Cycling: Residents outraged over new bike lanes to be installed on Southport-Nerang Road in Ashmore
Bike lanes are set to be installed along one of the Gold Coast’s busiest road, sparking a furious response from locals who fear what they will lose.
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RESIDENTS and business owners have aired grievances in a fiery meeting over plans for a new cycleway in Ashmore.
The loss of on-street parking and safety were the main concerns discussed during yesterday’s heated meeting at The Pitstop.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads wants to extend the bike lanes already in place on Southport-Nerang Rd, between Moora and Wardoo streets.
Residents and business owners say they will take away parking spots on the busy road.
David Mills has lived on the street for more than 30 years and said he would no longer be able to have his 97-year-old mother over to visit.
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“She’s in a wheelchair,” he said. “I talked to them the other day and was told she would have to park around the corner and be pushed back.
“There was no consultation. I want my mum to be able to visit for the last few years she has left.
“When I saw her on Sunday she was crying, because I said I’d have to move the cars round the corner in front of somebody else’s house, get you down the driveway.
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“She just said ‘don’t worry, that’s too much hassle’.”
Southport-Nerang Rd has been the site of several serious incidents previously, prompting fears for cyclists’ safety.
Pitstop Ashmore owner Leanne Cowley said she had already submitted a lengthy letter to Southport MP Rob Molhoek, who attended yesterday’s meeting.
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“I came out the morning after I got a letter and stood and watched how many kids came past on bikes, and there was one on the other side,” she said.
“We’re a bike-riding family and there’s no way I would ride on this road. The kids have to come first.
“There’s a path through the park near Aquinas College and that’s where the kids ride, they should be left alone there.”
Mr Molhoek told the Bulletin he had not been consulted about the new bike lanes.
Work on the bike lanes is expected to start this month and be finished in about three months.
In a statement released last week, Transport Minister Mark Bailey said thousands of bike riders used the stretch of road each week.
“The extended bike lanes will provide safer separation between bike riders and motorcyclists,” he said.
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“It’s a win for the economy, with every dollar spent in healthy travel, reaping communities five dollars in economic benefit.
“Projects like this play an important role in tackling congestion and add to the $2.4 billion the Palaszczuk Government is delivering in roads and transport for the Gold Coast and surrounds.”
Minister Bailey’s office was contacted for comment about the residents issues yesterday, but did not respond.
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