The road so slow a jogger can outrun cars

TRAFFIC around a major Brisbane bridge is so slow joggers and cyclists can easily outpace cars. WATCH THE VIDEO

TRAFFIC around a major Brisbane bridge is so slow joggers can easily outrun cars and cyclists can do the same trip many times faster.

Labor MP for Yeerongpilly Mark Bailey, who is campaigning for a second Walter Taylor Bridge to ease the notorious Indooroopilly bottleneck, recently took to his bicycle to prove how badly a duplicate river crossing is needed.

Mr Bailey, a keen longtime cyclist, attached a GoPro camera to his bike helmet and set off on the Oxley Rd/Wharf St approach on Tuesday last week, about 7.30am, to prove his point.

Walter Taylor Bridge.

“It took me about three minutes, but motorists would have spent much longer stuck in traffic,’’ Mr Bailey said.

“I started a little in front of Graceville State School, which is where the cars had stopped.

“Peak hour along there is about 7.40-8.15, but traffic was actually a bit lighter than usual because of the Ekka.’’

Mr Bailey said cars were banked up for about 1.5km-2km on a typical weekday, and for about 700-800m on the Honour Ave approach.

This reporter jogged the Honour Ave approach on Monday morning this week, starting at Hurlton St, Chelmer, near Graceville train station, at 7.37am.

Mark Bailey.

It took just under six minutes to reach the northern end of the bridge, running slowly due to a sore tendon.

An Audi queuing near Hurlton St at the start of the jog eventually crossed the bridge about 15 minutes later.

At one point, two schoolboys, who looked only just old enough to be in high school, were walking faster on the bridge’s footpath than nearby cars.

More than 450 people have so far signed an epetition Mr Bailey launched a fortnight ago calling for a duplicate bridge.

Councillor Julian Simmonds (Walter Taylor) has previously said upgrading the roundabout on Coonan St, where most northbound traffic ended up, was a higher priority than a second bridge and work on that was much more advanced.

However, Mr Bailey said Brisbane City Council had had at least a decade to do something about the problem and instead had directed money to adding one extra lane to Kingsford Smith Drive.