck near the Albion Overpass.
Police said the driver was unaware at first that he had struck the cyclist, who was dragged for a distance.
The cyclist died at the scene.
The intersection sits in an area cyclists call the “Wooloowin-Albion death corridor”, so named for its narrow roads, on-street parking and high volume of traffic travelling at speed.
Cyclist groups say they have spent the past decade telling government that urgent work was needed to prevent accidents like last month’s tragedy from occurring there. A section of the unfinished North Brisbane Bikeway - first promised in 2011 - ends 500m from the spot of the accident. Its proposed route is under the Albion Overpass.
2018: Controversial North Brisbane Bikeway to proceed
But there were also much more recent warnings. The Hudson On Albion Hill resident Gary Evans said since residents moved into the new Hudson Rd building 18 months ago, they had sent repeated warnings to state and local government about the traffic chaos they witnessed daily from their apartment windows.
The last was sent just weeks ago.
“I feel like I am in a nightmare — the one where you are screaming as loud as you can in a room full of people but no one can hear you,” Mr Evans said.
He said he had contacted Federal MP Trevor Evans, State MP Tim Nichols, Brisbane City Councillor David McLauchlan, police and the Department of Main Roads, and was each time referred to another government department.
“The residents call the inside lane of the Albion Overpass near the lights ‘the death lane’,” he said.
“If you are lined up in it, you are taking your life in your hands.”
Mr Evans said that he had witnessed many near-misses at the corner.
“You can see clearly that heavy vehicles travelling outbound from the city are unable to negotiate the left hand turn into the overpass from Hudson Rd without encroaching well into the second lane, and usually into the inside lane of the traffic travelling in the opposite direction.
“Nor should they — there is a large red sign clearly visible on the approach to the corner when turning left stating that vehicles over 10m in length are not suitable to turn onto the Overpass.
“The answer is simple — remove the turning lane — no left turn onto the overpass from Hudson Road.”
Bicycle Queensland CEO Anne Savage (read her full statement below) said her organisation was calling on the State Government to take immediate action.
“This is an incomprehensible tragedy — we cannot imagine what this young man’s family and friends must be going through right now,” Ms Savage said.
“There is no consolation for a tragedy of this nature. We must make our roads safe for cyclists.”
A spokesman for Federal MP (Brisbane) Trevor Evans, whose office is on Sandgate Rd, not far from the accident site, said: Following those representations from Bicycle Queensland, Trevor wrote to the Federal Transport Minister urging that the mandatory side underrun protection and cabin technologies that reduce blind spot risks on heavy vehicles be considered as part of the Government’s formal response to the Inquiry into the National Road Safety Strategy and as part of the Government’s next steps in continuing to improve road safety. I understand that Bicycle Queensland on Friday last week posted on their Facebook page their appreciation for Mr Evans taking this action to raise this matter at this level where the federal government can have the most impact on road safety nationally.
Ms Savage said BQ’s phone-based 24/7 Incident Debrief Service was available nationwide for any members in distress, phone 1300 55 40 11.
Why cyclists use Hudson Rd:
Despite its reputation, Hudson Rd, Albion, is a frequently used cyclist commuter route.
The Strava App heatmap marks registered cyclist’s paths on a satellite map and is listed by Brisbane City Council on its public cycling strategy documents as a useful information source on popular routes.
The Albion heatmap shows that nearby McDonald Rd — a designated Brisbane City Council Regional Cycle Route — is the most used route from the northern suburbs to the CBD.
However, riders coming or going from inner-north suburbs, such as Newstead, Bowen Hills, and Teneriffe, are hemmed in by the river, a wide rail corridor and Breakfast Creek.
To link up to McDonald Rd’s safer designated bike lanes, they must use Burrow St, then Hudson Rd and Bridge St.
Several cycle trip planner apps include Hudson Rd at the top of their “fastest route” recommendations from inner-northern suburbs to the outer north.
Brisbane CBD BUG spokesman AARON BALL:
The Brisbane cycling community is devastated by this recent tragedy. Our deepest sympathies are extended to this young man’s family and friends.
It is our view that this recent tragedy was entirely preventable, just like the other tragedies involving Brisbane residents Richard Pollett, Les Karayan, Rebekka Meyer, and Michelle Smeaton to name just a few. These were all ordinary Brisbane people, with families and loved ones, riding their bikes when they were killed in collisions involving trucks on Brisbane roads.
