Brisbane cyclist protest: ‘die-in’ causes traffic chaos

The councillor who gained national prominence thanks to his rainbow scarf has led a unique protest in Brisbane’s CBD.

The die-in cyclist protest led by Councillor Johnathan Sri during peak hour traffic in South Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Brisbane’s morning peak hour traffic reached an even slower crawl than usual this morning after 40 protesting cyclists laid down their bikes in the middle of a busy inner-city road.

Vulture Street in South Brisbane was strewn with bikes and bodies of riders protesting the lack of safe cycling options in the city after a 19-year-old Shelley Cheng was hit by a car on the stretch of road last month.

The "die-in" cyclist protest during peak hour traffic at the corner of Vulture and Graham Streets, South Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston.

The “die-in” only lasted for about ten minutes, but motorists quickly became frustrated at the impasse and advocacy group Bicycle Queensland slammed the protest as dangerous and immature.

Brisbane City councillor Jonathan Sri, who organised the protest, said the group had made their point.

Cr Sri said Ms Cheng’s accident was the latest in a long list of incidents involving cyclists in the area.

Councillor Jonathan Sri. Picture: Liam Kidston.

“We’ve been asking the council for at least two years now to install safe, separated bike lanes along Vulture Street, which is the main connection between West End and Wooloongabba,” he said.

“There are a lot of cyclists in West End.

“We don’t want a future where people are stuck in traffic for several hours every day.

Brisbane City Councillor Jonathan Sri, right, as Larissa Waters announced her resignation. Picture: AAP.

“Fundamentally the thing we are frustrated about is so many of our friends and neighbours keep ending up in hospital because of preventable accidents and if the council made a few cheap, simple changes we’d save a lot of money and staff time in the emergency ward.”

Cr Sri said the protest was a last resort after the council ignored petitions, letters and calls asking for the bike lanes to be installed.

Cyclists block traffic during a 'die-In' protest. Picture: AAP.

Bicycle Queensland chief executive Anne Savage said the protest could exacerbate tensions between cyclists and motorists.

“There are better ways. It’s 2018. We should sit down at the table and behave like adults,” she said.

Motorists stuck in traffic during the controversial cyclist protest. Picture: Liam Kidston.

She also accused protesters of misrepresenting the council’s position on separated bike lanes to keep riders away from cars, saying money was being spent on inner city routes and risky intersections.

“I do not think we should be punishing drivers,” Ms Savage said.

“I think actions like this only alienate us even further from the people that we need to engage with.”

Ms Cheng, who took part in the protest, suffered a minor head injury and abrasions when she was hit by the car.

Protesters in Brisbane. Picture: AAP.

She told The Australian cyclists had protested as a last resort and had “become desperate”.

“I think it is controversial because it impacted a lot of people trying to commute and a lot of people who aren’t responsible for the issue,” she said.

“But we’ve advocated for this for so long we’ve become desperate and need something bold to draw attention to the issue that Brisbane City Council are choosing to ignore.”