Want to get cycles and scooters off CBD footpaths? A solution was around in 1995

The distance between the Supreme Court in the Brisbane CBD and state government headquarters on William Street is one kilometre.

That’s a 15-minute walk – and even quicker and easier, you might think, on an e-scooter or bike.

But for city workers getting around on two wheels, a trip from one end of George Street to the other is a logistical nightmare.

Jo Qualmann rides her bike north along the one-way section of George Street.Credit: Glenn Campbell

Aside from a 180-metre stretch of two-way bikeway between Herschel and Turbot streets – dubbed the “bikeway to nowhere” – the street has no separated bike lanes, and north of Charlotte Street is one-way.

Southbound cyclists and e-scooter riders are left with two options: sharing the George Street footpath with pedestrians, which is legal but can be dicey, or finding a creative alternative.

Jo Qualmann commutes to the city on a bike, but said trying to get from Roma Street to the southern end of the CBD was “like a choose your own adventure”.

“George Street is just a straight line, and it would be so easy if you could just pop straight down that street,” she said.

City worker Stephen Amos’ solution includes using North Quay, the Bicentennial Bikeway and a new lift so small it can only fit one person and a road bike with the wheel turned sideways.

On his way home, Amos rides his bike up busy one-way George Street in peak-hour traffic in a move he admits would only be attempted by the “brave and bold”.

“You have to ride in full-on traffic, straight down George Street in the afternoon – it’s pretty insane,” he said.

The current separated bikeway in the Brisbane CBD at George Street, near the courts precinct.Credit: Glenn Campbell

He dismisses the 180m long stretch of separated path near the courts precinct as “the bikeway to nowhere”.

“They put CityLink in [on Elizabeth and Edwards streets] ... and it’s nearly impossible to get to it.”

Brisbane City Council trialled two-way protected bike lanes on Elizabeth and Edwards streets in 2021, then made them permanent, in a move active transport advocates said was “fantastic”.

But the CityLink doesn’t stretch north to connect with Queen, Adelaide or Ann streets, and busy one-way streets such as Ann Street are also missing separated bike lanes.

Advocates have pushed for a CBD cycling grid for more than a decade. As far back as 1995, a council “Bicycle Brisbane Plan” called for a separated two-way bike lane on George Street, linking Alice Street to Roma Street.

In 2011, former LNP lord mayor Graham Quirk said a cycleway down one lane of George Street could be the next initiative in a more cycling and pedestrian-friendly CBD.

Cycling groups say the end of construction at Queen’s Wharf is the perfect opportunity to put the plan back on the agenda, and have launched a petition to push for action.

“George Street is pretty much a no-brainer when it comes to cycling, scooter connectivity,” said Mitch Bright from Space 4 Cycling, which is behind the petition.

The one-way section of George Street has painted bicycle symbols on the road – but no separated bikeway.Credit: Glenn Campbell

Bright said protected bike lanes on George Street would also get northbound e-scooters riders off the footpath – as under Queensland laws it is illegal to ride them on roads with a dividing lane.

Bicycle Queensland CEO Alton Twine said he strongly supported extending the George Street bikeway.

“The beauty of George Street is it has that direct connectivity from Roma Street down to QUT. It goes past Brisbane City Council, Queen Street Mall and the government precinct,” he said.

“You actually need a lot of confidence to ride in the city,” says Jo Qualmann.Credit: Glenn Campbell

It would likely mean losing a traffic lane for cars. But Alton said research, including in the US and Australia, showed adding bike lanes increased foot traffic into shops.

“By creating a better network and access to more places in the CBD, you’re going to attract more people,” he said.

Council’s transport chair, councillor Ryan Murphy, said George Street was a critical connection for the bus network.

“And because so many people are carried on our buses in this corridor, any future works need to consider the safety of all users,” he said.

“We’re committed to keeping Brisbane moving through cross-city corridors like the CityLink Cycleway, which runs for over two kilometres between Alice Street and Melbourne Street.

“By the end of this year, this CityLink Cycleway will feed into the Kangaroo Point bridge, adding close to another kilometre to the trail while also taking 84,000 cars off the road each year.”

For Jo Qualmann, initiatives like separated bikeways are the key to making active transport options more attractive to city workers.

“You actually need a lot of confidence to ride in the city. Particularly for women who are trying to start out with cycling – that confidence and safety issue is really important.”

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