In many of these tragedies, cycling groups had previously raised serious concerns with both State government and Brisbane City Council about those specific roads, as well as concerns generally about the use of suburban roads by heavy vehicles and the lack of safety improvements to those vehicles that are regularly enforced overseas.
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2014: Cyclists risk lives on 'death corridor'
2015: Cyclists out of the loop
2015: Truck driver jailed over cyclist’s death
2015: Coroner pushes for improved safety after cyclist Rebekka Meyer’s death
2014: Cyclist Michelle Smeaton’s children told ‘mummy isn’t coming home’
2013: Grieving parents of crash victim cyclist Richard Pollett call for bike ‘safe zone’
On many occasions, local cycling advocacy groups have sought out engagement with Council and offered specific suggestions for safety improvements. Unfortunately, these suggestions have largely been ignored by Council planners. It is no doubt that there is a serious and dangerous lack of understanding among Brisbane drivers abut the vulnerability of cyclists and pedestrians, but this is exacerbated by poor safety regulations for heavy vehicles, and poor road design that consistently puts the convenience of motor vehicles ahead of the lives of cyclists and pedestrians.
Directly underneath the Albion overpass is the proposed route for the long-promised North Brisbane Bikeway. However, despite TMR and Council delivering several million dollars worth of roadworks since this route was first proposed more than 10 years ago, and promised by TMR in 2011, it remains only partially delivered.
The partially built bikeway stops about 500 metres south of where this latest tragedy occurred.
Local Brisbane bicycle user groups have been lobbying both TMR and Council, for literally years, to build this infrastructure.
Aug. 15, 2018: Controversial bikeway to proceed
May 24, 2018: Council back-pedals on bikeway plan
As early as June 2011, the Brisbane CBD BUG wrote to Brisbane City Council urging it to get behind this separated cycling route which was then called the Northern Veloway.
Brisbane CBD BUG told Council then that “northern suburb residents brave enough to currently cycle have been left to run the gauntlet of large volumes of fast moving motor vehicle traffic that commonly includes heavy vehicles.”
When changes were recently made to the intersection of Bridge St and Hudson Rd, further north of the scene of the most recent tragedy, Council planners were again warned by cycling advocates that Council’s disregard for the needs of cyclists along this route would lead to injury and death.
Brisbane cyclists recognise that a lot of good work has been done recently by Minister Mark Bailey, Queensland’s Minister for Transport and Main Roads, and Deputy Mayor Councillor Adrian Schrinner, Chair of Brisbane Council’s Public and Active Transport Committee.
We hope their Ministerial and Council colleagues support their continued efforts to work together, and recognise that people’s lives shouldn’t be compromised on our roads just for the sake of political pointscoring.
Please see this link, accessing a plethora of correspondence to TMR and Council on this issue, including the passage quoted above (letter to Cr. Julian Simmonds, dated 3 June 2011).
See also link to TMR’s previous Queensland Cycling Strategy, released in 2011. Go to page 27 for the details of “a northern cycleway for Brisbane City”.
Bicycle Queensland CEO ANNE SAVAGE:
This is an incomprehensible tragedy — we cannot imagine what this young man’s family and friends must be going through right now.
Our hearts go out to them, and others who have been affected.
There is no consolation for a tragedy of this nature.
We must make our roads safe for cyclists.
We have again written to the Premier and Minister for Transport this morning calling for greater leadership on Road Safety & Healthy Travel (see below).
One hundred and fifty-four people have died on Queensland roads this year, 11 higher than the same time last year.
Driver fatalities, not including those killed while behind the controls of motorbikes and mopeds, have increased by almost 40 per cent with 76 drivers dead compared with 53 dead as of August 2017.
Last week Bicycle Queensland’s CEO had a phone conference with the Federal Member for Brisbane, Trevor Evans MP, to discuss the Heavy Vehicle National Law and Regulations.
Nearly 130 cyclists and pedestrians have been killed in heavy vehicle crashes in Queensland since 2001, amounting to an estimated casualty cost in the order of $750 million, a figure that does not include the incalculable cost of family grief and community suffering.
The Member for Brisbane immediately wrote to the Federal Transport Minister urging that new safety technologies be considered as part of the Government’s formal response to the Inquiry into the National Road Safety Strategy and as part of the next steps in continuing to improve road safety.
Bicycle Queensland is now working with the State Government and Brisbane City Council to ensure safety upgrades on this busy road corridor are made safe for cyclists.
Bicycle Queensland’s phone-based 24/7 Incident Debrief Service is available nationwide for any members in distress — 1300 55 40 11.
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BICYCLE QUEENSLAND’S LETTER TO THE PREMIER:
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13 August 2018
The Hon. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk MP The Hon. Mark Bailey MP
Premier and Minister for Trade Minister for Transport and Main Roads
PO Box 15185 GPO Box 2644
City East 4002 Brisbane Qld 4001
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LEADERSHIP ON ROAD SAFETY & HEALTHY TRAVEL
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Dear Premier & Minister Bailey,
I write regarding the tragic death of 37-year-old father of two last Friday afternoon, 10
(The cyclist) was killed while riding his bike up Hudson Rd at Albion in Brisbane.
He was about to turn the corner for home on the Albion Road Overpass (when he and a heavy vehicle turning in the same direction collided).
The road had no bike lane, no bicycle safety box, a hard kerb, and a 90-degree corner.
The heavy vehicle was a flat-bed semi-trailer with no side underrun protection, limited side and peripheral vision, and no warning technology to mitigate blind-spot risks.
I have enclosed a copy of Bicycle Queensland’s submission to the Parliamentary Committee Inquiry into the Heavy Vehicle National Law and Other Regulation Amendment Bill and refer you to the recommendations under Point 2 in that submission, as follows:
Introduction of a Heavy Vehicle Safety Rating System
Bicycle Queensland supports the intent of the Bill to create a positive due diligence obligation on the executive officers of companies operating heavy vehicles with regard to all safety-related offences. Bicycle Queensland also welcomes amendments requiring the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to maintain a database of heavy vehicles in order to improve driver responsibility and road safety.
Bicycle Queensland would welcome the Committee’s additional consideration of the urgent need for a Heavy Vehicle Safety Rating System and uniform national legislative amendments requiring heavy vehicles in Australia to comply with the world’s best-practice standards set forth in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) Regulation R73 with regard to side under run protection. Regulation R73 is endorsed by the Australian Trucking Association and codified in a voluntary Industry Technical Council Advisory Procedure of the same name.
The aim of the Regulation is to stop vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, from falling under the sides of vehicles and dragging under the wheels. Bicycle Queensland draws the Committee’s attention to the Coronial Findings into the death of 22-year-old Rebekka Meyer, who died tragically in 2014 when she was dragged under a tip-truck towing a dog trailer as she cycled to university along Stanley Street at South Brisbane. In handing down the findings, the Coroner noted the inherent danger of heavy vehicles operating in ordinary traffic with limited forward vision from the driver’s position, recommending conventional heavy vehicles without appropriate warning technologies be prohibited. A range of cost-effective options are available to heavy vehicle manufacturers and operators to effectively mitigate blind spot risks, and should be mandatory under the law.
Furthermore, Bicycle Queensland strongly recommends mandatory monitoring of mobile phone use by heavy vehicle operators, with evidence of road crashes involving heavy vehicles in regional locations where truck drivers are known to drive back into mobile phone range. This risk must be actively addressed.
Between 2001 and July 2017 nearly 130 cyclists and pedestrians lost their lives in heavy vehicle crashes in Queensland, amounting to an estimated casualty cost in the order of $750 million, a figure that does not appreciate the incalculable cost of community suffering.
(The cyclist) leaves behind a deeply bereft wife and two young children.
In the wake of (this latest) tragic — and avoidable — death, in broader context of a 40 per cent increase in driver fatalities compared to last year, Bicycle Queensland would welcome your urgent action on the following policy initiatives:
1. The creation of a Road Safety and Healthy Travel Commission to spearhead efforts to
reduce the state’s road toll and promote a healthy and safe transport future for all Queenslanders.
2. Increased funding to enable audited compliance on a statewide level with the State’s Cycling Infrastructure Policy. This also requires a broadening of State power and funding increase to make the Policy binding on local governments and all government departments.
3. Reform of heavy vehicle laws and regulations to adopt the recommendations put forward by Bicycle Queensland in its submission to the Heavy Vehicle National Law and Other Regulation Amendment Bill.
4. Greater investment in targeted education and awareness strategies to improve outcomes
for vulnerable road users.
I would welcome the opportunity to meet with Minister Bailey to discuss these matters as soon as possible. I offer you Bicycle Queensland’s full support with joint action on road safety and healthy travel.
Yours sincerely,
Anne Savage
Chief Executive Officer
Bicycle Queensland
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